MyPaipoBoards Forums

I think it is a matter of being able to draw different lines. I have a couple of boards I have ridden with and without fins. I now mostly ride them with fins, for shorter arcs and a bit more control (both when going really fast and when hitting a fat section on a wide tailed board). Again, it comes back to how you want to ride a wave and the type of waves you are riding (and how much water is beneath you).

Getting the fins right can be difficult, I've certainly had boards that tracked too much, hence smaller fins, foiled on one side only (twin fins).

I think your surfing background (standup, bodysurfer, bodyboarder, kneeboarder etc) is going to effect how you see this as well.

vive la difference
Bob

As in any discussion on board design it is a matter of compromise. I would argue that fins are better for projection and for sustaining momentum in white water sections. I also find them useful for many other things but to an extent that is conditioning from 4 decades of riding with fins. I tend to ride a 2x1 setup with small sidebites -- 2" -- and really notice a difference when they get up to 2.75" or more (tracking?). My center fin isn't huge - 4 to 5 inches.