Surfing Waves

Hi.

Has anyone tried out this fin?
The surface area must be quite huge at 10". I'm getting one for my 9'2" noserider. Wide square tail if that's relevant.

http://www.saltwatersurfsupply.com/blog ... mbies-fins

Looks like a hatchet style with a bit more rake than the one I have. I had an 11” hatchet in my 10’4” longboard and took it out and replaced it with a greenough 4-a 10” fin which gave the board more life (spring!) and got me up and going faster.....I liked how quick the hatchet could pivot but felt like first gear was too slow. A hatchet with a bit more rake like that one might be a happy medium.

10'4" is quite some length. I wouldn't mind surfing such a long craft some day despite my 140lbs though.

I never tried a hatchet fin before, just the fatboy ones with the bulb on the tip and your average dolphin shape (when I was barely a beginner so it didn't make much difference) so I'm quite clueless as to how it will turn out. I was hoping it wouldn't be too big for a 9'2" but still, it looks so nice.

I'm sure you've seen this guy. He swears by hatchet fins!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NYCAQ5_opY&t=253s

Have a read through the fin primer I wrote for the forum, a good basic knowledge is there.
But my clear advise is to beg , borrow and gather ( without the stela) a range of fins to suit what you plan to do with your surfing.
Make sure your longboard has a centre fin box, the first experiment in getting your tuning on the board, move each centre to various positions in the box, see how they work for you. Simply put forward = looser to turn back = tighter, try wider bases and different rakes , depth a rule of thumb is 1” of fin per foot of board, break the rile and see what that give to you.
If your longboard is a 2+1 set up vary between single and multi finned.
Look to different arcs from your turns in the water and learn to set the rails before moving forward and back with a good cross step as opposed to shuffle or jump.

Be aware that fins are described with just as much hype as any other saleable item in surfing.

What works best for you is the best fin and the thing you can effect most is your own level of skill.
Enjoy thoroughly

I'll take a look at the fin primer. Thanks.
I was aware of the hype. On their video they just claim it goes well in all kinds of waves, which doesn't mean much. But that's just the normal jargon you get, so it comes down to reading between the lines or even rationalising to suit your preference.

The board has a single centre fin box. No sidebites. Pure noserider. But it still needs a bit of time to cure at home so I won't try it out till after a week or two.

Nairoled wrote:I'm sure you've seen this guy. He swears by hatchet fins!

Go ahead, keep listening to that guy. Have fun with your "hatchet" fin. I probably know what's going to happen. I would have told you if you had asked BEFORE buying it, but too late for that.
My 2 cents:
1) A Hatchet fin looks like a ....................... hatchet. like for chopping wood.

2) The fin the guy touts as a "hatchet" looks more to me like a Nuuhiwa.

3) The smaller black fin he says will " drop right out and go sideways". ??? The fin doesn't hold the tail down. Water going over the rail and deck creates the "lock" making the counter weight so your can go forward.
4) Look closely at the blue fin he says won't be good for setting up the noseride. The logo is a W with wings on both sides. Whose model fin is it ? Robert "Wingnut" Weaver. I'm sure Wingnut is a better noserider than that guy. ( the video was so blurry, I couldn't tell if that guy was shuffling or cross-stepping ? )

waikikikichan wrote:

Nairoled wrote:I'm sure you've seen this guy. He swears by hatchet fins!

Go ahead, keep listening to that guy. Have fun with your "hatchet" fin. I probably know what's going to happen. I would have told you if you had asked BEFORE buying it, but too late for that.

Ordered it yesterday. Arrived this evening.

My 2 cents:
1) A Hatchet fin looks like a ....................... hatchet. like for chopping wood.


What an ugly fin is that! I'm never buying anything remotely similar!

And Wingnut most likely is a better surfer than the guy in the video. True that. It's not that I think the physicas guy is the bible.

What fin would you suggest? Are delta-shape fins any good?

Though if they're not the main force holding the nose up/tail down (as it seems clear), what difference does fin shape make?

Best is to try and see how that Zombie fin goes. Usually I would say to place the fin in the center of the box, so you can adjust it front or back. But in your case, with that oversize large volume fin, I would set it up as far forward as possible at first.
Get back to us after a few surfs ( not just once ), It would be nice to hear your feed back on it.

Will do. As to placement, there won't be much wiggle room anyway with such a wide base. But far back is how I always prefered them.

FWIW I used this yesterday and worked great until I slid out and lost a wave mid ride and a little bewildered found the fin hanging by the rear hanger pegs only....(look close in the photo I took before laeving for the beach; no fin screw! DOH!)

Anyway, there is more than one fin for a board.

Curious after WWKs sensible explanation (what he pictured was a hatchet shape for sure)....I’d learned that the shape of fin on my longboard was a hatchet as well. Confused, I asked Mr Google for some examples.....more conflict! .....as if fin shopping wasn’t hard enough! LOL

Descriptions and what one person thinks something is or should, varies. Look at what some people consider as a “Fish”. Twin fin only ? Any Swallow tail ? Must be under 5’10” ?
Look up David Nuuhiwa model or Nuuhiwa fin and you’ll see that slight Boeing 747 shape.
But whatever it’s called Tomato - Tomatoe, it’s all good.

The CJ NELSON 10" HATCHET -White looks neither like a hatchet or white perhaps it is an error? Nevermind I found the fin and the shape is right it is just the color is wrong

Red fins go faster!