This topic was popping in and out of a couple of threads so I thought I might try to isolate it and get some opinions. I ride thrusters in the 6-7ft range on the east coast of Australia and in Indonesia. My view is that the relationship depends a lot on the type of wave you are surfing and on individual style.
In general the more you’re surfing off the tail the more likely you are to benefit from bigger fins in smaller waves. If your style, or the waves you’re surfing mean that you’re surfing mostly on the inside rail, bigger fins in smaller waves are likely to be counter-productive.
The other important factor is tail width and in general the narrower the tail the smaller the fins needed, so as guns tend to have narrower tails, they can often be ridden with smaller fins.
Any thoughts?