Lost my foil a month or so ago. 
Thought I had found it but turned out its not mine.
Same year same brand but not mine.
Anyone else lost a foil near melville lately?
Just the foil, no board.
Seems to be a common occurrence, so how do you loose a foil? They aren't exactly small.
Where did you lose it?
Myself and Rick found the last one after a considerable search so there is hope!./
Select to expand quotedecrepit said..
Seems to be a common occurrence, so how do you loose a foil? They aren't exactly small.
It can happen when the screws don't hold. I often find that one of the screws on my fins is loose at the end of a session. It's often linked to old or missing o-rings. Using a powerbox or making ground contact does not help, either. The loss can be at a random time afterwards. I once lost a fin 150 km into a session in hip-deep water. Spent 20 minutes trying to find it without success. It's very hard to judge how far you traveled after loosing the fin (or foil).
The Slingshot manual suggests to use a rope (kite string or similar) tied from the top of the mast to the back foot strap. They also specify how many turns the fin screws should be into the foil. So the foil getting loose may be somewhat common. But who reads manuals?
The manual also states that all connections, including screws, should be oiled or greased, and that screws should be wrapped with teflon tape. Good against corrosion, maybe not so good in other respects?
In both our cases it was user error. Just didn't use the correct bolts. The shorter ones tighten up but not enough thread to hold the mast into the adapter under full load. Correct length ones are about 20 turns to tighten correctly.
Will be looking next low tide with nice weather but not expecting to find much, still worth another look.
The problem with some sort of leash is in this sort of failure the lead would slip over the top of mast, a hole through the top of the mast could be used to attach it but then you need something strong enough on the board to fit it to. It should help if the box pulls out of the board.
Just putting the foil together properly and maybe checking the bolts during use would be simpler.
