what makes a great single-fin fin? (and 2 news ones)

[linter]

on my jl11, the stock 13' fin was a bear, so i swapped out for the often-recommended 9.5" farberow flex, which was great on a wave but a slight pain to stay stable on, at least for me and my (somewhat limited) skills. that being the case, i'm led to ask: what makes a great single-fin fin and how to do the variables (length, thickness, width at base, width at tip, overall rake) react and interact to deal with the playoffs between SUP stability and performance?  anyone got a clue?

meanwhile, here's two new-to-me SUP fins:


official blurb: Stand-Up Paddle Fin 9.5" Noserider by Rainbow Fin Co. -- This noserider is quick turning fin while maintaining solid nose riding stability. It works great on long point breaks as well as beach break conditions. Recommended for 9' 4" + boards.


official blurb: Stand-Up Paddle Fin 9.0" Wingnut Big Daddy -- The ultimate classic fin! Will smooth out any board. A great traditional feel and glide for Long-boarding or Stand-Up paddle!

judging from the pix and official blurbs, both these fins seem to be longboard fins that are now being marketing to the SUP crowd without there being anything SUP specific to them.  But, does  there need to be?  Anyway, to my eyes, the wingnut, with the wider base, might outta be the stabler of the two; then again, it's shorter than the other.  So, who knows? 

Thoughts, all, on single-fin fins in general and/or these two in particular?

[Dwight (DW)]

Thoughts, all, on single-fin fins in general and/or these two in particular?

I have bought a bunch of different fins and tried them. Just for fun. To my surprise, some fins that looked almost identical, had radically different feels under the board.

I guess you can't tell by looking and what we think we know isn't always true. Just buy a few and have fun. I finally found my magic fin. I'm just glad fins are cheap compared to everything else in this sport. 

[linter]

bump.  come on, people, let's get some fin chatter going!

[paddlesurf.net]

I am the total exception to the rule when it comes to fins on the Big Red SOS SUB. I like the stock fin.

I've thrown in a bunch of flexy fins: Greenough Stage 6, a big fat lobe fin from FCS, and an Alex Knost model (Greenough knockoff) ten incher with a lot of flex in that thin tip- and I keep coming back to the stock fin. I just like the solid drive that it produces- theres no hesitation in the turn, no little flexy hangup to it-  just a smooth little power arc bottom turn. Maybe it's the way I'm built or how I surf but I like to really get back on the board and push it with the back foot.

I'm in the process of dialing in a new custom and have been moving fins back and forth in the box- I'm kind of liking the positive feeling of the fin being back further in the box- a little more drivey- a little more predictable. I don't think I'm sold yet on really flexible fins- especially when you're surfing some bigger waves and you got to lay all twelve feet of that board over to get down the line- I want to know I can push it and project out of the turn without any hiccups.

Although, what do I really know.

[linter]

how big is your stock fin?  myself, i've taken out the farberow flex for the time being and put in a weber hatchet fin i had.  the board turns well on it and it's more stable than the flex fin.  what're the rules of fun placement?  forward for looseness, back in the box for drive?  any other logic to placement?  i know that jimmy lewis has said he uses the stock 13" or similar and likes it as far back on the board as he can get it, because that's where it's best for noseriding.

[paddlesurf.net]

Well- I'm no pro on this issue but I have some data points that may be helpful.

My new board has a really wide tail (similar to the JL 11', the model with the big boxy tail) and even though it's been set up with little side biter boxes, after experimenting with them and with different sized center fins, I've come to the conclusion that you don't want too much fin on these wide tailed boards. Specifically, I've chucked the side biters and gone with one 9" center fin moved way back in the box. You said JL rides his like that too- I think it's really got something to do with these wide square tails- too much fin and you get too much lift on the tail in a turn and it washes out- not what you want to happen when you're really cranking a turn. Try moving your fin all the way to the front of the box- I did and could easily get the tail to spin out. I don't like having doubt in my mind when I start leaning the thing over.

Here's my highly opinionated take on this stuff:

Another reason for the really big fin on that JL board: I suspect that JL surfs the board for what it is- not for what he wants it to be. That board is  11 feet of really wide foam- the board's not meant to be ridden like a short board- it's a smooth glide in- a nice pump off the bottom, a cross step on the rise and then back to the tail for a nice, full, sweeping cutback...the sweet essence of long board surfing. As long as you have an appreciation and understanding of how these boards behave, having the fin way back doesn't matter that much. Shoot, Phil Edwards was turning bellied out, fat finned planks like it was nothin'.  In my opinion, the best surfers/paddlesurfers understand that on these big boards, less is more.

Here's an interesting observation: Take a look at some of the retro style longboarders out there- some of those guys ride glassed in, big lobe finned, heavy boards with 50/50 rails and they're cranking some of the sweetest turns out there. Watch Alex Knost, they call him "noodles" or something, the guys skinny- but he whips longboards around effortlessly because he knows where to put the board in the wave, where the little pockets are- the spots his board likes to turn in (although he does ride a twisty Greenough templated fin).

I think that most folks would benefit from riding a simple fin template, no gimmicks- set at dead center. Ride the board a lot, figure out where it likes to be on a wave(big point here- most people are too busy worrying about fins and still don't know how to trim the board properly) get to know how (and more importantly, where on a wave) it likes to be turned- I think most surfers will get more performance gains by paying these dues then by messing with the fin. But then again messing with the fin IS really fun. So why not?

[RUSS-D]

I have 2 fins. 1 is a big full fin, and is 10". The other, and it is the one I leave in my board, is a Joel Tudor cut-away at 9". I realy like this fin, it keeps the tail as loose as possible for me. I guess i have good balance, because I have not needed to rely on the fin for stability. But then again, I have Surfed shortboards for 25 years, and theese SUB's feel like standing on a boat to me .