Will a new fin make me surf better?

[drowningbitbybit]

It's a question that gets asked a lot on here... "I've got a 7'6 BIC, if I put in the new hypercore multiflex honeycomb x77.7 (Slater model) Doodah Widget Fins, will I be able to do airs?" or even "I couldn't surf today because I only had my GF7 fins with me and not my GF6's"...

Well, today I went out on my thruster in nice, clean conditions with the occasional deceptively powerful bomb set. First set that came through, I totally wiped out - one of the heaviest wipeouts I've had in a long time
I recovered eventually, flipped my board over, and the centre-fin had been ripped right out.

So I can either a) paddle in, walk back to my car that contains a spare set of fins, or b) surf it as a twinny.
No prizes for guessing what lazy idiotboy here did

As a thruster, it was set up with a loose set of fins anyway, and now only had the two outside fins. As you'd expect, the thrust bit of the thruster was no longer there. However, I found that I could surf the smaller waves by using a rail-to-rail style without too much problem.


...and then the bomb set came through
Caught the wave, tried to hold it on the rail at the top of the face (failed), and just flew down the face at about 45º, gaining a ridiculous amount of speed. I tried to do the most gentle bottom turn I could, but the board just spun out from beneath me and went off on its own little adventure. Then the lip fell on me



So, in answer to the question, yes, a new fin (or at least a replacement one) will help me surf better!

[waikikikichan]

well the answer would be a COMPLETE set would keep your surfing normal.

[benjl]

Nice story DBB! Haha.

I had a similar one a few months back on a 8'0 minimal I'd just gotten. Got to the beach to try for the first time and discovered the guy had forgotten to give me the mounting screw for the back middle fin so I had to run it with only 2 side bites or not go at all!
I went with the side bites and had the same luck! Could catch some smaller waves and man handle it OK but on a bigger one, the board just let go when I tried to do a big turn!

[BaNZ]

I had the same issue. I took the main fin off my longboard and forgot to put it back on after driving for 480km! Waves wasn't that good that day but I just felt something odd with my board. I didn't know what it was but it just didn't feel right. Didn't realise until I got on land and someone ask whether I broken my main fin?! I still had the two side fins though.

I did manage to catch a few waves but it just didn't feel right.

I can't turn well even with the main fin on anyway so it didn't make much difference. ha!

[waikikikichan]

Sometimes I leave out the center fin if the conditions are small and I want to concentrate on the rail.

IMG_9852.JPG (51.81 KiB) Viewed 650 times

IMG_9859.JPG (51.01 KiB) Viewed 650 times

You can see the two sidebites

IMG_9900.JPG (53.89 KiB) Viewed 650 times

IMG_9901.JPG (49.09 KiB) Viewed 650 times

You can still cutback if you can set your rail

[Jester]

Absolutely Sick photos dude!!

[IanCaio]

Really cool photos waikikikichan!

I've surfed my thruster as a twin fin when I broke the middle one and couldn't replace it. It was way more loose, sometimes (probably on higher speeds/bigger waves) enough so it slided off my feet. Sometimes I could ride it nicely though.

Well, all those questions about fins are just some people more excited than realistic about learning, as soon as they hit the water for a while they realize by theirselfs how a fin brand doesn't change much on this stage. It's like with any other sport, I bet there are lots of people asking a lot about the perfect board for snowboarding before even starting
But I can imagine what a patience test it is to read the same question several times!

[Jester]

That's the thing though, we should never doubt the enthusiasm..to be honest when I can't surf I'm going kindsa crazy and wanting to talk about surfing or watch videos about surfing or buy something related to surfing!!

It's a new passion in people's lives, like a new girl y'know! You're all excited and want to get her new things all the time, even if it's little..I actually get excited at the thought of buying new wax.. I don't even NEED more wax, what the hell?!

[drowningbitbybit]

That's the thing though, we should never doubt the enthusiasm..

