HOW TO: WHICH FIN TO CHOOSE WITH YOUR SURFBOARD?

Fins delivered with our boards are perfect to run them properly. But when you know that 50% of a board performance comes from the fins, you will necessarily adjust them to your jig, your style, your tastes or simply to try new things…

Some fins favor speed, others turns, others acceleration, others handling of the nose… There are complete descriptions on their own product sheets. A good read by the fireside ?.

The easiness of FCS II

It’s nowadays suitable to fit a central fin FCS II on your board, so that you don’t have to use tools to fix your fin. It’s a significant time saving, and without the risk of missing a sesh if a tool is forgotten. Another asset is that it becomes suitable to adjust the setting in the water during the sesh to try different set-ups.

Understand the fins

In order to choose the most suitable fin for your surf, your style and the conditions, it’s necessary to understand how each of the following settings, which constitute the shape of each fin, will influence the behavior of the board.

THE RAKE

• The rake names the back curvature of the fin. This is the distance between the end of the base and the end of the trailing edge of the fin (also called ear). The bigger the rake, the closer the fin’s tip will be to the tail of your board. Ideal for experienced and powerful surfers to perform long curves, with maximum grip and drive. The drive matches the ability to maintain a trajectory while keeping his speed. A fin with a large base will help to keep this speed, while a fin with a shorter base will offer less. Recommended for rather powerful waves.
• Oppositely, the less rake (more straight fin) there is, the greater the pivot. The pivot is the ability to make turns more or less tight. Ideal for tightening curves and short turns, therefore ideal for exploiting maximum potential of waves that lack power.
• Imagine yourself at the helm of a catamaran rudder blades down, the craft will turn short and you will only need little pressure to operate the rudders. But raise these rudders by applying an angle of 45°, and in this case it will be harder to make it turn short, and will require much more power.

THE BASE LENGTH

• The base length is the lower part of the fin. The one that is touching the board. A long base will bring more control and loose curves. Ideal in powerful waves on which will look for more handling, and more stability in curves and trajectories.
• A short base will bring more pivot and will tighten your turns and free the tail. You will choose this kind of fins in slow waves because we will favor maneuverability to control. The longer the base, the more control and loose turns the fin will provide. The shorter the base, and the more pivot, maximum speed and sharp turns the fin will provide.

THE DEPTH

• The depth is the height between the base and the tip of your fin. The deeper it is, the more stability and handle you gain, especially in powerful waves.
• A shallow fin will have less friction with the water, which will bring you more speed. This low depth will release the tail of your board. This type of fin is recommended in small conditions.

THE SURFACE

• A fin with a large surface will bring more control. This type of fin is recommended for beginners because it also provides more stability. A fin with little surface will bring more freedom under the rear foot. The board will be funnier.
• Surface distribution: In shallow/fast conditions, we will choose fins with a thin head with little surface in the head that will less foil and therefore less emphasize the curves. In conditions where the movement will be slow, we will choose the top surface to emphasize the maneuverability.

THE FLEX

• The flexibility of a fin decides its ability to deform and to return to its original shape. A fin that has flex brings softer supports and will forgive more mistakes by being more lenient. On the other hand, a fin with little flex, thus more rigid, will bring more control, more reactivity and more power. Reserved for the most experienced surfer because these fins require the surfer to be very precise in his trajectories. The deeper and thinner a fin is in the head, the greater the possibility of flex.