Signed Carbon Fiber Fin Just $49

[bsmith]

For quite some time now, someone in Leander, Texas has been trying to sell on ebay a carbon fiber fin that appears to be signed by J. T. Horton. The seller only wants $49 for it. Seems like a good deal to me. Just wondering if @Horton can confirm that this fin is genuine and that the signature is in fact his. The ebay link is this https://www.ebay.com/itm/Carbon-Fiber-Water-Ski-Fin-/264959121697

 

Since that link will die in 6 days (although it has been relisted about 6 times now), I have provided a screen shot of the ebay listing as well.

 

 

 

 

[The_MS]

That’s his sig. is it a 106?

[MISkier]

Note that the $49 is the starting bid. No "Buy It Now" price. Reserve for that item is probably quite high, I would imagine. Hence, the re-listing that is occurring.

[Bruce_Butterfield]

$49 is a little steep for a target, but does add a lot to the personal satisfaction.

 

https://www.ballofspray.com/forum#/discussion/14688/carbon-fins-are-awesome

[buoyboy1]

I have a 116 blade on SIA 55046 under slalom that is also autographed in case someone wants to go old school.

[Martin]

Need more browser tabs ?

[bsmith]

@MISkier If I am remembering correctly, that fin keeps getting relisted because no one will even offer the starting bid price. I think a bid of $49 will get that fin.

[Horton]

that is a really early fin. Likely a 98. 98s are probably the best fin I ever made. I had to change material suppliers at one point and I never could get back to that exact layup. if you've ever wanted to try a CarbonFin and you don't mind the thickness being just under .1 that's the fin. 106 and 116 models were an attempt to recreate this fin.

[ral]

@bsmith , after @Horton 's comment, you might get competing bids from fellow ballers...

[BraceMaker]

Savage number of browser tabs

 

 

[bsmith]

@ral I have watched that ebay listing for a number of weeks and could have won it several times before. Since @Horton left the fin business so many years ago, I figured that it likely wasn't considered as good as current production fins so I left it alone. Now that Horton has mentioned the special status of this fin, I am thinking again about it, but it would seem that Horton would want it back in his collection if he doesn't already still have an example from that early best generation of his fin.

[Horton]

oh my God no please. no. I don't need more fins.

[Dirt]

I was going to offer 49 cents shipped. I am waiting for Hortons airfoil shaped balsa wood topped jumpers to go on sale.

Oh wait, they exploded off the second wake. My bad.

[Horton]

says a helicopter pilot who once ran into power lines

[ForrestGump]

Dave, did you really hit the power lines with your chopper??? For chopper pilots, that's like backing into your neighbors mailbox isn't it?

 

[Bruce_Butterfield]

I thought a chopper pilot hitting power lines was more like driving your wife's new car into the neighbor's swimming pool after a night of tequilla shots at the topless bar?

[Dirt]

Hard to see wires on goggles

[Horton]

Beer Goggles?

[david_ski]

Seeing the listing reminded me that I had one on the shelf. Maybe I need to try it again

 

 

[BlueSki]

@Horton, why were you signing your fins? I really want @Dirt and others to answer because those responses are likely funnier than the real story.

[Horton]

@BlueSki honestly I don't remember how it got started and just became a thing.

[Dirt]

He signed them so when he died testing his defective products there would be a forensic trail

[Horton]

or whar @dirt said

[Jody_Seal]

I got you a dollar!!

[kurtis500]

Soooooo.... what was the issue with these fins? Didnt work or..??

[Horton]

@kurtis500 they were actually very popular for a few years. I sold about 1,000 of them before the sales dried up. The flex of the fins compensated for "some deficit" in the skis of that era. It was a time when skis were first becoming all carbon with CNC cut PVC cores. As the factories got a better handle on longitudinal and torsional flex the additional flex of the CarbonFins became unnecessary.

[Horton]

@david_ski That fin was my own shape. It should make a ski feel more stable to apex on both side and carve back a little more slowly but hold more angle through centerline. It will also make a ski slightly slower - you can just run a little less wing or less depth/length.

[david_ski]

@Horton More stable at the Apex is what I remember. I was using it on an HO-Monza at the time. The Monza (at least mine) had a really touchy sweet spot but it was really quick when you were on it just right. The Carbon Fin mellowed out the narrow sweet spot and helped me at the apex. I then went to D3-RCX and never used it since.

[kurtis500]

@horton if I read that correctly, the carbon fin was more flexible than aluminum? And now an aluminum fin is fine?

 

[Horton]

@kurtis500

the CarbonFins were not much softer than the standard aluminum fins. The impact was subtle. At the peak of the sport tiny tweaks can make a big difference. A lot has changed since then. Boats, ski design, technique....

[kurtis500]

@horton were they designed to be softer than the aluminum counterpart? Generally carbon composites will be stiffer than an aluminum part of similar shape and size. Just curious

[Horton]

@kurtis500

 

Compared to the aluminum fins that were standard at the time (2003+/-) my fins were a little softer. (0 / 90 layups - prepreg)

[kurtis500]

@horton you ever thought of trying it again? Was this something you built or had a company do?

[Horton]

@kurtis500 by the end I had the plate made by composite shops and then sent to waterjet shop to cut perimeters then I sent to machine shop for holes then i hand sanded and finished each fin.

 

I would do it again if i thought there was a real market & business opportunity but i do not. As i said before it was a different era in the sport when CarbonFins was a compelling product.

[skialex]

So is this collectible, should I wait another 15 years if I want to put it up for sale? I guess price would only go up!

[thager]

Worthless!

 

[Horton]

@skialex put it in your ski next season and try it.

[Mateo_Vargas]

I found one for $14 at the thrift store. It's now the 3rd place trophy for the 2020 Ski League.

 

[Horton]

$14?

 

[MattP]

@Mateo_Vargas I have many questions.

[david_ski]

@skialex @Horton: I will give my limited edition carbon fin a try next summer just for the fun of it.

[liquid d]

$14? are you friggin kiddin me!!!!!?? I paid $49 for that one on ebay! haha...probably run 39 the first set on it....

[Mateo_Vargas]

 

[Stefan]

@Mateo_Vargas $14.99 incl the 9600? Good(e) deal in that case!! Below my collection I found in the tool box and now marked according to info in the old Carbon Fins thread:

 

[Horton]

wow that is a collection

[skialex]

@Horton still skiing so I decided to give it a try... fin is identical to the standard Goode fin, only thinner. So I put the same settings. Ski felt a bit easier to initiate pull out and edge change and a bit easier to slide the tail. Ski felt marginally better than with the standard fin. Buoy count was the same... fin will stay on my ski for now. I have a CG fin on the way but I don’t expect to have it before end of January.