Date: 6/27/02
Author: Josh Cantor

Rainbow Fins Darin Shapiro model

How much can a fin really affect the ride of my board? What fin do I need for my board? Does it matter what the fin is made out of? What's the deal with the funky shapes? All of these are common questions when it comes to fins.

Fins aren't rocket science, but there is more to them than there used to be. Three or four years ago there were a couple of different fins to choose from and that was it. Just about every board came standard with the 5-inch long 2-3 inch deep, ramp-style, plastic fin. Now you have to factor in material, shapes and length in order to find the fin that is compatible with your board and your riding style.

Keep in mind that there is not one right fin for everyone and every board. Throughout this article I will give you the tools you need to figure out which fin is going to work best for you.

CWB Chicklet aluminum fin

First things first; plastic, fiberglass or aluminum? Is there a reason why you should pay twice as much for a fiberglass or aluminum fin? There are a couple of differences in the materials. First, a plastic fin does not hold up as well as and is susceptible to bends or dings. When the fin bends or gets these dings in it, the performance of the fin is compromised greatly. Now your 2.5 inch fin, that used to lock you in to your approach, is releasing in the middle of your cut.

A second big advantage of the fiberglass and aluminum fins is that they are hand molded or machined and, as a result, are able to obtain a much narrower fin shape. This will create a tighter foil for the fin and cause the fin to perform better by creating the stability desired with minimal drag. A plastic fin is only able to go as narrow as can be molded, which is around 0.5 inches thick, compared to the fiberglass or aluminum fins that are around .38 inches thick.

Aluminum is the latest fin material to be introduced to the market. As described above, aluminum offers many of the same benefits that fiberglass fins offer, but with even more built in strength and wear resistance. This added strength, however, comes at a price. Aluminum fins will weigh in a bit higher and will generally cost more than fiberglass fins.

What shape will work best? This is where fins have come the farthest. The three things that are of greatest concern when it comes to the shape of the fin are the length, depth and trailing edge.

Length

Hyperlite Premier and Belmont fins

In the last year or so we have watched the running base, or length, of fins get drastically longer, from five inches to around 8.5 inches for many fins. This has done a couple of things. One is that with a longer running base you can make the fin shallower. This creates a fin that will still track well even though it is shallow, because of the long fin that is still there. However, the fin still releases off the wake much faster because there isn't that deep fin.

Secondly, the deep fin doesn't work well on sliders and kickers. Having the one point of contact with the ramps in the middle of the board creates a problem with the board rocking and riders were breaking the deep fins. With the longer shallower fins, the manufacturers have created a fin that will still track well, but releases faster and works better on all the new ramps and rails.

Depth
This is fairly obvious if you take two fins of the same shape, the deeper the fin the better it will track. The negative is that it will cause the board to be slower because there is more drag on the board and will make the board release off the top of the wake slower.

Trailing Edge

Hyperlite Gonzalez fin

This is the back of the fin. The more surface area you have on the trailing edge the more the board will want to knife up the wake. This suits many riders' styles. However, for those who like their board to release quickly off the top of the wake they would want to go to a fin with less of a trailing edge. An example of this is found in the Ricky Gonzales fin made by Hyperlite. This fin has the weird shape that makes for a fin with a short trailing edge. This was done to counterbalance the deep sitting Project and Drifter that comes with four fins instead of two. If you were to put some 2.0-inch A-tac style fins on this board it would never release from the top of the wake. But with this loose fin setup, the board is able to keep all the good qualities that come from riding deeper in the water and get rid of one of the negative aspects, the slow release.

One thing that I have seen that can be fixed by things other than fins is the looseness of a board. The first thing people think is that they just need a bigger fin and pretty soon they are riding with some 4.5-inch custom surf fins. You can also change the feel of the board by the movement of your bindings. If you have too much weight on the center of the board you are riding the flattest part of the board and your fins are not able to work properly. If you widen your stance a little you add a little more weight to the tail of your board and your fin all of the sudden works how it is designed to because it is sitting deeper in the water. Then you can take those 4.5-inch fins and trade them in for the 1.5-inch fin you should have been riding in the first place.

Another traction problem is caused when your weight is too much on your toeside or heelside edge. This, again, can be fixed by moving your bindings to center your weight.

Molded-in Fins

Liquid Force Helix molded-in fins

In the last couple of years, manufacturers have produced boards with fins molded into them so that the board and fin are a single unit. This makes it so there is not a significant amount of drag when compared to bolt-on fins. This also increases the strength of the connection between the board and the fin. One drawback to molded-in fins is that once you wear out the fin, that means you've worn out the board. So if you hit a lot of sliders, don't expect the board to last forever.

Each board is designed to create a certain ride and to obtain that ride manufacturers use many different techniques from step down rails to rocker to width to even fins. It is a good idea to try the fins that were designed for the board first before you go changing everything up. Once you figure out the style of ride you want to obtain, you need to find the right board to fit your style and then find the right fins to accent the positive parts of your board and minimize the negative parts. Fins can make a big difference in the way a board rides. There is not just one way to set up your board. Take the information I've given you and do some experimenting on your own and remember while you're tweaking your setup, the most important thing is to have fun doing it!

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