Patent ID: 8083560

Claim:
A pivotal surfboard fin assembly for use with a surfboard, the surfboard having a top surface and a bottom surface, the assembly comprising: an insert bracket defining a longitudinal bracket axis and a lateral bracket axis disposed perpendicular to the longitudinal bracket axis, the insert bracket having a board face mountable to the bottom surface of the surfboard and a bracket face opposite the board face, the bracket face having a lock pin aperture defining a generally longitudinal lock pin axis and a flex plug cavity; an elastomeric flex plug having a flex plug hole defining a generally longitudinal flex plug axis, a first flex plug surface and an opposing second flex plug surface, the flex plug disposed in the flex plug cavity; a surfboard fin having a fin blade, a mounting edge, a flex pin channel defining a generally longitudinal flex pin axis extending from the interior of the fin blade to the mounting edge, a fixed lock pin having a lock pin first end mountable to the surfboard fin at the mounting edge and a lock pin second end sized and configured to be rotatably and slidably disposable into the lock pin aperture, the surfboard fin further having a biased flex pin proximate to the lock pin with a flex pin first end sized and configured to be slidably disposable into the flex pin channel, the flex pin further having a flex pin second end sized and configured to be slidably disposable into the flex plug hole with the insertion of the lock pin second end into the lock pin aperture, thereby enabling the fin blade to pivot on the bottom surface of the surfboard; and a first compression pin and a second compression pin, the first compression pin having a first compression pin first end engaged with the insert bracket and a first compression pin second end sized and configured to compress the first flex plug surface along a generally lateral first compression pin axis with the flex pin second end disposed in the flex plug hole, the first compression pin axis being generally orthogonal to the flex plug, the second compression pin having a second compression pin first end engaged with the insert bracket and a second compression pin second end sized and configured to compress the second flex plug surface along a generally lateral second compression pin axis with the flex pin second end disposed in the flex plug hole, the second compression pin axis being generally orthogonal to the flex plug.