Fin set up

[jaffa1949]

RESULT! good to to hear enjoy, thoroughly

[Jester]

Niiiice!!

[Big H]

Update....a set of used FCS bonzers 18 degree came up on the local used buy and sell....going to experiment with the smaller and larger bonz As sidebites with different size center fins. Starting where I might end.....smaller bonz in with 9" center.

[jaffa1949]

Could be good. The experiment begins.
Bear in mind that a real Bonzer set up has channels that are designed to work with the fins.
I still found them great on my flat bottom boards.

[waikikikichan]

You may think I'm joking, but seriously, try flipping those FCS bonzers around and to the opposite side so the tall end is in front. I had fun with them that way. Kinda of like the Takayama Hawaiian Pro designs "Halo" fins.

[Big H]

Will do....it's all good fun at this point....

[jaffa1949]

Make sure you also flip them to the other side as well as tall to front the cant would get weird otherwise, but then again that might have a benefit too

[Big H]

I had hovercraft images come to mind at first blush before I processed/digested what Waikikichan was saying....

[Big H]

Rode it today in 7ft faces....felt a little draggy and I didn't get down the line as fast as I'd have liked....that said, the ride was stable, solid and sure on fairly clean but steep faces but still was relatively easy to turn....feeling was like a single fin with a plastic bag caught on the leash only more stable.....I think that it would be good for bigger days but not quite sold at this size....FWIW the first set that I had put in that are like two tab knubsters was less draggy at this size, but also less stable but more stable than surfing just single, so there is an alternative, lesser degrees of both for smaller surf with similar results....also seemed to increase drive (tracking) and I had to push harder for responses.....that goes back to being more stable I suppose.....however I did pull off a move that I'd never done (where is Jaffa's list of descriptors)....going down the line and doing small turns to stay in the pocket then the wave closed out in front of me so I cut back hard turning down the wave and all the way around until I was going back up the wave slightly in the opposite direction, saw the whitewater of the closing wave coming hard at me so I then turned back hard down the wave which turned into going off the whitewater going back in the original direction.....I think it's just called a cutback but I've never pulled one off off the whitewater or so tight (quickly) on that board....the nose was really up in the air...a little floaty at the end and a big vote of OK for the mobility of the setup....cool thing was I didn't plan it....it just kinda happened.....good times.....

Going to flip them around and try them next time per Wakikichan's suggestion the next time it's the same size or bigger.....might be awhile....swell peters out today and I'm off on my annual vacation to the states with the family in a few days.....things to look forward to.......too bad....epic swell due in on the 28th.....just as well, I'm not rated for epic yet.....

[Big H]

Maybe a smaller center fin would do the trick......aaaahhhh....the experiment begins indeed....

[Big H]

Tried this....favorite single fin on a board this size (9.5 with more rake and fin base than the previous 9" fin I had in....paired it with the bonzers.....no go.....was hard to turn and slow ...wanted to put in a more upright 8" fin but opened the fin box, saw this one and thought I'd give this a go....next time for the 8" or 7.5".

[jaffa1949]

Fin thoughts for you, about your set up!
The green fin in the centre is too far back in the box, in order to turn that far far back you need to be able to exert a large amount of rear foot pressure directly over the fin.
The fin also has a very wide base and this too adds to the force needed to drive a turn.
A cut away fin or a fin that is narrower in the base will help try moving the fin as far forward in the box as you can.
Just for now take the bonzers out and review the usage of that single fin where it is, I think the problem is there, favorite fins often need different positions on different boards
Keep the Bonzers out of the equation for the time being as they will a complication presenting too much combined base if you move the centre fin forward.
I would think 7", 7.5" would be better with them.
A lot depends on how you work the board to respond to waves.
Play around, the tufflite is more floaty so you won't be engaging the rails as easily because of the buoyancy so the board is very fin dependent, so setting is very noticeable.

file.jpg (66 KiB) Viewed 688 times

Notice the base on my set up how much smaller it is, but it still does not go right to the base of the bonzers.
I ride that as is without the bonzers as a single quite comfortably.
ill post several other fins i like as centres shortly>
ALL of THE ABOVE

[Big H]

Yeah....the green fin is pretty huge....I like the drive and hold on bottom turns in my limited experience, but kinda knew pairing it with any kind of sidebites would be a no go.....still had it in hand and wanted to experience what "wrong" felt like....now I know....


After posting here I had the same suspicions as you mentioned and ordered a True Ames 7.5" cutaway that I'll pick up in the US when I go next week. Also ordered some gl sidebites so along with 8" and 7" dolphin fins that I have in the fin box already with fin bases that are narrower than the greenie (takes up nearly the whole box) and the adaptor that I have which will allow FCS tabbed fins in the center box allowing for a full thruster set up should give enough options to keep me busy for awhile....

Put the big board in the car this morning....didn't have time to do much else so I'll just pull out the bonzers today and ride the big greenie as a single....

[Big H]

Ordered this one in bright red, 7.5"...

[Big H]

Since I'm going single on the big greenie today I'll push it all the way up per your suggestion J and see how that goes. Cheers all!

[Big H]

Pushed greenie up to about a cm away from all the way up....rode it as a single at Dreamland....what used to be my favorite fin in the last longboard I had (flatter rocker, more float, little shorter, wider tail) isn't really doing it for me now.....maybe because I had better the other day (9" + bonzers in bigger / stronger stuff).....anyway, it was hard to turn relatively speaking, had to take a shuffle step back and push down to get action rather than just leaning into the wave on takeoff....waves weren't much, 14 sec / 1.6 making 4-6ft fatty faces that took every bit of paddling effort to tip the fulcrum to get into....alternatively the wave was catchable on the inside but that is shortboard territory as they ride it until kicking their board straight up in the air as the shorebreak builds to closeout.....I digress....seems like I don't like this fin in average to soft conditions even as a single....so next up if I can squeeze a surf in before going on leave will be either a 7 or 8" with the bonzers flipped....

[Big H]

Ready for tomorrow....7.5" center and flipped bonzers. Looks like the can't is less when they are flipped...can't be but perhaps there is a flare and they are more angled at the far end rather than the pointed end. Anyway, we see how this works out....

[Big H]

...and have the fin just forward of center with a space between the trailing edge of the sidebites and the leading edge of the center....

[Big H]

Still a little wide on the base but it's the best I have at the moment.

[Big H]

I don't like this set up at all.....harder to paddle, slow, had to shift forward of where I normally am to get into waves and then would have to push back to keep the nose up....part of that was the function of the break I went to.....fast, hollow and steep though only head high today....had to start inside of where I would normally set up to catch on a shorter board....then had to negotiate the quick jack.....start outside of that and I wasn't getting in......want one good surf before I go on vacation....two more days to work that out....