For the last few months I've been playing around with fins, going from single to the 2+1 setups, and I have almost made up my mind that I prefer surfing with the 2+1. I like the added maneuverability and quick response, even for a longboard. There is still a time and a place for using the single fin, but thats really how I rode my boards for a few years, so a whole world was opened up to me once I added more fins, and I'm having a lot of fun with it. Current setup:
Well since we are throwing links out there making single shorties look good by having top pros ride them in good conditions.... I like this one from Redux http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQFH_efdkoI&NR=1&feature=endscreen still not sold on it for east coast average joe tho....
So, I was looking at a couple vids on youtube about the single fin surfing... and came across this guy's board... Looks like an interesting design for increasing the performance of a single fin.. but I feel like the hull design would be adding drag instead of adding drive??? http://www.polferhull.com/
whats the point? Looks like anything the average pro could do better on a thruster. Cool that he turned his cuttys into tail slides but most likely cause the ones he didn't he lost his speed or slides out on the redirection anyway. Still not sold. cool vid tho........
O.K. , So forget everything about the single fins you knew, this is the next step' http://youtu.be/q8xDiRABlmE Do you wanna accept and or believe in a more productive surfing design?
If I put that much effort into my turns on a thruster, I would be airborne. It looks like alot of work.
I have a 7'6" Lightning Bolt circa 1976. I am scared to death to take it out in macking waves. I know it will make the drop and the bottom turn, but I'd probably fly off it trying to do an off the lip. It looks great on the wall.
wtf how does this work?? not much drag on the quads and the feel of a single with the shape of a hpsb. '
<sigh> how many bonzer posts have i made over the years here? oh well... read this: http://bonzer5.com/boards/bonzer-mechanics/ can be (& has been) applied to any board template from hpsb to mini-Simmons & beyond, typically resulting in improved performance, particularly in barrel riding & holding into steep faces. generally accepted to be a very fast design, though largely overlooked b/c of the difficulty in building the design (& how poorly it works when you **** it up)...very sensitive to fin placement.
nice photo. was on bonzers '75 / '77... then got distracted for 40 yrs... this photo makes me wanna go back.. nj42 nice board.
Here on the East Coast the most important thing most days is the drive you get out of that first pump when you get to your feet. Face it, we don't have waves like Trestles here....even on our best days. We need that quick burst of speed at the beginning of the wave in our beachbreak east coast junk. That is where a single would really hurt you. You don't get that instant pop of speed out of the gate. I think a single would be a really fun alternative if we lived in California but here on the east coast days where one would work are few and far between.
I don't know guys. I'm not saying a single fin is the best choice for high performance surfing, but it seems like allot of guys think there complete dogs. I have a 6'3, beaky nose, lots of volume, round tail single fin. I'm not to educated on concaves but it's got some contours on the bottom. The thing is a blast. It's deffinitly not as maneuverable as a thruster but it's more than maneuverable enough for an "average joe". Turns are more drawn out ofcourse, it's a style thing. But cutbacks and snaps are still achievable for an average joe. Again not saying there more maneuverable than a thruster, singles aren't a high performance fin set up. But that in no way means there dogs or are only good for going straight. It seems alot of you guys are talking about old single fins though. I'd suggest trying a more modern sb single. As for not having speed on the take off, where's the logic there? Serious question. I'm thinking the board shape/design has much more to do with that than the fin set up. Iv been wrong before though