fin set up advice

[surf patrol]

Hi guys


First post on here so would really appreciate some advice to help me out. I'm a relative newbie to surfing (only 2 months) although seem to have picked it up really fast and progressed quite rapidly - now spending about 3 days a week surfing.I did my first lesson on a 9'ft long board and then got a 7'6 mini mal a couple of weeks later. After that, i got a Greco surf 5'10 Hosanna soft top fish with twin fins. After getting the hang of the fish and catching 2ft wave faces consistently I started to look for something more performance orientated to continue progressing on. I'm about 5'8 and 72kg so not a very big or heavy guy.

I decided to buy the below as it seemed like a good next step whilst still having similar width and volume- a 6'2 with 20.3/4, 2 5/8 thickness, a fish tail and lowish rocker. I also managed to get it in a rare quad set up. I thought that if i could handle the twin fin Greco fish then a quad would be great! It came strandard with FCS g5 fins as quads.

I used it for the first time yesterday and I couldn't catch a single decent wave in about 2 hours. Every time I got up, I would just wobble straight back off the board or if I waited a bit longer, the tip of the board would start to pearl on the wave and throw me off. The conditions were very choppy and about 3ft tops. This is the first time where I haven't been able to catch anything! and just couldn't figure out what i was doing wrong.

My question is this: I've done a sh*t load of research on fins but can't really find anything specific to this. I was wondering if maybe the quad set up was just too advanced or fast for my ability at this point? I'm usually fine once on the board but it's just that first get up that i'm missing here. Would I be better making it in to a thruster set up while I learn? Are my feet just in the wrong place for a quad or do i ride / stand on it differently than my other boards? Is this normal for changing to a different board ie. adjustment time? Please note that this is my first fibreglass board, the mini mal was Pu foam with polyethylene coated.

Some sites seem to say that quads are good for beginners as they encourage speed on smaller waves. I've not experienced a day like this where I just couldn't do anything aside from get nailed by the waves consistently.

Please give me any suggestions, thoughts or ideas that may help!!

[dtc]

I think you have just discovered the difference between a soft top board and a 'real' surfboard...softtops are more bouyant (easier to catch waves) and slower.

If you are falling off the back of the board, that suggests your weighting is wrong - but this could be anything eg: feet landing first before your hips get forward (like jumping on a skateboard feet first), just leaning back (often unconciously because you want the board to slow down), too far back, too much weight on the back foot. etc. You may be popping up too late and the board has already taken off down the wave - the shorter the board, the smaller the period to pop up (ie you need to pop up fast and late).

The board seems to have a fair bit of rocker, which means the actual amount of board in the water (ie the part giving you a base - stability) is probably actually around 5ft8 or so of board; the softop has a flat rocker so has more of the board in the water. In any event, the new board is also going to inherently be more unstable.

So first I would check that you are popping up solidly and leaning down the wave - weight even or perhaps slightly to the front foot. And that you are popping up at the right time - just try popping up as soon as you think you have caught the wave (you may do it too early sometimes and miss the wave, but thats fine). And keeping in mind you will have to get used to a faster and less stable board.

Choppy surf doesnt help either.

Thruster set up are usually regarded as slower than quads - so there seems no harm in giving it a go.

[jaffa1949]

I said I'd post in answer to your PM , dtc has cover what I would have said pretty much.
It is really common when you get a new board that generates speed the do the kookstep the first few surfs. The board accelerates you take a step backwards and off the board the turn versin is to swing to much and then try to compensate and each turn get more and more erratic.
Fins, Go to the thruster option, this takes out the full acuteness out of your turns, pros like and are able to control tail slide tail break outs and reverses , quads enhance this. Beginners just generate the death wobbles like loose skateboard trucks.
Pros get their basics down well before anything else as should you.
BTW your first boards were float barges, easy to catch any waves.
Real boards are the formula One car against the VWs of softops.
Keep working at it, surf has just shown you your real place in the food chain

[benjl]

Thanks guys, maybe I just had a few good / lucky days and got a bit eager or ahead of myself.
So you reckon I should just keep at it with the new fish and work on my balance and pop up etc or go back to the 7'6 for a bit?
I'll take both out again today so will see how round two goes!

[dtc]

Personally I would stick with the fish and keep trying but think about what it is that is going wrong. No point jumping back to the other board if you want to surf the fish longer term. I also think that sticking with one board at your level will help more than switching back and forth, because learning the board is a big part of surfing - every board is a bit different. When you get to Jaffa level, you can swap between boards no problem; but at a more learner level you need to start understanding your board.

However if, after 5 or so sessions, you are still struggling and things arent improving, hop back on the minimal to get the 'feeling' back and work on anything you have identified as being a problem.

Surfing, like anything else, definitely has a confidence factor - if you know you can do it on a longer board, then you will be more confident of being able to do it on the shorter board and not second guessing yourself. But just do it for one session or until you have sorted out the problems - then back on the fish.

Of course, if you just want to have fun, surf the board that gives you the most fun!

[jaffa1949]

Stick with the fish now, swapping back to a foamy will be a set back.
Always learning new boards is more than a one or two session retraining especially when you go shorter and different construction, just try the thruster option and stop thinking that it will be a quick learning process, it isn't!!!

[benjl]

Thanks again for the advice, I had another crack with the fish today in even worse conditions but had success!! After bailing miserably for an hour I tried applying more wax to the board where the previous owner didn't have any (lower down just to the left of the tail pad) and wham! The tail pad still feels akward and more of an hindrance than useful but at least I can actually stand on the board now! I was still left to catch shitty turbulent whitewash due to the conditions but at least could ride it until the wave died. I'll take another crack this weekend when the conditions are better and try catch some faces! I also changed the fins to the thruster set up so that might've helped too

[jaffa1949]

More wax and more progress, stoke factor up, as for the tail pad it will become useful as your skills progress! FIXED :lol:

[dtc]

Good stuff - next post will be how the board likes sitting in the pocket but a bit stiff on the reverse cutback

[IB_Surfer]

So, getting back to your original post, if you are using quads what size are the fins?

Also, the fish foamie is a twin fin, it probably was easier to catch waves but turned like crap, so it depends on the set up you have too

[benjl]

Hi guys, I just took my new fish out in 2-3 ft cleaner conditions today and it was awesome!! Caught wave after wave and sliced up some big faces like nothing I could do on my other boards. I just waxed the sh*t out of the board and it has made night and day difference. My mates were shocked after seeing me not even be able to get up only 2 days ago! I think it must have just been a big lack of grip causing me to wallow off every time. The new fish feels so much faster, more responsive and more stable at speed than my other boards.

The quad fins were fcs g5 on the fronts and two much smaller fcs GX fins on the back inners. I'll probably move back to the quad set up after a few more rides now that I know I can control it. Is there a better quad fin set up that you could recommend?

[jaffa1949]

All good now, wax on and power up! Stoke is a happening thing