Fin fibreglass vs plastic

[BaNZ]

Bought two exact same boards. One came with a blue fibre glass fin and the other came with a cheap plastic material. So I emailed the distributor saying that I want the blue fin because I think the shop didn't give me the original one that came with the board. Plus the blue one makes the board look better.

I would think the smooth surface would be more hydrodynamic than the rougher material?


They said:

Blue fin is 100% glossy fiberglass, black fin is matte composite so unfortunately logos don't adhere to this this material. Both center fins are same shape, composite actually is more durable and handles impact better.

The rough surface of the fin is intentional, it's more hydrodynamic than a smooth surface.

[jaffa1949]

The real,answer, try both and see which you prefer.
Changeable fins means you can tune the fin part of the board to your needs.
Try smaller, bigger, different flexes , no-one plays golf with just one club!

[Big H]

You've got a high tide and a low tide fin now for both boards!

Here's a link to a world of great fins....
http://www.trueames.com

[benjl]

Why did you buy 2x of the same board?? Haha

[billie_morini]

Wait a minute, BaNZ! Are you saying your board stored in my garage has a cheap plastic material fin? I'll toss it over the fence into the neighbor's yard, by golly!

[billie_morini]

Why did you buy 2x of the same board?? Haha

Apparently, they are not the same! And I ain't using BaNZ' board stored in my garage if it has the cheap fin, I tell ya.

[waikikikichan]

Aside from the visual and performance aspects, it just looks like bad business. But to defend the maker, there is the clause ""Specifications Subject to Change Without Notice". Sometimes there a in-line change due to supplier. And it may not be the shops fault if they never installed the fins themselves, it might be unseen just in the box.

As for the fins, I don't like fiberglass for my thruster / quads. Too stiff for me. And the smooth theory sounds like a contradiction but true for surfing. Gloss boards are said not to be as fast as Sanded Finish.

[BaNZ]

The real,answer, try both and see which you prefer.
Changeable fins means you can tune the fin part of the board to your needs.
Try smaller, bigger, different flexes , no-one plays golf with just one club!

I'm a perfectionist or OCD, which means I need the real authentic fins for my board or it drives me nuts. Actually I just don't get much time in water, so I need the board to be exactly the same when I surf. I doubt I'll be able to tell if I have a fin or not. I once went in without the main fin, just the two side one. I was still catching waves but I was struggling to control the board.

Why did you buy 2x of the same board?? Haha

Erm... actually I bought 4 x of the same board. Just two with identical color. lol They come up with a new design each year and I buy one. The reason why is because I have a longboard in every country that I surf. Taiwan, UK and Billie house.

Wait a minute, BaNZ! Are you saying your board stored in my garage has a cheap plastic material fin? I'll toss it over the fence into the neighbor's yard, by golly!

Indeed it is, please just toss the fin over. The board is in good shape!

I still can't get over that I didn't get to surf at UCSB, the wave looks like San Onfre that day. Point break and I bet the ride is over a minute.

Aside from the visual and performance aspects, it just looks like bad business. But to defend the maker, there is the clause ""Specifications Subject to Change Without Notice". Sometimes there a in-line change due to supplier. And it may not be the shops fault if they never installed the fins themselves, it might be unseen just in the box.

As for the fins, I don't like fiberglass for my thruster / quads. Too stiff for me. And the smooth theory sounds like a contradiction but true for surfing. Gloss boards are said not to be as fast as Sanded Finish.

The sanded finish that they were talking about is the fin. The board is exactly the same.

The shop probably isn't lying, because they had a few rental board of the same one and they all had the same fin.

[oldmansurfer]

Long ago they used to sell a spray called dolphin skin. You sprayed it on the bottom of your board including the fins to make a rough surface which makes it faster. The theory is that a rough surface hold water over the surface while a slick one the water runs off it so when a normal board is moving through the water the friction is between the board and the water but with a rough surface it is between the water held by the rough surface and more water which makes for less friction. If only the fin is rough then only the fin will have less friction

[BaNZ]

That is a nice theory. I got 4 longboards of the same brand. Three of them have rough surface and one has smooth. The smooth one keeps the wax on it better. All the other three needs constant waxing. I do feel the smooth board being slower but I always thought it was because the wave and me having to wear a thicker wetsuit due to the location.

[oldmansurfer]

I sort of tested this theory long ago. I made 2 identical paipo boards and sanded the bottom of one with 600 grit wet sand paper and the other was polished smooth and shiny. I sanded the bottom till when you poured water on it it stay wet mostly instead of beading off immediately like the polished board. Then I took them to a calm river are and placed them on the water then pushed them the same amount. The roughed up surface went at least twice as far as the smooth one. I repeated this numerous times and every time the same result. So either they weren't exactly identical which is possible since there can be little variations in the bottom and even though I made them the same way they might be different weights and I didn't check for that or the theory seem correct

[BaNZ]

I'm glad that you actually made to effort and tested it. I was so annoyed when I first got a rough board. I just thought it had very cheap finish and not fibreglass like all those expensive board.

[oldmansurfer]

I sanded the bottom of my 8 foot fungun for added speed. It's a fast board, not that fast but decent fast

[oldmansurfer]

I created another paipo board that had a concave in the nose to a single channel then flat on the end. That board went 4 times as far as one of the 2 other boards but it was a little heavier

[saltydog]

BaNZ- Maybe Billie can take you to True Ames HQ for some fin shopping next time you visit him.

[jaffa1949]

Yay....... retail fin therapy
BANZ you are welcome to leave an identical long board in Australia.
I have to tell you because you are in the Southern Hemisphere typhoons or hurricanes ( we call them cyclone) rotate in the opposite direction to the northern hemisphere, water going down plug holes does too.
You can also notice the rotation of water in barrelling wave does too! So you need Southern Hemisphere set fins.

[BaNZ]

I'm not so sure about Australia. I saw sharks in Endless summer.

But I might have to take up your offer... It will be next year or the year after that I'll be visiting land of Oz. Where everything is upside down.

[billie_morini]

BaNZ- Maybe Billie can take you to True Ames HQ for some fin shopping next time you visit him.

....located in the Good Land! Very good suggestion!
http://www.trueames.com/

[jaffa1949]

I'm not so sure about Australia. I saw sharks in Endless summer.

But I might have to take up your offer... It will be next year or the year after that I'll be visiting land of Oz. Where everything is upside down.

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