Single Fin Compatible Shapes

Misspelling a physiological symptom you experience every four weeks is perplexing.

There's no way you like the classic films that SUP, NEflat, PB&J, AO/OO, I and others revere given your level of square-shaped nerdiness. GET OFF OUR PEAK/JETTY!!!

 

Boy, not to trample on my new found position in your good graces, but I gotta say.....Anchorman, while good, is definitely overrated. I mostly blame Steve Carrell and the stream of incoherent drivel - obnoxious-to-be-funny has it's limits.

I'm actually firmly of the belief that Will Ferrell's comedic value is strongest when he is in more of a supporting role, or at least not the main character. Look at his characters in Old School, The Ladies Man, Wedding Crashers, Zoolander - pure gold. I feel like his humor can just get a little over the top when he's the leading actor, though that's at least partially because he's taken some terrible roles. Blades of Glory? Should've seen that sucking a mile away.

 

No actor nails them all, he got popular and everybody and their mother wanted to sign him to their movie, he took more than he should have and devalued his brand. He's one hell of a comedian though, dude has some of the best one liners ever written. Blades of Glory was a bit of stinker but there were a few nuggets in that one too. If he was more selective in his roles he'd probably have a better hit ratio, but I can't fault the guy for cashing in on his name / popularity.

 

Sorry for contributing to this complete derailment - more on topic, I have a super old single fin mini gun-style shape my uncle gave me that's in horrible condition, but I'm getting ready to fix it up and bring that bad boy out for some barrel shooting when we get some proper swell. I've got very little experience on a single fin, just messing around on this old beat up bic funboard my uncle had set up with a single-fin (my "log", which is not a true LB, is a 8'6" with side bites that are glassed on), and I'm really stoked to get a new feel under my feet.

Minigun is an old lightning bolt, dims are something close to 6'7" x 19.5" x 2.75" - I've got no idea what kind of fin I'll need to get to throw in there. Any suggestions on good fins? (I'll throw up more pics at some point, probably going to get a repair thread going to solicit some ideas on the best approach to the repair it, as the thing is in really really tough shape)

 

Sick Lightning Bolt! Have you thought about hanging it up on a wall? The deck looks pretty clean, considering its age. At least that's what I would do. If you do chose to repair it, I would recommend taking it to a pro; unless you're a ding master. You've got major stress cracks just north of your fin box. This thing must have been dragging something big to look like that. This thing belongs in a museum.

Fin wise, I would invest in a Trus Ames L-Flex fin. I have most likely mentioned it somewhere on this forum, but the L-Flex is definitely one of my favorite fins. Plenty of pop for those tight bottom turns.

 

It looks like there's some deformation around that one end of the fin box... the reflection seems to be showing a bulge at the front end, which makes sense seeing as the there was some kind of impact on the leading edge of the fin that might have started to pop the box out under the glass. Check closely for delam under those cracks, and check to see if the box itself has been damaged - not likely, but possible.

Those old double winger bolts sure looked cool, and I would definitely ride it in some heavy tubes next time you have a chance. If you were going for a full on resto, I'd have it professionally sprayed. But in my mind, it has too many pressure dings on the deck for that, and I'm looking at a rider.

 

True Ames Parish Single Fin was made for that lightning bolt. Single fins rule

http://trueames.com/shop/parrish-single-fin

 

I have an SRO 7" in my 7-0 stinger and it works well.

 

I use a 7" Rainbow Rake in the Yellow 7'2" (may have said 7'8" earlier mistake) and on the 6' Orange one I used to use either a 5" fairly vertical fin for snappier or a 6" one raked back more and thinner at the tip for flow and drive in cleaner waves. Man I love my 5 fins and quad set ups but now I want a nice 6'6" or 6"8" single fin egg. Dlrouen don't you have something like that from Eavey?

