Hi everyone
I've just bought a set of fins (cheap on ebay) for my '05 Missile but when I went to fit them today they bottomed out in the finbox with about 4mm of base protruding from the board. Has anyone else experienced this? What I'd really like is a template or such of a tuttle finbox so I can re-profile the head. I don't think I can just gring of the top a bit because the taper will stop it from going any further and I don't want to take off too much. Any hints?
Jethrow
hi jethrow,
yes there is 2 different types of tuttle. one with the taper and one which is square.
what you need to do is taper the fin base. it is a vey subtle taper but it is enough to stop your fins from fitting properly.
this is also the same with deep tuttle.
Yeah, I hear what you're saying but when it goes into the finbox it stops with a thunk as it bottoms out, not slowly getting tighter as if the taper was wrong
1 grinder + 1 fin = sweet fit 
Keep grinding until it fits nicely. I had to do that with a new powerbox fin as well, despite all powerboxes supposedly being created equal.
At least that way you know that the base of the fin is perfectly, 100% flush with the base of your board 
P.S. Just before you attack it, check the box for any spacers that might have found their way into the guts...
There are actually two different sizes of Tuttle box in the market, those built in the US by Tuttle and used in the top end racing equipment and those used by Cobra in Thailand. There is a difference in depth. Careful surgery with sandpaper and a grinder should allow you to fit your new fins flush with the bottom of the board.
Hi Jethro
Don't you have an existing (fitting) tuttle to match against? If bottoming out is the only problem - measure using calipers - ALDI has cheap Digital readout ones going this week.
Check against a deep tuttle box before mucking around with the taper - They should fit sweet as is in a DTB, else tapper is wrong too.
DavMen
I have found that each fin must be fitted to each board by hand. I have five tuttle box boards each of which has a slight variation in length, width and depth (1 deep tuttle). Again all of the fins have variation in the length, width and depth of the tuttle head. The variations are a result of manufacturing and installation variations. ie misalignment of moulds, defects in moulds and differences in manufacturing technique (cast head vs NC machined head. I do have 2 different brand of fin that have a cast head that is about 3-4mm different in depth. This could be your problem if you have a shallow box in your board coupled with a deeper head. Simply fit by hand using a panel file, file or sandpaper block using soap to "blue" the fitup.
Also of note (not only depth) is the "roundedness" of the corners of the base -> Starboards tend to be a little more rounded than say F2. Sometimes a little sandpaper is useful (rather than a grinder).
Nah! When the base of the fin is too deep, just hit it with the grinder until it doesn't hit bottom. No finesse required.
I have found the same as Matt with the shape. Some heads are squarer in the ends than other. If it is a squarish end and sits too high, it is best to very carefully (hand) sand a bit off the edges (rounding them)and try that before attacking the flats on the ends. If the fin head goes in too deep, either shim it up with thin strips of plastic or build it up with a thin layer of fiberglass or epoxy filler (carefully masked up before application of course).
Dont panic Jethrow - just cut or grind
The 05 Missile has a notoriously shallow tuttle box.
I borrowed one (05 Missile) from a good friend for a few weeks and had to trim about 5mm from the heads of the fins I used (so they would fit flush). Its not a drama - the fins still work fine in adeeper box.
Cheers
