Fins

[Millsy82]

Today whilst out having possibly the best session I've ever had even though the conditions were not brilliant at times my board felt as though it was slipping a bit when turning.

Of course it could of just been the conditions or me, but it got me wondering as I have never changed the fins on a board they have usually either come with fins or the sales man has just given me some cheap ones.

On my board I just have the standard cheap black plastic fcs fins, I have used in the past on another board fcs2 performers but as it was on a different board can't really compare. I've also never looked at what different sizes would be like.

So is it possible fins could cause that bit of a slip?

If I put some others on would a person with very limited ability notice much difference?

What should I maybe look at getting?

What about sizing what does going for larger fins do.

[jaffa1949]

Fins make a lot of difference, if you are starting to notice differences try changing fins, there is a lot of information in the fin Primer I wrote for the forum.
Remember fins are our way of customising our boards , also remember it is about what suits you.
Get couple of basic sets, try and see what gives YOU the best results but stick with each choice to give you and them a fair trial!
See what you think of the fin primer !

[Millsy82]

Thanks had a read through your opening post in fin primer thread.

I've had a look at some fins and some have a weight range. Because I am 90kg they say to use large fins. So along the lines of https://www.downthelinesurf.co.uk/fcs-p ... slice.html

In your thread you say boards with longer rails you can get away with smaller areas my board is 6'10 would that mean I could try mediums?

I've got some on another board I'm going to switch over to me they look fairly similar in size and shape but instead of plastic they are glass type so going to put those on and try to get some second hand as I never realised how expensive fins are!

[jaffa1949]

One response here if you go to the glass fins is a difference in flex. Changes in size will possibly mean more slide at smaller size, if it something you want in your siurfing and can control it great!. Enjoy the search

[waikikikichan]

Going back to the scene of the crime ( or should we say Slide ).
Could you describe:
1) Where on the wave were you.
2) On what part of the board were you standing.
3) What action were you doing ( I understand you said turn, but bottom turn, top turn, cutback, etc. )
4) Off shore or On shore.

[RinkyDink]

Today whilst out having possibly the best session I've ever had

The past two days have been a blast. I've surfed to exhaustion on my longboard the last couple days. Anyway, what's your fin setup now? Are you riding a thruster, 2+1, what? What exactly is the slipping like? Is it happening on your bottom turn? Have you been surfing bigger waves than you normally surf?

[Millsy82]

Both times it happened it was on a front side bottom turn. The first time I noticed it was on my initial bottom turn the second time was after a top turn dropped down the face and performed a bottom turn again.

I believe that my rear foot was over the fins with a bit of pressure on my toes.

It was a slight onshore but it was the leftovers from yesterday's storm that passed through so was still 4-5ft faces and I was surprised that I had 1 wave like I did let alone 9 or 10 good waves, when I looked from the dunes I thought well I will just go out and mess about for an hour once I caught my first the smile didn't leave my face.

I don't think they were any steeper than what I'm used to and certainly not bigger pretty much about average over the past month.

I've got a thruster set up at the moment with cheap plastic fins that came with the board. I'm riding a 6'10.

[oldmansurfer]

One of the things I found as I restarted surfing using multiple fin boards with wider tails than the boards I used to have is that I need to set the rail before I do a hard turn. If I just lean into a turn the board will stay on the surface and not carve into the wave so I have to set the rail by using my ankles to push the rail in before I lean into the turn. Perhaps this is your problem?

[RinkyDink]

One of the things I found as I restarted surfing using multiple fin boards with wider tails than the boards I used to have is that I need to set the rail before I do a hard turn. If I just lean into a turn the board will stay on the surface and not carve into the wave so I have to set the rail by using my ankles to push the rail in before I lean into the turn. Perhaps this is your problem?

You stole my thunder, OMS. I agree with you. I have to set my rail (I'm not exactly sure how I set it, but I know I somehow do it ) before I really make a sharp turn. It was the slipping on my bottom turns that kind of forced me to adjust my surfing to avoid those bottom turn slips. Anyway, I suspect it's not really a fin problem, but then again maybe it is (I don't have enough experience with fins to say anything with confidence).

[oldmansurfer]

I always set my rail on a bottom turn usually before the actual turn but the only board I have that gives me some trouble on bottom turns on bigger steeper waves is my 7'6" round tailed board something like an Average Joe custom made board. It will get skittery on massive drops and I have to let it calm down and sink into the wave before I can set the rail and turn but it still seems to work okay because it is blazing fast and the speed from the drop gets me down the line since I take off angled. I just have to wait a second or two before setting the rail and turning. I use the biggest fins I can find so I don't think it's the fins but I am not a fin expert. Mostly I have some trouble on top turns and for a while needed to consciously set my rail but lately it has seemed to become more automatic.