Hanalei Fins, Hanalei, HI (2026)

02/28/2026

Another Material Experiment

This is our BW-525 template that was used in this experiment. The fin is made out of two layers of 1/8" PHENOLIC and one layer of 1/8" G10. The phenolic sandwiches the G10.

The white dots are G10 pins that keep the plates aligned when they are being glued together.

It was an interesting experiment and makes for a nice-looking fin, but man, what a nightmare to foil. The phenolic is incredibly hard to foil cleanly. It would have probably worked a lot better on a design that did not use our BLENDED-WING tech, which made the foiling even harder.

Needless to say, this will never be the first choice for this style of fin. But it does reveal some possibilities. The next attempt will use the phenolic on the inside face, G10 for the center, and plywood for the outside layer. That way, the G10 and phenolic will provide the base strength, while the plywood will add the extra thickness needed for this style of fin.

It is amazing how the phenolic ends up looking like wood when polished.

There are a lot of different types of phenolic; the one used here is a combination of KRAFT paper and phenolic resin. This is my favorite; we use it for a number of different purposes. Primarily, as the routing jig insert for our GB24 fin system.

Sanded Australia Lancelot Pearson Carleton Surf

02/26/2026

GR8 BLNDR QUAD v3

We have moved on to testing the next version of the GR8-613BW design, which is version 3.

It features a slight increase in rake, and a narrower more high-aspect profile. If you look closely at the photo, you can see the difference between the v3 and the v2 versions. The v2 version is in the background.

So far, the testing has shown that this new version is both faster and more responsive, both of which are expected with the changes made to the shape. The profile is still the same BLENDED-WING as before.

In the process, we have also come up with a name for this style of quad, as it is not your typical quad set. We call this the BLNDR QUAD, as it does a good job of blending the differences between a normal quad and a twin fin. The testers agree that the name does a good job of describing how the fins feel and work.

It utilizes a much smaller back fin than a more traditional quad. In this case, the back fin is 3 3/8" tall. The idea is that it lends additional drive to the main fin and helps smooth things out. It focuses the area down low for drive, and has a narrow tip to avoid impeding the pivot of the main fin.

It appears that this v3 template will be the one that we proceed with. Once we have gathered more testing data, we will finalize the design. Our objective is to implement this design in production as soon as possible after the testing phase has concluded. This new version has also been tested as a twin fin with a smaller trailer; it works really well as a twin with lots of speed and drive.

Sanded Australia Lancelot Pearson Carleton Surf

12/20/2025

SP9-700 Hybrid Phenolic/Wood Single Fin

When we first introduced the SP9 fin series, we mentioned that the intended construction methodology involved a combination of G10 and plywood.

This build technique allowed the fin's blade to flex torsionally, a feature that could not be achieved with a solid fiberglass version.

Now we have explored an alternative to this hybrid construction method that replaces the G10 with PHENOLIC. This material is very strong, but a lot lighter than G10, plus it has a beautiful dark wood-like color when foiled. The type of phenolic we used on this build is a combination of paper and phenolic resin. Not the easiest material in the world to foil, but it makes for a stunning-looking fin.

The phenolic is coupled with a Baltic Birch plywood, which, due to the light color, makes for an excellent contrast with the dark color of the phenolic.

The bottom half of the fin is solid phenolic, while the blade is phenolic sandwiched between two layers of plywood.

All the parts are cut on the CNC machine to ensure a perfect fit. They are then glued together by hand. The RED dots in the fin are G10 pins that are used to keep the parts aligned when they are being glued together.

The wood is given a coat of Osmo finish, a natural oil-based finish with good pe*******on properties. The entire fin is then oiled with the camilia oil we use, for the final finish, no spraying involved.

Makes for a stunning fin that really shows off the shape.

Next up, we will be exploring some side fins using this hybrid construction methodology. Stay tuned. It might be a while, as there are lots of custom fins to make first.

You can also follow our blog to catch posts like this one. Here is a link to the RSS feed.

https://mairfoils.com/general/blog/mairfoils-rss.xml

Sanded Australia Lancelot Pearson Carleton Surf

10/23/2025

First New Templates of the Season!

As is often the case when a new surf season rolls around in Hawai'i, we start looking at new fin designs. This year is no different.

We wanted to investigate a higher-aspect ratio fin design that optimized lift generation. We had this idea for a new type of quad set design that aligned with our now-proven BLENDED-WING design. The BLENDED-WING concept takes the fin's profile and bends it roughly halfway, creating two distinct facets. The bottom half is used to initiate the drive into a turn, while the top half powers out of the turn. With a high-aspect-ratio fin design, more drive is often needed to activate the turn. To accomplish this, we add a small back fin roughly the same height as the bottom half of the main fin. This back fin is shaped in such a manner as to not interfere with the turning ability of the main fin. This requires a fin with more base and less tip, but with a soft tip for fluidity.

