So after riding my new 6’ 8" fish with a thruster setup, i am considering that i want to switch it over to a quad for more speed down the line. the surfboard has FCS fusion fin plugs. Live in Florida so i try to surf as much as possible, but most of the times the waves tend to be very squishy, with the occasional decent swell. Just curious what fin design or style yall would recommend for me/ my board. Plastic or not doesn’t matter to me as i won’t notice the difference since im a novice. I learned how to pump up and down the wave face finally and so that helps me out with staying in the wave longer, but i feel like the board would work better with the quad setup? Also not really sure what the difference would make for going with large fin vs medium sized, and of course the broad range of styles, so i figured i would get some thoughts and opinions…
Some other stuff that might help from what ive heard/ learned so far…
Weight: 170
height: 6’ 3"
Board:
length: 6’ 8"
style: Fish
width: 22’ wide
thickness: 3’
volume: 48 L
bottom of the board: single concave from nose to 2/3 down then to double concave.
Not sure if this stuff is needed for yall to help me on choosing a design to suit what might help me best, but here it is just in case.
Thanks.
First…Try medium size (m-5 in fcs) inside foiled fronts and medium size flat sided rears. Then try swapping out for m-3 size rear fins. Depending on box placement a set of symmetrical foiled small rear fins can work too. Generally if you want to mess with flex I’d suggest putting the stiffer (g-10, carbon, solid fiberglass) fins in the front and more flexible ones (plastic, glassflex, foam core) in the rear. But don’t be afraid to experiment. Quads are great for tinkering with fins!!
Many will say that the truster fin set up is the the most forgiving set up. nothing wrong with doing some experimenting. Look around for some used sets of quad fins. There was a place in i think Orlando? They would allow you to try a lot of different fins before buying. Can’t recall the name of the company. Might not even be in business anymore. Check Craig’s list. I found a nice VON Sol set for $30. They retail for around $90.
i wish someone could have taken a video of me last weekend, but im able to ride the face of the wave now and pump on the face of the wave instead of just going strait with a slight angle. Also the image was the first day i had rode a short ish board. Ive heard the quad setup is good with speed so i figured it was worth a try.
yea ill definitely look into used fins! Ive heard of the online stores that allow you to borrow fins and then return them whenever for like $10 a month. Might try one of those companies out.
Of course you could also get yourself proper Fish and learn how to ride it. Lots of built in speed. IMHo It is one of the best boards for the verity of Florida conditions. From solid overhead to mush burgers. But Thats just me.
I would just get small side bits and utilize the bigger side fins you have. being that FCS changed to the FCS II system fins might be hard to find. Honestly most of my boards are 5 fin because I like having the versatility. Quads are fun and fast but it depends on how you want to surf. quads if you don’t have your weight centered or if you are a front foot surfer then those fins are going to grab and hold a straighter line when you are learning cutbacks. That’s when you go to turn but your board goes straight. but if you focus on that back food you can get quads to really slide around.
Honestly just mess around with the fins use it as a quad, thrust, twin it will all feel fun at this point in your surfing. youll figure our what you liek.
