I haven't experimented with fins too much but everyone tells me it can change the feel of your board a great deal. I really only have the standard stock composite future JC1 fins that I use on my daily short stubby board. By the way, I'm about 160 pounds which I'm told can affect which fin size to use. Does anyone know the best fins that work in more punchy larger hollow waves on my used thumb tail short board which is designed for this type of surf? Can you use smaller trailer fin is that not recommended for larger surf? Maybe, this could be a thread were people list their favorite fins for their different types of boards and wave type. Thanks!
Yes ,, fins can make a huge difference in how a board feels . Not only the template but the materials as well . Expermenting with different set ups can be rewarding and help your board perform better in certain conditions. What feels good under one riders feet may feel awful to another , so it would be hard to say "these are the fins for you ". GOOD shops will have " test drive centers" and/or " Fin trees " that will allow you to test different sets free ! An online shop has the equivalent of netflix for fins .. good idea ! If you have a friend with fuutre boxes you could ask him to swap fins or ask to borrow a set for a session . My hands down favorite fins are 101 fins bamboo T-knox . Sooo light, great flex. Amazing . But they are $$$, hard to find and only come in lokbox base. Futures I like Kinetic racing JP-5, FR2 , EA ,AM FCS : PC7 ,TC redline , KC ... Soar fins powerbase ... etc etc . Or Micheal Torres will make you whatever you want : http://emjate77.web.officelive.com/torressurf.aspx Have fun !
For what you would like to get out of the fin, I think you should take a look at the AM2. It has more rake than other fins, meaning it will preform well in good surf. A smaller traller fin might not always be the best choice for larger, more powerful surf.
the only time I ever realized a difference between a quad and thruster was in bigger surf. Its pretty noticeable
And here are the differences. 1) Quad is faster down the line, which isn't always a good thing. I learned this the hard way at Shipwrecks and ended up in the rocks. 2) Quads want to stay in the pocket and lower rail, thrusters are more versatile off the top rail. 3) Quad feel "looser" in a bottom turn, thrusters feel tighter. I prefer quads, but still bust out thruster setup every now and then.
All this fin talk is over rated , just buy boards with glass on fins... the end then the only person to blame is your self . The 200 dollar Kelly Slater fins are not going to make you surf better its all a marketing ploy to make you spend more money. the only minor benefit to having removable fins is when traveling but then its still going to cost you a couple hundred bucks. IN which case you could have just picked up a used board and sold at back even with a loss its cheaper. 1) 2) 3) gLASS on FoR mE
Rider weight has a lot to do with it... you will want a large fin with more surface area to hold and give better drive. if your 200 you dont want small fins that will feel way to loose and you will not hold the wave... also you want to consider flex of the fin. a fin made of volan with very foiled out tips (known as flex fins) wil cause a spring like reaction compared to something like kevlar which has a very stiff feel. which will cause more drive. than you get onto fin shapes, rakes, height, base, ect ect..i will tell you right now you will want to get fiberglass or RTM fins asap... composites are ok but you will get much better performance out of a real fiberlgass fin. hope this helps
This is the fin I ride in my thumb tail shortboard in larger, hollow surf.... which for me is chest to a a foot or two overhead. http://www.rainbowfins.com/surf/a_rfc_tri.php?id=6 No overhyped bullsh!t... just a proven performance thruster fin set made with quality materials, designed and built by skilled american craftsmen, sold at a reasonable price. I also ride this fin as front fins in my quad, with FG-5s as rears, which have a slight inside foil. I've tried dozens of setups in that quad and that's the best yet. I ride the Simon fins in my big wave board, which is a rounded pin thruster.
