Fin set ups that work for heavier surfers

Prolly been talked about a hundred times before, but I want a fresh take on it. I’m no giant but at 5’11” and 215-220lbs I’m a lot of meat to spread out on a boart and I a few major factors come to play for me: float and speed. I tend to surf front foot heavy and wide stance and fairly low on the boards, and on my LBs it’s not as much of an issue with speed because they are so forgiving of bad technique, but with the step ups I’m noticing I’ve got to come up with gimmicks to keep speed along the rail. Pumping and stepping around on the board, etc. The step ups are both quads and I’m thinking I have too much fin and that coupled with my weight are killing my down the line speed. One other part of it is I’m top heavy so I have a really small range of give before I’m too high and the boards start to carve on their own.

 

Good point. What works better or what’s the school of thought with four fin setups verse three or even a twin fin, with fish style boards and the issues of float and speed? Is that too wordy? I just wanted to know what works to remedie the stalling -

Learning to surf better? Hahahah

 

Now that I think about it I honestly think it’s me and not staying in the powerful spot or missing it on my bottom turn, and thinking it’s the stall coming first, when it’s actually a result, not a cause.
Good insight. The beauty of it is, I also have found similar things with changing fin setups on my boards, so it’s not all beennwasted time.
My big DelRay is crazy fast and holds a rail even if it gets super steep on me and it’s a large/medium quad, but it will not turn unless I put my forward foot almost to the pinline towards wherever I’m looking to turn. I removed the two rear and it got really squirrelly and slow so it’s true about what works with the specific boart. Good food for thought

 

That’s often how I end up catching them unless the shoulder is really defined and consisant so I know where I’m paddling back to to pick up the next set wave. Spot on-
Best session I ever had was this February when we got three days of glassy 12 second period chest high/head high looooooong rights and crazybquick lefts... I caught some head high right at the shoulder and did everything right and they were awesome - but it all started at that spot and with that energy and speed. Check that box off. Now just give me some swells to try some changes

 

You are correct sir