Surfing needs more outside-the-box thinkers like Mick Cremin. He’s the self-motivated, self-funded inventor of the V Jet, a fin which blends the drive and refinement of the thruster with the retro feel of the single fin

Surfing needs more outside-the-box thinkers like Mick Cremin. He’s the self-motivated, self-funded inventor of the V Jet, a fin which blends the drive and refinement of the thruster with the retro feel of the single fin. It’s a little similiar to the winged keel but refines the concept and addresses its drawbacks. Cremo doesn’t claim to have reinvented the wheel with his winged creation but believes the V Jet fills a niche for open-minded surfers seeking a different groove.

Tracks: There’s a real back story behind the V Jet isn’t there?

Cremo: I guess it started by watching my Dad race pigeons. Pigeons can outfly a hawk or an eagle – they’re pretty radical performers the old pigeons. When they want to make an abrupt directional change they drop their wings close to their body and use them as a rudder. I used to think about the shape they made and the correlation it has with other animals like sharks and dolphins, which form a similar shape when they turn by dropping their pectoral fins. I even had flying dreams myself and noticed I was using my arms in a similar way. So that’s where I got the basic idea for the fin design: nature.

Tracks: And so you just took it to the next step and shaped up a few fins?

Cremo: Yeah, I chased up a few old fins from the local surf shop (Jacksons in Cronulla) and made a few crude prototypes in my garage, listening to some John Butler Trio, having a few beers and getting creative as I like to do. That was summer 2003. Even with those first few fins I knew I was on to something. I believed it with my heart and soul. Evolution had already refined the design over tens of thousands of year so the concept was sound – it was just a matter of tweaking it to suit a surfboard.

Tracks: So you’ve got the basic design down – everyone knows Simon Anderson should have patented the thruster – is that your next move?

Cremo: Well, that’s right. So I started looking into getting that done. Obtaining a patent is a specialised business and I had to hire an attorney and start laying out some bucks. I’ve actually patented the whole concept so if a yacht or a windsurfer or anyone else wanted to use the design they have to make a deal with me. Who knows? I’d love to be standing at Sydney Heads one Boxing Day and see a big yacht sail through the heads with V JET written on its sail.

Tracks: Your fin does have similarities with the winged keel which proved phenomenally successful in sailing but a short-lived fad in surfing. Is your design an improvement of the keel?

Cremo: Yeah, I really think it is. I’ve ridden keel fins quite a bit and they do work but they feel a bit slidey. If you remember the old footage of Cheyne Horan surfing Rincon in the Bells final from all those years ago  he’s really hooking along but you can see in his cutbacks it doesn’t drive through the water, it has a tendency to slide. So with my fin the wings are situated two thirds of the way up the fin, on a 45 degree angle and they’re a more raked shape. Plus there’s still that central fin between the keel so it looks a bit like a thruster on the one fin. It’s a lot more technical than that of course but the upshot is that you don’t get that slide – it’s much more drivey.

Tracks: It reminds me of the widow maker design. What sort of feedback have you had from other surfers who have used the fin?

Cremo: The feedback has been really positive. I’ve had it tested by (Tracks photographer) Dean Dampney who was really into it. He likes his single fins and he’s ridden the V Jet in Indo, WA and all around the south coast. He said he did some of the most satisfying open-faced carves that he’s ever done on the V Jet. Ross Clarke-Jones took an early proto-type to Japan with him. Although he said it needed refinement, his feedback was that it was a good concept – with a potential application for tow boards.

Tracks: What’s the latest? I understand FCS are looking at adding it to their fin catalogue?

Cremo: Yeah, they’ve just sent me a couple of prototypes from their factory in China which is pretty exciting. We’re still refining a few elements and working out which part of the market to target it towards. It could work on single fins, mals, SUPs, as a back fin in a thrusters set up. Not sure on a release yet, it’s a slow process.

Tracks: Well good luck with it mate and keep us posted.

Pic: Dean Dampney testing the V Jet up north in WA.