LongBoarde Tread Advise.

My fin! Have it in all different sizes.

 

It’s perfect, isn’t it?

 

Nalu a CMP from Stewart may interest you. My family has been riding these for the last 10 years since I buy em . Although not the greatest tip rider , the overall performance is unreal . I do order 6/4 volan cloth for the deck ,, 4oz bottoms .The 2 5/8 thickness does make them prone for buckling , avoid the eps foam inmo . A big cutaway fin is needed , and I keep the placement all the way up in the box .

 

I'm no expert but I found that I can handle steeper, more aggressive drops on a single with side bites, compared to just a single fin. I agree though, it does stiffen the ride a little.

 

Honestly I think it's because they are geared more toward beginner surfers. A thruster is going to reliably handle late drops, and it has a shallower draft for riding in shallow water. I picture a beginner learning to stand up for the first time, riding whitewater into the sand. You don't want a 9 inch single fin in shallow water.

Let me caveat this by stating that soft-tops and fun boards are not just for beginners. I rode one last night to much success

 

My 2 cents....side bites in a longboard are like training wheels. They just slow the board down, and stiffen it up a bit and make it a bit easier to ride but only hinder the best part of the longboard experience...fast gliding and stepping around on the board to turn it.

Funboards and softtops use the thruster setup for the same reason - they make the board more stable and easy for beginners. try riding a 7 foot single fin. It will go faster more easily than the thruster 7 footer but will be harder to control and less easy to just crank a turn without finesse.

Uggh to both of them