Definitely!
Admittedly, I was taking the p*** a bit, but I'm all for people trying out new things - if you were to see my quiver and the number of fin sets in the back of my car you'd see what I'm talking about


I used to ride motorbikes, both on the road and on the track. Everyone endlessly talked about tyres - type, size, shape, pressure, bla bla bla, but oddly enough, the fast guys were always the fast guys no matter what tyre they were on, and the wobblers were always the wobblers even if they were on pre-heated, pre-scrubbed racing slicks... It's kinda the same with fins.

Me? I'm always gonna be 'mediocre' no matter what fin I've got in there!

[Jester]

Haha well you can be mediocre, I can be crap, but dammit imma gonna look good on my sexy ass board!

[oldmansurfer]

I don't know if I am always going to be mediocre but I know I finally made it to that point (mediocre). Not a newb anymore..... call me mediocre

[drowningbitbybit]

I don't know if I am always going to be mediocre but I know I finally made it to that point (mediocre). Not a newb anymore..... call me mediocre

Each time I get a bit better at surfing, I move to where the surfers are better, so no matter how good I get, I'll always be in the middle of the pack!

[jaffa1949]

Point of wording here!!!!!!! If you are surfing and enjoying it and you can do your stuff most times then you are not mediocre. Average surfer maybe, but mediocre NO!
if you are in the middle of the food chain in surfing ( average) The Fannings etc are well above you but if you are at your best ( for you ) in a situation, hardly mediocre.
If you put in a performance below your personal standard that day may be "mediocre".
Consider this though, a crap day surfing is way better than any good day pushing a pen or a mouse.
Neurologically if you start talking to or of yourself in negative terms you will live down to those terms.
Bad day= that wasn't as good as I'd like, how do I do it better next time same conditions
Good day= wow that was great what can I do to make that better and a consistent part of my surfing
I do Corporate Trainings since I've retired from Chiropractic with Behavioural Science and Cognitive Linguistic techniques ( pays for all my surf trips)
So much of how we perceive ourselves and limit our capabilities from reaching our personal best is based on how we talk about ourselves.
This won't turn you into a Kelly Slater or any pro, but observe them and see what happens when their self belief diminishes.
Apply these observations in any endeavour, see what is going on.
No BS in this when I am surfing well I am the best I can be in that moment and that surf.
some surfs raise the bar and I can respond
Other days I can't.
I had to apply that after coming back from the knee injury, some fear some concern and then old skills lifted me to be able to surf at about 90% of pre-injury level.
Belief in having the skills to do it and getting my head out of the way worth a double woot

[oldmansurfer]

Well I am mediocre compared to Mick Fanning or Kelly Slater but I am improving. However if you want to judge my surfing like Layne Beachley says "the best surfer is the one that has the most fun" then I am probably second place to Jester.

[drowningbitbybit]

Point of wording here!!!!!!! ...
if you are in the middle of the food chain in surfing... better than any good day pushing a pen... consistent... won't turn you into a Kelly Slater ... I am the best I can be in that moment ... old skills lifted me ...
Belief in having the skills ...double woot

You think I should get new fins then?

[IanCaio]

Well, I thought mediocre was the same as average, even though it sounds worse

Talking about good and bad days, I've had one of the later today. 2ft to 3ft hawaiian today, a little stormy condition. I've traveled around 140 miles before getting here, so I was already quite tired. First time using a short john, and I felt two things; it has a detail on the belly that feels slipery, but it can be old wax too, and is it just me or it is a little tight on the, well, on the nuts?

Back to the surf, I was paddling out, all good, getting a little tired but close to the outside. Surprised by a bomb, around 3ft-4ft hawaiian, the face looked a little overhead. I was too close so I decide to wait for it to break, so the lip don't crush on me. I realize the white water is higher than usual, which in my book means the wave is breaking with more power, tried to duckdive (more like suckdive!), and had that horrible feeling of being pulled back to a holddown. Funny how those holddowns feel longer than they are .

I went out, than later back in on a weaker spot on the beach, where I could only catch one wave closer to the inside. It was actually good, clean pop up, quickly facing the line.
This all makes me think my duckdive needs improvement. It's working on regular days, but once it get a little heavier it's not helping me much. Hoping for some better sessions tomorrow and sunday.. Cause today was more of my pride being beaten