hey getting a new board with a 5 fin setup. just wanted to see what different configurations people are using for different conditions and different experiences people have had. foiled out side, flat inside? center inside flat out? what kinda response are you getting? gettin a little weird: anybody ride unsymetrical ie larger fins toeside and smaller heelside?
a lot of what you're asking about is dependent on the type of board in question & what kind of conditions it's designed for. i'm not using the same placement or fins on a super-groveler type board as i am on a hpsb.
I ride one fin on the left side for 1'-2'... One on the right for 2'-3'... One on the right and center for 3'-4' Thruster tri set up for 5'-10'... Quad for 15'-20'... All five for 23'+
i just got a five fin board a few months ago i have to say ive had some issues with it, i got it because i loved everything about the board but the only thing in question was the fin set up so i was like w/e. i feel like it has to much drag on it, but other times its fine. ive taken off fins and tried a thruster on it and a quad but it works better but not so well with the 5 fin set up. it very strange to do a turn with it almost like it doesnt want to go lol.
The ...Lost bottom feeder I picked up came stock with futures quads and a nub/guitar pick trailer for the 5th fin. Find the nub 5th stabilizes things nicely when the swell's up at a break that tends to favor a steeper wave face.
I used to think the same thing. But if Slater (and others) ride them without issue it must be me, not the board
yeah ill agree with you on that i mean if he can surf a table, then well i should spend a little more time on the board to work out the kinks.
wait...are you trying to ride it w/ all 5 fins in? b/c that could be the problem (unless the 5th fin is a nubster/guitar pick type fin). it's not *really* a 5 fin...it's a tri/quad convertible & meant to be ridden as either a 4 fin or a 3 fin.
ive been riding a 5'5" quad + nubster for a couple of months now and it is so drivey and suited to my style of surfing which is mostly drawnout powerful carves
Guessing many may know this, but others may not, so may be useful. There are boards that are designed to be ridden with 5 fins at the same time, and there are boards with 5 boxes meant to be ridden as a quad or a tri. 2 very different setups which should have different fin placement. If you have one meant to be ridden as tri OR quad, I have one o those. Mines kind of an all purpose board. Shortboard with fish characteristics in the outline. I like it as a quad to about shoulder, but beyond that I ride it as a tri. Actually, the fins I use as a tri are more of a twin plus trailer setup, but with regular tri fin spacing. Works well to a few foot overhead. Beyond that, that size the outline of the board becomes an issue, as does the outline of my belly and general out of shape condition. That said, I like having the 5 fin option, and am glad I got it. My shaper charged extra. My last board is a really short stubby small wave board, ad I didnt bother getting a center fin since I didnt plan on using it beyond chest high. Similarly, if I ordered a bigger wave board, I would probably go with a tri setup, because in biger waves it feels right to me. I suppose its a lot of personal preference. Ive bever tried a true 5 fin, but have seen some positive reviews of Griffen 5 fin setups. Ive also never tried a mckee quad setup, but that is supposed to work well in big waves. Theres some old school footge of curren riding big J bay on that setup decades ago. There is so much to fin placement, size shape etc, it hard for me to really grasp. When i get a combo that works, I tend to stick with it. For quad I currently use mr tfx fins up front and 2 double foil gx trailers in the rear. For tri I often use the mr tfx and one gx or the smaller mr trailernin rear. Sometimes some AM fins front with a really ol gx3000 rear. All my boards are round tails and I am just over 200 lbs so I use more fin than the average sized guy on a shortboard.
idk, those griffins 5 fins look ridiculous. All the the rear fins are on the same line, so I don't see how the middle fin is going to make the board any more stable...it's just going to create more drag (no one's worried about drag in hawaii). Kelly's knub fin is slightly behind the rear most twins, which makes sense. ot - I just got hold of a rainbow knub I'm gonna try as the center fin on my tri. I've been using a smaller GS trailer fin in the middle on everything up to head high and it's been working just as good as a full size fin, but I'm always on the lookout for less drag on smaller waves (while still being able to dig into a bottom turn without sliding out) EDIT: ^scratch that. I have the old "H" style FCS fin plugs (not Fusion) on my tri and realized using a fin with only one tab could easily damage or bust out the plug. On a quad, there'd be some protection from the force of water by the rear twins...plus, the FCS knub is smaller than rainbow.
