Factory ABS fin. How much difference does material make?

[clinto]

I have grown up surfing and all of the fins i used on my longboards were always fiberglass. I was looking at what i have on my 12' Bote  HD and noticed it is ABS plastic @9.25". The shape seems good but how much difference will a Fiberglass vs. abs fin make?

[Area 10]

It depends what you are doing with the fin. If you are just touring then not much difference at all. Downwinding and surfing it makes more of a difference but if it's a good quality fin then you probably still won't notice any greatly significant change. If it's a really flimsy ABS one then you would.

[Bean]

The only drawback that I've seen is that they have a tendency to deform and take a set when exposed on a sunny day.  But, that's completely avoidable and is also easy to fix by applying heat and realigning.

[Eagle]

We have 4 different type fins.  5 carbon - 4 glass - 2 hexcel - and one plastic.  The plastic one is the FCS Touring for like $30 USD - they call it glass flex now.  Has an ok Slater Trout shape but is not a high quality fin.  But it does an ok job if you need a different size and shape to try out.  A few boards come with this as the OEM fin. 

The carbon is the stiffest then the glass then the hexcel then the plastic.  Just tested them by trying to bend them and difference is slight for the flex - but not really noticeable to me on the water.  Have used all 4 different types a lot - and all are ok.  More important to me is the shape area and foil.  We use the carbon SIC 7.0 or glass Gladiator Elite the most.  The other ones essentially gather dust.  We either go small fin or go big fin - depending on what ride we want for the conditions.

http://surffcs.com/shop/sup-racing-fins/fcs-ii-touring-sup-fin

[stoneaxe]

It would be interesting to do a blind test of fins in various materials but the same shape. I'd be willing to bet that most folks couldn't tell the difference....particularly on smaller fins. I do notice that the fins I like best are almost all Larry's however. I think that's because I have called and talked with him about what I think I'd like and then let him pick the fin to suit. Best move I ever made for my 8-0 Vec was to have Larry talk to the glasser about fin placement. The glasser said he never would have put the fins where Larry suggested or used the type of fin...big twin half moons...but I think they are perfect for the board.
The only board I don't have his fins in is my Foote...the stock ABS fins that came with it feel perfect...I haven't even been interested in playing with them.

[yugi]

^ believing is 90% of it

[Bean]

And the other half is...

[yugi]

^ how much it cost you

[stoneaxe]

Yeah....the only time I've really noticed a difference is when changing shapes...and not even always then.

[Bean]

^ how much it cost you

Indeed!

[PonoBill]

I think ABS fins buzz more. It's not such a big deal that I'd change them for that reason, I still surf the big Footie with the stock ABS fins though I went to a smaller center fin. But I've noticed the difference. You'd have to get into a good-sized wave to feel the difference, but at double overhead I get some buzz that doesn't seem to be there with fiberglass fins. Much bigger than DOH and I don't feel it anymore because of all the screaming.

[Bean]

Makes sense, the ABS fins come out of the mold pretty sharp.  I've usually been able to resolve buzzing fins by detuning the trailing edge.

[Beasho]

I think ABS fins buzz more. It's not such a big deal that I'd change them for that reason, . . . . Much bigger than DOH and I don't feel it anymore because of all the screaming.

I have noticed the same thing. 

I just swapped out 3 of the 4 fins with Glass fins on this board because it would start to whistle when the waves got to be 10+ feet.  The Yellow One was the only glass fin (In a ProBox).  I recently discovered you could buy JUST THE REAR QUADS for $50 and thus put in the 2 rear smoke fins (Symmetric Foil), and the Yellow Black flat foiled rear fin in the front box.  The front was a 4" and the rears 3.5" because less is more.

[stoneaxe]

Maybe I don't feel the buzz because I'm already there.......more likely because I'm a long way from 10'...

[SUP Sports ®]

Fin material absolutely makes a difference...it has almost everything to do with stiffness/flex...durability...speed...acceleration...directional change...response & feedback...etc...

I use different layups to help me progressively control flex...amount and location...etc...

I have dialed my side biter fin designs in with honeycomb sandwiched between double bamboo layers...also, carbon/honeycomb layups...
My center fins are either double bamboo layers...or, for max stiffness, G-10...

As somebody already pointed out...ABS fins can get spongy on hot days in warmer waters...IMO, they don't feel anywhere as crisp and responsive as a well made fiberglass fin...no comparison if you are dialed into your board and the way that it surfs...

No...you don't need to be a pro to feel the difference...;-)
Optimizing fins to a particular board is the most cost effective way to maximize a board's potential...

http://supsports.com/sup-fins