"Fins play a decisive role in surfing and surfboard performance. Surfers tend to believe it's all about shaping and surf skills, but fins have evolved much over the last 10 years. So, how should we choose a set of new fins?
There are nine major characteristics in a surf fin: material, base, depth, sweep, area, cant, toe, foil and flexibility. That's why surfers should pick fins carefully by adjusting their surfboard to their experience in wave riding... "
I have to admit that I dismissed fin design until I took the time to try out a few different fin setups on my kiteboard. Different fin designs made a huge difference. It's harder to do the same while surfing since you spend comparatively less time actually riding, and in the meantime so many other factors change.
It makes a 'big' difference which fin(s) you use. Having come from the era when the thruster set up was first introduced to short boards, I had the opportunity to use side bites on a single fin Brewer back in the early 70's in Hawaii. Although they were somewhat primitive at the time, and even looked upon as 'Haole' only used, they did make the overall performance of the board(s) more responsive.
Now a Longboarder, the following fins are what I go to depending on conditions, and wave size.
@duckdive- kiteboarding???where, on top of the empire state building? how you been? Time for some more New York state of mind pics, isn't it?
@cali. getting by. no surfing or kiting out here sadly. i've still been snapping some pics with my iphone and riding my bike.
@duckdive, there are some really nice ones in there! I used to be a professional photographer way back in the day. I went nuts in NYC photographing. The sensory stimulation is so exciting. Oh, that came out wrong. Seriously, keep it up, you have a nice eye. Do the iPhone pics have enough quality to print?
Hurricane surf is not too far away....
I think the fin makers can do a better job of describing their products. I see ads for fins in the magazine. It will have a photo of a pretty girs and balloons but not details of why this product is good. I have yet to see the specs on any fin ever sold.
Useless, throwaway article. Who wrote that? Reads like a junior high school homework assignment.
