FIN GUIDE
The single fin is the original fin setup, and will always have its place in the lineup. Boards ridden as single fins tend to be smooth and free-flowing, but beyond these foundational qualities there is a lot of room to customise their feel. The wide variety of designs, the range of sizes within each design, and the options for fin placement make available numerous contrasting performance characteristics: loose down the line speed, reliable hold, tight turning ability, long drawn out lines, extended tip time, etc. As a rough guide your fin should be the same size but in inches as your board, so if you ride a 9 foot board as a rule of thumb you should use a 9 inch fin. If you move the fin towards the nose of the board in the fin box it will also loosen up the feel of the board.
We have created a few videos to help explain the three main fin types.
FIN TERMINOLOGY
AREA
The area of a fin can be described as the amount of area inside the template of the fin. More fin area equates to more hold and drive, and less area equates to a faster, looser ride.
RAKE/SWEEP
More rake will deliver more stability and a tendency for long drawn out turns, while less rake will deliver a more sensitive ride with a tighter turning radius.
FLEX
The flex of a fin is how much it will bend side-to-side. A stiffer fin will have a more sensitive and quick response, while a fin with lots of flex will often provide subtly delayed, yet increased projection.
CONCLUSION
- If you want to try to cross-step, noseride, and trim, probably go for a bigger, upright fin (Pivot/Noserider).
- If you want to do some bigger turns and use the rail, go for a fin with a smaller area and more rake (flex fin).
- If you want a fin that has a mixture of both then go for an all-round fin.