Fin recommendations

[jbw4600]

Rod, thanks for your input. I borrow some fins from my son when he comes home for Xmas. Also I went to John Mels' shop last weekend and he has a Futures fin testing tree. You can borrow fins to try out. That should be fun. Another company that makes fins is True Ames. They make fins for booth FCS, Futures and a bunch of single fins. www.trueames.

[bgreen]

I ride my board with fins and finless but took the fins for a spin yesterday. The main reason was I wanted to see how they went on a wave that goes full and needs a big-cutback to link with the next section.

The fins are D-ish, with lots of speed they didn't turn great. The larger fins tracked too much. I'll look into some smaller side-bit raked ones.

Bob

[rodndtube]

Fins have come a long, long way since the mid-50s. Really kind of hard to believe that fins were hardly used before the 1940s. Looking at the evolution of fins over the past six decades and picking our the right fit for your board is maybe one of the most bewildering processes. Well... maybe I overstate the case.

The best way to experiment is to have removable fin boxes and if you are serious about experimenting maybe using fin boxes center and side that facilitate moving fins forward and aft. Having an outfit like John Mel's Freeline Designs fin tree is an outstanding benefit and a good reason to become a loyal customer.

For me I have found a 3-fin setup to be a sweet point, keeping the side bites small (less than 2.5") and the center fin in the 4 to 6 inch range and moving it forward and aft with 3 inches of range. My side bite fin boxes are fixed -- I formerly used Futures but now use FCS -- because using a single male plug enables you to experiment some with the fins forward and after about an inch. See: http://mypaipoboards.org/skegs/MySideBites.shtml

The side bite boxes are positioned fairly close to the rail and have very little toe-in.

The D-ish or square large area fins don't do much except provide straight ahead directional stability. I like to have a bit more sweep and less mass than the hump D fins to take advantage of quick release, when needed, for snappy turns and maintaining a line on a steep wave.

[bgreen]

I bought a set of fins yesterday because I wanted to see if a different fin would more easily allow turns at speed. The previous fins were foiled both sides and wanted to go straight ahead while I wanted to turn. So they were cut right down and while an improvment, I wanted to know if I could do better. The latest untried fins are only foiled on the outside so I'm hoping they will have more flex but have some bite when needed. If not, back to the finles sdrawing board which is a lot of fun anyway.

Bob

[Cuttlefish]

If you're using fcs fins and plugs then the old blue Kelly Slater fins I put a bend into work very well.

[rodndtube]

I bought a set of fins yesterday because I wanted to see if a different fin would more easily allow turns at speed. The previous fins were foiled both sides and wanted to go straight ahead while I wanted to turn. So they were cut right down and while an improvment, I wanted to know if I could do better. The latest untried fins are only foiled on the outside so I'm hoping they will have more flex but have some bite when needed. If not, back to the finles sdrawing board which is a lot of fun anyway.

Bob

Size, shape and positioning of the fins can make a big difference. Foil alone is not related to fin flex as much as materials and thinness. Foil alone can affect turning but also has to do with drag.

I forget the exact circumstances, but I found myself out in N. Oregon with two std side bites of 3.5 inches each, along with my center fin. Those big sidebites were simply too large and kept digging into the side of the wave and not releasing during a hard turn or re-entry. Caught a wave in, removed the side bites and moved my center fin back a bit and life was better. Later that afternoon I found some Turbo Sidebites as a local surf shop... lucky because they are not widely stocked, put them in for the next session, readjusted my center fin, and I was in business the next day. The Turbo Tunnel side bites are about 2.25" but made all the difference in the world. Both the 3.5" and the TTs were foiled. The 3.5" were fiberglass with no flex, the TT were molded plastic with some flex. I don't believe the flex was a factor because I also like using fiberglass fins similar to the TT, but 2", when surfing some reef breaks. The TT just didn't have nearly as much mass and certainly were not as stubborn!

[Cuttlefish]

Webber curves

IMG_20120102_091438.jpg (102.12 KiB) Viewed 365 times

Still having a tonne of fun using my Kelly Slater fins that I bent curves into so I've splashed out and bought some Webber curves which are much more extreme to try.
I have a triple fcs plug set up so I'll try them in the forward plugs first since they are fairly large.
I figure if they don't work I can trial them in a few of my "normal" surfboards as well.

[Cuttlefish]

IMG_20120102_091417.jpg (54.19 KiB) Viewed 365 times

And another shot

[Cuttlefish]

IMG_20120102_091451.jpg (53.51 KiB) Viewed 365 times

One more photo.
The wind is onshore this morning and looking less than inviting so the test run for the fins will have to wait for a cleaner day.
The one good thing about these curved fins is that they will be safer than the fibreglass ones I pictured in page 2 of this thread.
They put a nice little slice in the side of my heel when I brushed my foot across them.
I couldn't very well sand them down to make them safer as they were on loan.
Expecting lots of lift (translating into drive) from the curve of the Webber fins with enough pivot due to the low rake in the fin template.
I know they are much larger than most would use but the other less extreme curved fins I tried were amazing and had a lot of surface area in the fin.
Obviously the efficiency of the template out weighed the drag of the fin size.
Let's see what happens with these new ones hey?

[Paipo Jim]

My personal preference would probably be a pair of 3-inchers. Worth trying out to feel the effect - hopefully you can borrow a pair of loaners -- fins are too damn expensive to buy every type you want to try.

Hah! That board looks just like a longer version of "Lollypop" a Ron Romanosky board I sold to your friend Chuck in Rehobeth 4 or 5 years back. Ron sent me three sets of fins with custom ground foils with it so I was pretty happy at the time.