Adding side bites to my wildcat

[hullogfish]

Picked up a used MP wildcat a month back or so, definitely a new sensation. I’m thinking of having two single FCS plugs to accommodate small side bite fins. Appreciate your vote, and if I do it, does anyone know the position/placement of the fins for a shape like this?

 

[ben714]

I just went through a similar situation so I’ll offer my 2 cents (I also made a thread asking for info about adding sidebites to my Siglo, there was a small amount of useful info there…):

I just added single tab sidebites to my 6’6” Siglo; parallel with stringer, completely vertical. I’ve only had a couple chances to surf it while in Baja last weekend, but my impressions were that the true Ames single foiled sidebites felt kind of loose and skatey, and the yellow ones in the photo (self made and double foiled) made it feel less skatey, but i wasn’t convinced it improved the board in any great way. At least not in the small waves I was surfing it in.
And to offer some info on the alternate, a toed in sidebite, the second photo is of my 8’0” Anderson Bojorquez with glassed in side bites. This board is amazing, turns off the bottom great, has drive and power through cutbacks… it’s quickly become a favorite board and I have to believe that it has something to do with the sidebites.

I have a couple other hulls with sidebites, but I don’t know if there is a “magic” formula to determine whether they would offer any improvements or what configuration to try…

 

[Skusty]

worst that happens if you add them and don't like em is that you ride it without them (unless you royally fuck up the installation)....variety is the spice of life as you say

 

[West81]

Just get a new board already

We all know thats what you really want...

 

[jory]

Why?

What do you think it’s going to add?

 

[DanSan]

I would check old Greg liddle archives for this…fin position etc
When he stopped shaping
I would have multiple fcs plugs installed
To recreate the ability to slide the fins forward and back like mini center fin box sides were

Just my depreciating 2 cents

 

[hullogfish]

It’s not that I want a new board necessarily, but rather I’m hoping in gaining a little drive and stability in turns, along with simply wondering what could be with this design. I had a single fin Greg Liddle point break template and a GeeBee with a 2 plus 1 set up back in the day and always wondered if the drive of the geebee was due to the side bites and what if…
Looking at the fin placement of both the Anderson and the the Klaus Jones has me even more confused on what to tell the repair guy

 

[ben714]

For the sake of keeping the thread going because of my own interest (and adding to your confusion) here are 2 more of my boards with side bites for you to consider.

7’10” Liddle HawaiiKine. Vertical, parallel freestyle boxes.

6’3” Fineline MP, fcs plugs angled and toed in.

 

[Jc Nelson]

if it were me i'd message kp about placement

 

[Ricksurfin]

And if you were to add them, I’d have Mike at Beach House Ding Repair do the install.Best repairs I’ve ever seen, and he’s close to you.