Molds are generally cut out of a big block of steel. At the time we started Force Fin, each mold had around a $40,000 price tag. In today’s dollars that is the equivalent of around $120,000. Bob Evans hand shaped master tooling, with blades propotional to foot for sizes xs, small, medium, medium large, large, extra large, 2-X Large. Over the years we made more than 30 models of Force Fins. To launch with a size run just for the Original and Pro Model Force Fins we were were looking at a cost of more than $750,000 current dollars, with that investment capital tied up for around 18 months. That’s a pretty high capital expense for a fin company.
Never one to cower at a challenge, Bob Evans decided to find a solution. He applied techniques he learned from his artist/sculpter father and growing up as a member of Hermosa Beach California surfing community to develop fiberglass epoxy (later filled with aluminum) tooling and molds. Each mold came in with a cost of around $3,000, and Force Fin was up and running – successfully!
Over the year, Bob Evans and his crew made 100’s of molds, that together produced millions of Force Fins.
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