Surfing Waves

Hey guys,
after years of slow progress I'm now ready (at least I feel) to think about fins.

I've read Jaffa's post on fins which is great. But there's something I'd like you to explain, a part from tech details.

Up untill now I surfed my allround longboard with a 2+1 set up, exactly as it came out of the shop.
I kept the side fins because I wanted to be able to turn the board easily and my understanding was that the single fin would kind of lock/block the board more. And I felt alright, and I learned the basics.

What happened recently is that I got a noserider and put a single fin on. I can walk on the deck and I want to progress this aspect.
Since conditions in QLD have been constantly bad, I used it only once so far but I got a good feeling.

Then I got a new 7.6 (when there's no surf you buy stuff!) to go the opposite direction: more carving and fun turns. Same here: I can do it and I want to progress this part as well.
And the guy at the shop told me he would use it with a single fin.
I was confused.
He said:
"The thruster make you turn tighter, but the single fin is more loose."

Now, English is second language and surflingo is 4th language.
I still can't really understand "loose" here.
Loose how?

Can someone elaborate?
Thanks.

Fin in a box, surf shop retro surf hipster hype.

Tighter turn means the angle of turn can be more acute repeatedly like the pros with small thruster configurations, loose on a single fin meant originally being able shift turns easily, fin positioning was important, so was the fin.

Boards design has evolved a lot in rail, tail and fins. So has the average surfer with the thruster shape.

The retro hipster, leash free attitude is about using the word loose as an equivalent of “free”.

Was the sales guy retro-ish?

I would be looking at how you want to surf, what sort of waves, as your base of finning.

Single fin, loose, forward in the centre box loose = easier to turn! Watch Morning of the Earth , thick boards shorter single fins. Looser.

Cue twin fins tighter turns married with edge and the desire to turn harder.

Thruster more so.

Ask about how you want to ride, take the side bites off you long board, try various positions with the single fin in the centre box. Try various fins.
Get two bigger side fins. Try twinning it.
Experience and play with the whole shebang!

Ask as you go, happy to talk this through with you


Jaffa

To summarize, the single-fin longboard seems best suited to those who want to trim, glide and perform sweeping turns that the stable yet pivotal feel of the single fin allows. If you enjoy the friskier, "oomph" surfing, or as the locals call it here in Hawaii, "wing-wang" surfing, go for a multi-fin longboard, with the "2 X 1" being a pretty reliable compromise if you are stuck on the fence.
-- Dave Parmenter

http://www.surfline.com/sdg/forum/05_08_long_fins.cfm

You didn't say what tail configuration on your new 7'6". But if it's more a Pin / rounded Pin tail, then try getting a Greenough 4A in about a 7'0" or "7.5"



The Volan version costs more, but well worth it. Those things slingshots you out of the corners.

Oh, and watch this, which might make you have even more questions about riding single fins.



the segment at 2:58 is soo sick.

One of the things that happens with video of high performance surfing on different boards or old standard boards , people suddenly realise tha more is possible in loose surfing.
A first lesson in getting looser is to forget about making every wave but trying something new or doing the old thing more powerfully and faster.

Then try it with different fin configurations, nail your own ride!

I think you are mistaken about the purpose of the side fins in a one plus two. They hold the board in steeper waves and make it more stable not looser. The only way they can make it looser is by allowing you to use a smaller middle fin than you could with a single fin setup. When the thruster came out and became the fin configuration preferred by most surfers I was riding a single fin and resisted changing to multiple fins because no one was doing anything I couldn't do with a single fin. Funny thing is now thrusters are still the preferred fin configuration but now I use quads because I like them better than thrusters. It took me a while to get used to multiple fins, as I had strong single fin reflexes from years of single fin surfing. I however saw the benefit of multiple fins and once used to them I have resisted the urge to try single fins again. But don't let that stop you. Lots of people switch fin configurations regularly, I don't because I want to be 100% in tune with my board for as much of the time as possible and for me switching makes me change the way I ride it and until new reflexes set hold I will reflexively try to ride it like the last fin configuration/board that I used. Seems like it just me but it seems safer to do that as I frequently surf dangerous conditions and they are only safe to me because of familiarity.

Thank you for your help guys. Appreciated.

I think I wrote too much. Just to clarify.

Jaffa, I want to do everything.
I'll use my single fin long to get decent at noseriding. I'm almost there.
I'll use the 7.6 to have fun when it's around chest to head high. I can do some carving but need to improve.

Waikikikichan, the 7.6 has a 2+1 set up. And yes, it's a rounded pin tail.
Thanks for the fin suggestion!

Oldman, the guy suggested to use the 7.6 with a single fin instead of 2+1 stating that it'll be more loose. And that confused me.

Watching that video I understand once more that it's me, not the board or the fins..

Thanks guys. Cheers.

312T4 wrote:Watching that video I understand once more that it's me, not the board or the fins.

But riding a "Single" will make you ride a Thruster ( or quad or twin or ....... ) even better. Singles forces you to work with the sweet spot / power of the wave. You need to be patient and wait for the fin to "load up" then release the energy. Single fins rewards you when you get it right and punish you when you try to force it. Riding a single fin, now and then, makes you a better all around surfer.

That's a great thing that provides motivation!