 

I found this topic on Swalocks talking about cutaways as a single fin...give it a try:

A couple years ago Brewer gave me his red 9'2" performance noserider - set up as a 2+1. I didn't get into longboards until 5 or 6 years ago, so my inclination was to set them up thruster style, with a small center fin and sidebites. We had the board scaned and have made several copies, and now I have them spinkled around so I don't have to shlep them when I travel to familiar places.


The first copies were finished by Michel Junod in Santa Cruz. When I stopped by to pick one up, Steamer Lane was firing. I brought fins for the board, but realized when I got there that I brought FCS sidebites and the board was set up for Futures. I stuck a 7" cutaway way forward in the box and figured I'd try it that way this one time, and put the sidebites in when I got home.


The board went insane. Super loose... and faster than it was with the sidebites. It's been over a year, and I've never felt the urge to change the setup. I ride it in anything from ankle biters, to wedging shorepound, to double-O+ Ocean Beach.


Now this is my go-to board about 70% of the time. I've got the extra volume of a longboard, but I can huck turns like a shortboard. Without the sidebites I can't bash off the lip the same, but the board will make loose carving turns like nobody's business... and it turns on a dime... and it goes FASTER. If I really try, I can get the board to loose grip at the tail, but I never feel like that's a problem. I just depend on my rail and stay loose like the board.


My center fin collection is mostly cutaways... from about 4" up to a whopping 7". I can't ever imagine wanting more fin than that. I'm planting my rail, and just counting on my fin to hold the tail from spinning. More than that and it feels like I'm standing in my living room watching surfing on TV... everything just gets too stiff.


To each their own, but I LOVE cutaways. Futures makes really nice techie ones. Fins Unlimited makes an even more abreviated one. You can also get good ones from Fiberglass Fins, FCS, Curtiss, Island Fin Co, and True Ames... among others. The main thing I look for is - smooth lines, not too much rake, not too much surface area above the cutaway, and a nice foil.


If you ride a cutaway that's otherwise about the same size as your normal fin, you'll notice some difference. If you go shorter you'll notice a lot. If you move it up in the box, you'll notice even more.


It's all about what floats your boat. Some people don't like squirly tails. I kinda do. You don't need to use a cutaway to make your tail looser. You can get to the same place a few different ways.


I figure my board wants to take the path of least resistance... Less fin makes it faster... After 44 years of surfing, I can put my weight wherever I think it should be and not fall off my board... If I want to crank a turn, I can plant my foot over the fin and make it stick... It's not that loose, just looser.


If I'm racing down the line, I'm not making any sudden shifts that will make me spin out. My control surface is the rail and bottom. On this board, big fins and sidebites just feel like they add drag. I don't need my board to feel stable, I just want it to go where I want it to when I want. Power turns come off the tail with my weight over the fin. 7" is plenty big for me to make it stick.


Comparing it to riding a bike... If you grip your handlebars really tight, you'll hit every bump and fight your bike all the way down the hill. If you let the front wheel find it's own way and just gently guide the bars you'll make it down effortlessly.


The other thing is... I'm not really a "longboarder". I never really rode longboards until relatively recently. I'm not so much about cross-stepping and one-footed noserides. I'm more about being in tune with the wave and dancing with it. I'm liking my longboard because as I get older and heavier I'm also getting slower. Now I just wave and nod as 12 year olds paddle past me. Also SF paddle outs and current can be really gnarley. More foam is good.


That is the essence of it for me... Like with the board itself, there's more to a fin than its template. Curtis Hasselgrave can make any template work better. Moving it forward or back in the box makes a huge difference.


Cutaway or not... I don't usually like fins with a lot of base or rake... or too far back. They tend to make boards too stiff for my taste.


Some people like really stable boards. I don't. One thing I do like is that the "magic board" is totally subjective. We are all right. You're the only one that can judge how well something works for you.

 

I used to have a 7' Eavey Speed Egg. Fast it was. I'll never forget one super foggy dawn patrol. It was February, cold and glassy. Just me & the egg. If I had a skillet, I would have made an omlet.

 

Yes that's right the speed egg. course you don't wanna break that egg to make the omlet! Glassy day on a single fin egg, don't get much better than that