Let’s introduce the GR8 (great) quad setup! This setup features the GR8-613BW (6 1/8”) main fin and the GR8-338 back fin. You’ll notice we’ve chosen a much larger (taller) main fin to boost lift generation. To balance this, we’ve included a smaller back fin, which helps keep the turning smooth while adding some extra power. Also, the back fin’s design makes it pretty flexible in terms of placement. We still recommend a tight fin cluster for this setup.

The initial v1 design of the GR8-613BW has 55º of rake, but after building the first prototype, we are now considering increasing the rake to add more projection to the setup. The next v2 version will have 52º of rake. We looked into more rake, but it affected the fin's aspect ratio and, hence, lift generation. We were looking for something between the rake of the Q2-500 and the BW-500. The GR8-338 back fin has a much steeper rake to enhance its function.

The design of the main fin was also driven by the goal of making it an excellent twin-fin choice. This drove the need to balance the design between turning ability, drive, and projection. The design also features a "base forward" design, meaning that as the fin gets larger, the base stays pinned at the back of the fin. This results in the fin's center of effort moving forward as its size increases, helping keep the template balanced with the box placement.

Currently, there are three templates for the main fin: GR8-513BW, GR8-568BW, and GR8-613BW. You'll notice that they are all taller than would be the norm for our designs.

We are in the process of producing some test sets so we can get these into waves for feedback. Once we receive the ride reports, we can start refining the design, if needed.

Stay tuned!

Sanded Australia Lancelot Pearson

08/22/2025

HANALEI FINS | MAIRFOILS Blog

The HANALEI FINS | MAIRFOILS blog has been off the air for a while as we moved the website to a new software platform. Initially, this platform did not support a blogging system, but now a brand new one is on the horizon, so we are eagerly getting ready to reintroduce the feature.

The plan is to provide a blog on both the HANALEI FINS and MAIRFOILS websites. The content will be shared between both sites, so the same posts can be read in either location. The MAIRFOILS site will be the first to showcase the blog.

We intend to be a lot more proactive with these blogs in the future, as they are an excellent mechanism for communicating with our customers and fans.

It will also be our intent to get as many of the posts as possible onto our page, so all of our followers there can keep track of what is going on. Most of the posts will also be going on Bluesky as we slowly shift our social presence to a more democratic system.

There is also an initial plan to utilize the blog on the MAIRFOILS site to present progress on custom fin construction. This idea is a new one, so we have not completely figured it out yet, but the plan is to have something in place shortly.

Stay tuned for a lot more information.

https://mairfoils.com/general/blog/

Sanded Australia Stinkfoot Leather

05/17/2025

Something Completely Different - BASE ADAPTER!

We have been working on an adapter that will allow GEARBOX (and DUAL TAB) fin bases to be used in a regular longboard box.

The adapter is made out of G10 so it is stiff and strong. There is a set screw at the back that is tightened to push the fin forward locking it in place. It uses a regular 10-24 grub screw as found in a GEARBOX box. It can be tightened with our regular HEX fin key.

But there was an additional motive behind the design of this adapter, which was the ability to allow a regular center fin fitted with the adapter to switch the screw tab from the front to the back. It is not uncommon with a single fin that if the screw tab is in the front it restricts how far forward the fin can be placed. With this adapter, you simply switch the adapter around and the problem is gone. This means we can make certain center fins with a GEARBOX base and equip them with this adapter to add another level of flexibility.

We are going to leverage these adapters for our wing fins as we are always faced with the dilemma that when foiling a fin with a wing attached, the screw tab makes it very hard to reverse foil the fin. Now, we simply make a GEARBOX base (with no cutout) and we can more easily foil the fin.

There is another version in the works that adds a set screw in the front for additional security. We'll post a photo once we have one of them made up.

The only restriction with this adapter is if the fin has a long overhang that might cover the screw hole on the tab, but for typical GEARBOX or DUAL TAB bases, this is not a problem.

Sanded Australia Lancelot Pearson

05/05/2025

The MAIRFOILS Website is now fully operational with the new e-commerce system, phew.

It was a lot of work breaking things up, but it was well worth the effort. Things are much cleaner now, and we have a better software base, which is good for the future.

This site now offers access to all custom fins. You can also order any production fins as custom fins (with color choices) through the site.

While the site has a different name, the fins will still be branded as HANALEI FINS!

In the future, we hope that some of the many new designs we have been working on will make it over to the production side. Fingers crossed. All of these designs are featured on the new site.

Sanded Australia Lancelot Pearson Lance Carleton

05/05/2025

HANALEI FINS Website has now completed its move to hanalei-fins.com. The new e-commerce system is also up and running, so fins can be ordered online again, yippee!

It has been radically reorganized with different categories of fins based on their characteristics.

The custom fins have been moved from this site to their dedicated site - MAIRFOILS.

