Hey guys, I'm new to surfing, in my second year. I've been looking at some mini longboards for the summer time surf. I'm looking at a 6'8'' walden with a three fin set up with side bites, and another board i forget the name but its got a single fin only. the guy at the surf shop seemed like a really cool guy, and told me that the walden obviously has more versatility in that you can take the side bites off. but my question is what do the side bites do for you? as a beginner is it better to have them or just do the single fin. or does it even matter? both are priced about the same i appologize if this was a dumb question, but your advice and comments are appreciated
sidebites can serve a couple of purposes: 1. with a medium sized center fin (6"-7") the sidebites help bite into the face of a steep wave to make the drop without spinning out. i like small sidebites (3.5") for this setup. this makes for a board that has pretty much neutral handling--it turns when you make it do so and tracks when you give it no input. 2. i really like using larger sidebites (4.5") with a small center fin (4.5") to make my speed log into a true thruster. makes steep drops no problem and when standing on the tail of the board, i can do tighter turns--really good for getting the heck out of dodge on a big closeout. 3. or you can use no sidebites at all with a larger center fin (7.5" or larger) for a groovy '70's feel--longer more drawn out turns, steady tracking and a bit more speed down the line. i ride a 7-8 retro shortboard a lot, and i pretty much keep it a single fin--it's just groovy. messing around with fins is a lot of fun, and it is easy to get real nerdy about it. don't be afraid to experiment. you may find that your board has a lot of different personalities, and with some trial and error you can dial it in for each of the different personalities that the ocean presents to you. if you are just learning, start off with the single fin set up--slightly faster paddling and more stability as you get used to popping up to your feet. have fun
with the 6'8" walden, i would take the side bites off everything smaller that chest high. the side bites make it dig more when turning and i kinda like that board with a single fin... it makes it loose and real skatey
Good God man, tiny side bites are for people who can't turn. A 6' 8"????? Seriously? get some damn G-3's or G-5 side bites on there stat and remove that silly logish center fin or whatever the hell is on there and demand a solid thruster setup! A Single fin! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL. Single fins are for 10' boards. If you don't want to learn how to turn ok, but even if you have a 9' HP longboard (the hp is for high performance) seriously use a small center fin between 6-7" and throw on FCS G-3 side bites! Making confident solid turns is what surfing is all about. Otherwise your smoking hash and slip-sliding around on a plank of wood....... not bad sometimes I suppose
To complicated? Just put three fins of equal size on that 6'8" and tell the Walden salesman that the idea of a mini-longboard is stupid and contradictory in every way and that a thruster set up will do just fine on it and thats what you want. enjoy!
yup hey salty j, just a heads up, waldens use o'fishl side fin boxes so fcs is out of the question. also, mini longboard is the term to use for the walden cd's, i have talked to steve walden personally on this issue. but then again you apparently know it all
O'fishl, killer. So does that mean he can't put the thruster set-up he should rightfully have on that turd of a board? Nice name drop. Next time you talk to Steve tell him Salty said wasup.
34- my 6'8" superwide has fcs side bites saltyj- single fins are not only for 10' logs. it is a bit retro, but single fin eggs surf exceptionally well. and in my estimation the walden superwide is a new tweek on that style of board, the 2 +1 gives it versatility
Is Walden still honestly using O'Fishl fin boxes (with the sily Z-Clips) in a 2+1 board? Thats strange...there have been advances since 1997!
wow. yes, single fins are "retro", but this day in age they serve no purpose in the water, unless gliding along a very small, slow reef break in socal, or under an old, long log. Not to bring up the thurster issue that has been tossed around for years, but other than a thurster, even on a fish, I onlg dig the quad setups. You can play around with a thurster setup and get all kinds of cool performances. Larger middle fin, even on my 5'10 is fun. You can put little tiny ones all around and do tails slides all summer. If you are learning, you want a thurster setup. seriously. You can play around with "retro" ideas once you can actually surf.
i never said i didn't like the 2+1 set up. i was just advocating idea of using the single fin. different conditions, different options.
