If you have a narrowminded front foot surfer who refuses to learn how to ride with weight on his back foot properly, can you still make a surfboard with a thruster fin setup that will work well for him? rocker/fin positions?
regards,
Håvard
No dimensions, but maybe an outline like this? 
Hey Harvard take a look at Liddle surfboards 2 plus one set up. liddlesurfboards.com I have had some of Gregs boards with normal thruster set up that I liked a lot .
I got this info from http://www.surfline.com/community/whoknows/10_05_frontfoot.cfm
Surfline’s very own Nick Carroll replies:
Awesome question.
The best way to get a grip on your general tilt is to have a friend video your sessions. This may be confronting, even terrifying, stuff. Yet if you then watch the footage closely, you’ll see either:
a) a tendency to move your upper body a lot, especially in top turns and cutbacks; or
b) a tendency to upper body stiffness, particularly clear in bottom turns either way.
The a) answer will usually indicate a front-foot-oriented style, the b) a back foot.
Deck denting is another good indicator of consistent pressure, although it can’t always be relied upon, since most boards are a lot thinner through the tail and show tail dents in a correspondingly exaggerated fashion.
Of course, the likely truth is that you’re neither. Very few of the current cream of the crop pros can be said to be “front-footed” or “back-footed”. Elite surfing technique has gone well beyond that level of analysis. A top surfer today might be back-footed at the start of a turn and front-footed at the finish, plus any combination of both all the way through.
Design-wise: what’s more important than foot orientation is intention. A front-foot-weighted surfer might benefit from the concave run a little further up; a back-footer might prefer flatter rocker curves. But the bigger questions will still revolve around wave type, size, and character.
Here’s another weird one to think about: If you’re
back-foot-heavy in your normal stance, what would you be if you
switched feet?
If you are making a tri for a front foot surfer who likes his style of surfing, move the WP forwards, use a smaller tail fin, thin the rails, keep the foil forwards, widen the nose…and it all works similar to a traditional single fin, but with 3!
As a heavy back foot surfer, when I switch feet, I am a heavy back foot surfer reg. But I trim high normally when going reg, so I have to pressure the front foot during that moment. Turns I step waaay back still, like when goof.
Don’t know the answer to the design question offhand, but the question brings to mind a really good observation from a guy I know in NJ. Crazy Mike says that as you get older your back foot gets heavier on the board. Most non pro riders I know tend to agree.
You just gotta learn to tune into your fins. Push each inside rail fin into each turn. It’ll come with practice. Especially on long lined up waves, go through the bottom multiple times in a row, and each time push the inside rail fin through the turn.
I took the philosophy some time ago that I’m more adaptable than my boards are…
Quote:
If you are making a tri for a front foot surfer who likes his style of surfing, move the WP forwards, use a smaller tail fin, thin the rails, keep the foil forwards, widen the nose…and it all works similar to a traditional single fin, but with 3!
Thanks, what about rocker and template? smooth rocker with less kick in the tail? Even curvy template without much hip? How about moving the fins up an inch or two?
I think another problem for this narrowminded frontfoot surfer is that my stance is for the most part a little to far up on the board and unless the surf has some juice I will stall too easily if my stance is where it should be.
regards,
Håvard
Sure, any or all that stuff makes it easier for your to ride a 3 fin board.
Why not just dial in some more wave power and size?
And complain about those days without speed and power. That’s my MO…
Without speed and power, I usually ride a twin.
if you ask me , your current board is forcing you forward…
to surf any board and get the most out of it , you surf to the board set up…
reasons why were forced forward…
not enough tail area for wavesize/speed, to much tail rocker making it slow off the tail in dead sections, carrying a soft rail to far into the tail , sucking the tail down, roll or v in the tail, or waves are so gutless we have to be centred over the float because of one of the above factors…
most guys get branded as having a certain style , when all along its there board making them surf that way…
regards
BERT
Thanks Bert, I think you nailed it spot on. I guess my 200 pounds doesn’t help either…
regards,
Håvard
Haavard…just make yourself a 6’4" x 20.5 with a 16.5 tail tri fin, thick in the tail block, at least a 5" tail fin, hard rails, slightly low rockered, and WP about 3" BEHIND center.
It will force you to stand hard on the back foot for all turns, will plane right up and step on out, and change your surf style.
yep…you will gain alot by doing that…
i’ll go with that plan, even tho its always more fun to disagree with leedd…
regards
BERT
Lee, thanks. That’s so close to what I had in mind for my next project that I’ll go for it. I also find that boards(when I borrow) a few inches shorter than what I’m on help by makeing me place my rear foot closer to the fins.
Bert, Lee, thanks for your responses. Much appriciated.
regards,
Håvard
That’s the beauty of swaylocks…so many different opinions and points of view.
And you know what? They are all correct, or wrong, depending on YOUR point of view.
Those of you who think you know it all really piss those of us who do off.
Ye Harr
But really, those of us who DO know it all also know that we really only know more than YOU know.
Now where are the smile icons?
are you having a bad day solosurfer???
i had one of those a few days back…
i got a little chunk of 80 grit stuck on my pad while i was doing 1200 , i never noticed…
when i buffed the board , it looked like an ice skating rink…
i was ready to break something…luckily there was waves that day…
it cant be that bad can it???
regards
BERT