MyPaipoBoards Forums

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.

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

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.

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

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

bgreen wrote: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!

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.

And another shot

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?

rodndtube wrote: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.

Here are the fins I have been using. They seem to work great (on my board 51" by 22"). They are Futures Vector II 460s. The foil really helps accelerate on turns. I have only side slipped once, when a wave closed on me from behind. I was going to try their smallest fin also, the "Super Grom", but these fins turn and hold great. I want to try Futures smaller more traditional type low aspect (K2)fish fins sometime. I like the drive of the bigger fins, but I also like the loseness of the smaller fins. There are draw backs to both.

My latest 2 sets of fins made by Huie from Swaylocks. Haven't had them out in decent surf yet.

Bob

jbw4600 wrote:Here are the fins I have been using. They seem to work great (on my board 51" by 22"). They are Futures Vector II 460s. The foil really helps accelerate on turns. I have only side slipped once, when a wave closed on me from behind. I was going to try their smallest fin also, the "Super Grom", but these fins turn and hold great. I want to try Futures smaller more traditional type low aspect (K2)fish fins sometime. I like the drive of the bigger fins, but I also like the looseness of the smaller fins. There are draw backs to both.

What are the dimensions of those fins? They appear to be around 5 inches.

They are 4.45" high by 4.37 long. They are in the medium range on their line.

http://www.futuresfins.com/fin-detail.p ... 1_full.jpg

My other pair are bigger. http://www.futuresfins.com/fin-detail.p ... 1_full.jpg They have great drive. I was able to get past sections and do foam take offs and get out of the foam. With my smaller ones, I can't do that as well. It is a trade off.

I would to try try a pair of these: http://www.futuresfins.com/fin-detail.p ... 2_full.jpg

I would also like to try out some smaller ones sometime. http://www.futuresfins.com/fin-detail.p ... 2_full.jpg

I wonder how these would work on a bellyboard ? http://www.futuresfins.com/fin-detail.p ... t_full.jpg

It says "upright and pivoty".

bgreen wrote:
My latest 2 sets of fins made by Huie from Swaylocks. Haven't had them out in decent surf yet.

Bob

Bob, what are the dimensions of this red fin? That is something up my alley for my sidebites if it is around 2".

sheet of paper is 8.5x11? then looks like maybe 3" or 4" high by 2" to 3" base

Rod,

I missed the question, sorry about that.

The fin is 3 1/2" high and 3 1/8" long. These are used as twin fins. I would probably go a little shorter, but this is just me. A bit more bite than the shallow fins, but also some noticeable drag at times. I changed fins between surfs. I haven't tried it finless for a while so might try that on the week-end.

Bob

bgreen wrote:Rod,

I missed the question, sorry about that.

The fin is 3 1/2" high and 3 1/8" long. These are used as twin fins. I would probably go a little shorter, but this is just me. A bit more bite than the shallow fins, but also some noticeable drag at times. I changed fins between surfs. I haven't tried it finless for a while so might try that on the week-end.

Bob

I'd like some side bites like that but at 2.5" high max.

I lost one of my fins when I hit some kelp at high speed so I decided to try another fin out. Here are the new ones: http://www.futuresfins.com/fin-detail.p ... a_full.jpg. Anyway they work great! These are the best of the three fins I have used with this board. The area is slightly smaller and the tip is smaller and they are more upright.. They are thicker at the bottom, which makes more of a foil than the T1. There is plenty of hold but a much more fluid release of the bottom and top turns. It amazing what a little change in design can do. They are desgned by Akila Aipa who makes performance twin boards.