Fins

[Patrick__69]

Can someone make a list of all the different types of fins and their pros and cons.

[Brent]

There's a wonderful tool called google. Have a look for yourself...
If you want more out-there stuff have a look at swaylocks.

[hawaiiSUCKSexceptsurf]

fcs sucks because when you bump into rocks when you duckdive or the tide is low, it rips the front plug out and pushes your fin back and down into your board causing a nasty ding. and now you have 2 things to repair.

future fins man. future. i have not been lucky enough to find any on a board i like and i still have one with fcs.

[hawaiiSUCKSexceptsurf]

i suppose you wouldnt need to worry about rocks if you dont surf reefs.

[Brent]

How many FCS tabs/plugs/fins have you actually broken?
And how do you know futures are better if you don't actually use them?

[hawaiiSUCKSexceptsurf]

good questions.

2 exactly the way i described on my old fiberglass.it was water damaged and weak which might have lead to the entire box system coming out. it happend 3 more times on my epoxy where the plug didnt come out but the fin groove where the screw goes in was torn in the front plug and the fin was just holding on at the back end, and rather than popping off like something like a future fin might, the rear box hold onto the fin while the back overhanging area digs into your board. and i had to get it repaired, rather than just buy a new fin, all three times.

Second qustion - I havent, they just look good because the back doesnt hang over the board. fcs is designed in a way in which the back end will dig into your board if you collide with something while paddling or riding a wave. i hate fcs. see the picture.

http://www.surfnsea.com/japan/FCS.jpg

what im talking about is the on the bottom right of the fin in this image.

im not just some jackoff who decided to hate fcs one morning incase thats what youre thinking.

[Brent]

That's alot of failures. The reason why I ask is I've never damaged one, nor do I know anybody who has. I know of a few who've had failures due to poor installations originally...but actual surf failures- none.
But curiously lots of people slag them off as piss-poor fins & boxes.

Here most people use them also because they're always fully available. Any surf shop on the planet literally has the full range or can sell you a 2mm grub screw etc.

Anyway. whose writing the fin thesis for the original poster?

[Patrick__69]

I understand now FCS are removable Futures are glassed on. I think I will go with FCS since I surf beach breaks. I will also make sure the screw is not too tight as well.

[hawaiiSUCKSexceptsurf]

i thought futures wernt glassed in.

i think fcs is good i just with they would develop a pop out mechanism rather than the suicide kamikaze mode its currently on.

do they usually surf beach or reef breaks out in the NZ

[hawaiiSUCKSexceptsurf]

or fcs could also make it so the back doesnt hang over

[Patrick__69]

Futures are pluged fins almost that are galsssed in.

[kitesurfer]

Future fins are a removable fin system. The plugs are fitted before glassing and you have to be very careful as you're fitting them into a finished shaped blank that's very fragile.
I've fitted futures before but never used them on my own boards. Personnally i think they are a much stronger system than fcs, but the length of the plug can really stiffen up the tail end of the board and they don't look too pretty either. Futures are good for twin fin fishes where the fins experience way more side loading and a stiff tail doesn't matter. FCS can under these conditions get ripped out of the board.
From my point of fcs are good, easy to fit and easy to repair with readily available fins. Futures are also good but if you manage to rip those out then you've got a big board repair to do as they'll pull alot of glass off with them!
I'm fitting red-x fins to my kiteboards, fishes and thrusters at the moment
as they seem to have the stiffness required for both fishes and kiteboards and are also adjustable and the fin quality seems to be quite good.
They're more expensive than fcs with a cheap fin but by the time you've got yourself a decent fin set you're looking at a simillar price.
The biggest drawback with red-x is they aren't that available.

Cheers KS