Sanded Australia Lancelot Pearson

04/22/2025

TIMES ARE CHANGING 2025

We have been forced to rethink the US-based side of HANALEI FINS, see below.

ANNOUNCEMENT

Our Asian manufacturers have consistently manufactured HANALEI FINS CNC production fins. However, the unprecedented tariffs imposed on these nations have adversely impacted our business operations.

The severity of the tariffs prevents us from absorbing these additional costs. Furthermore, we cannot, in good conscience, pass the increased expense on to our customers.

Our short-term solution is to pivot to custom fins. Custom fins enable us to produce existing designs while making newer ones available. Naturally, this approach incurs a slower production process as these fins are handmade.

We must pursue this alternative business model because our small business’s limited resources restrict our options.

Our business has focused on providing surfers with fins that expand their horizons. We intend to continue offering our designs for your enjoyment. This is the most suitable option for the immediate future.

Should circumstances change in the future, we will reassess this decision.

HANALEI FINS will remain available through Sanded Australia, as these tariffs do not affect them.

We'll occasionally attempt to procure a limited supply of production fins through them, but shipping costs and tariffs are a consideration.

We will continue to sell HANALEI FINS from our website while we have inventory. HANALEI FINS will continue to exist. However, it would be more efficient to spin off the custom fin manufacturing aspect of the business and concentrate on it while these tariffs remain in effect.

We are grateful for your unwavering support. Your contributions have been instrumental in our success.

The new custom fin business is named MAIRFOILS. Please visit our website for more information on the custom fin business.

https://mairfoils.com/

We are in the process of moving our websites around. The domain names are changing, and the sites are being completely revamped. Both new sites are live, but the ordering system is not yet up and running. Everything is in place; we are just ironing out issues on the back end, partly because we are also switching e-commerce providers.

Rest assured, we are dedicated to continuing HANALEI FINS and view this as a bump in the long road to delivering next-level fins to surfers around the globe. Our custom fins will still be branded as HANALEI FINS so that nothing will change.

Mahalo nui loa.

Sanded Australia Lancelot Pearson

03/11/2025

TIME FOR A CHANGE!

We are slowly moving HANALEI FINS from Facebook to Bluesky. Bluesky offers better moderation and general freedom, although post lengths are limited. We will figure out how to bypass this limitation in time.

We would love to have you follow us there. We can be found on Bluesky by searching for HANALEI FINS, or you can follow this link to our profile.

https://bsky.app/profile/hanalei-fins.surf

We look forward to seeing you there eventually. Mahalo!

02/22/2025

NRG-525 & NRG-550 TWINS

We have revisited the old NRG-525 design for a customer who lost one. Because they are popular, we are contemplating reviving them as production fins.

Everything except the outline has been updated. The foils inside and outside have been improved. The foils are thicker, and the trailing edge shape at the base has been refined.

We will make minor tweaks to the outline to improve efficiency and manufacturing.

Another reason we are considering reviving these is that they make excellent TWIN fins in larger sizes.

If we revive these, we will make four sizes: 4.50", 5.00", 5.25", and 5.50".

UPDATE: I added a photo of the 5.50" version of this fin, which also has the slightly tweaked trailing edge outline at the base.

Stay tuned.

Sanded Australia Lancelot Pearson

01/31/2025

DRV-838 WING SINGLE FIN

We continue to innovate our WING fins. This is the latest version, which features a detachable wing. By making the wing removable, we eliminate the shipping nightmare and allow for the possibility of changing wings.

This latest version, DRV-838, has an overall height of 8 3/8" with a wing span of 6". The wing features an elliptical shape for smoothness and efficiency. The primary design goal for this fin was to maximize the lift generated by the wing. This will improve speed while providing some lift to the board's tail. This fin will be used in a glider-style board, so the lift in the tail will help with the glide.

The fin blade has some elliptical aspects and a cutaway to enhance turning. The fin does not flex much, as we do not want it to interfere with the wing's efficiency.

Unlike our previous wings, this one features a more parabolic profile than earlier versions' straight wings.

The wing is attached with a single bolt and pin to prevent rotation. This experiment aimed to explore whether it would be possible to use CNC machine fins and wings and then attach them after shipping. This fin was done by hand, except the CNC machine cut the outline for the wing. The next version will feature a wing profiled with the CNC. A piece of G10 is on the top of the fin, so we can tap it to accept the bolt. The hole for the bolt head is filled with wax once the fin is assembled.

The next experiment will use a tenon and mortise for the wing joint. There would then be a simple set screw from the side to lock the wing in place. We'll see if that is any easier to assemble than this approach.

Sanded Australia Lancelot Pearson

Hanalei Fins

02/28/2026

02/26/2026

12/20/2025

10/23/2025

08/22/2025

05/17/2025

05/05/2025

05/05/2025

04/22/2025

03/11/2025

02/22/2025

01/31/2025

Address

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Shortcuts

Share