All opinions are appreciated. I have 5 fin boxes on my groveler and I'm curious what I should do to get the best airs out of it in smaller waves. Thanks!
there will be many opinions on this, but the final answer is, ultimately, the one that helps you generate the most speed out of the wave. w/out speed, you're not punting.
I mean quad speed all day. But Iv heard getting off the lip can be harder with a quad. I'v always be a strict thruster guy but I'm looking to broaden my horizons
I think that the KSB39 Medium with heavy cant and .78cm foil tend to allow you to boost the highest. Make sure you stick to the kevlar coated glass flex coiled core as opposed to the other options in the KSB39 series.
I agree with the speed, but I think release is a huge issue as well. I don't recommend the quad setup (Just personal opinion). The board that I get the most punt out of is my sharp eye disco. I have pretty small futures in it, just the standard issue, nothing fancy. I went up very slightly to a larger fin and it really stuck in the lip too much through both turns are releasing into airs. With the slightly bigger fins, a straight up frontside air approach works fine, but if you are building torque and rotating your fins through the lip (air reverse), which is the easiest to me, the smaller fins release the best... I mean, in a nutshell, I would say that the smaller the fin, the easier the release, but there is such a thing as too small. It also depends on what size/dimensions are on your board, its not just fins... The board itself is much more important that fins... but smaller fins == quicker release, but then its also a little tougher to dig in on your landing... But again, if you are rotating through the air/turn, then you want a little give when you land, so the smaller fins also allow you board to continue rotating once the engage in your landing. Those larger fins stick and you can just come to a dead stop sometimes if you angles arent right... landing in the whitewash or flats with the smaller fins helps me stick it the whole way... Future FAM1 is what I believe I am riding now... not at home, so I think this is it though: Base: 4.50 in – 114 cm Depth: 4.563 in – 11.6 cm Area: 14.84 in² – 95.74 cm² But since your groveller sounds similar to my small wave disco, that is my recommendation. P.S. if it is an FCS fin setup, YOU MUST, and I mean MUST get the old Jamie Obrien fins... they come in Red, Blue and Black... The reds are the smallest, and the Blues are midsize, for decent surf and the blacks are for big wave boards... they have a white figure eight on the side... Get the Red ones, and they are BY FAR, the best releasing fins for airs I have ever used. I only have a couple FCS boxes on boards I ride anymore, so I dont use them much... I have them on my little 5'10 potato chips that weighs about as much as a piece of loose leaf paper, but it takes perfect chest to head high conditions with no wind for that board to really work correctly, but I wish my DISCO have an FCS setup and I would for sure rock them every day, all day. I dont even think they technically make the exact fins that I speak of, since they were cutting edge about 6 years ago, but here is an image of the current FCS Model... Below is a link to the "M3" fin.... 5-7 years ago, these were the original "foil" designs that FCS was making... http://www.surffcs.com/us/products/fins/thrusters/M-3.aspx
I don't know the answer, but theoretically... you want your fins to generate speed and lift. So what makes sense to me is using your quad setup, along with medium sized highly canted fins. Increased cant will create more lift and release faster. But it will also reduce drive. You can make up with that for a longer base fin. Just my two cents...
its more of the surfer, not the fins in my opinion... you can get air with a single fin if you got the speed
If you are a beginner, and looking for a technical advantage, you're a little ahead of yourself. 95% of above the lip surfing comes from the surfer. Concentrate on just getting better. If you are at the point where you are getting above the lip, and you want to help yourself out with fin technology, there are a few things to consider. You need speed to pull an air. So you need a long base to your fin. You also don't want a concave foiled fin. Flat fins release much better in the lip. You probably don't want a ton of rake either. I ride futures. I would recommend the following. The WCT model has a wide base, no rake, and a flat foil. It will generate speed, but release when needed. The wide base will also help you grab when you land, but it's a smaller fin that will give you some movement (and won't grab) when your landing. If you can't get the speed with the WCT fin, go with any of the smaller blackstix models. they have a small concave foil on the bottom of the fin, but are flat in the tip. the concave foil will add to your speed, but the flat tip will help with the release. I love the AM1, but your much smaller than me. Try the F4. I believe the techflex fins by future are all flat foil, so if you go with the WCT, get the techflex for added performance through your normal, below the lip, surfing. Good luck.
I'v done a solid amount of airs but they are usually far apart. But I usually am just short of the speed
Tried out a quad set with two pc3's and two minis in the back. I was was flying across really small powerless waves but my only few air attempts felt like it was really difficult to release.
The rear fins on a quad are further forward than the trailer on a thruster, so I don't think "release" is the problem. You need a bit of lip or crumble at the top of the wave to boost. Maybe the wave section was a little too slopey? Are you unweighting/compressing at the right instant?
