hi im making a 6’ fish. i was wondering if anyone could tell me about how deep to have my keels.id like my board to be fast and not to drag too much but i dont want it to spin out coz the fins are too small. and if 5’’ will be enough? thanks any advice much appreciated.
damian,
My keel templates range from 4 3/4 to 5 1/2 inches deep. Spinning out has not been a problem. My experience with tracking and fishes is if I’m not on the sweet spot they tend to track. When I’m on the sweet spot they fly. I can’t say either of the above conditions are related to fin depth. Too many other variables in the boards. My latest 5’10" keeled fish with 9x5’s, doubled foiled, no cant, no toe-in is my new favorite. I have not ridden it in anything over head high, yet. Mike
I’m right there with Rooster. My 5’11+ fish has 4.75" x 8.75" keels. Not too tracky, not too loose. Waist-head high waves so far. More drive than I expected from the keels - I thought speed would be gained when flat on plane & burnt off in turns, but I’m getting acceleration through turns too.
uh oh …I’m a weirdo !!
… my twin keels are 7" base x 4" depth …fibreglass , 3 tabbed F.C.S. [!! gasp ! shock ! horror ! …relax] , as my “fish’s” tail is “only” 9" from tip to tip … and , when I use twin FINS [as opposed to “keels”] , THEY are 5"-5 3/4 base , and 5-5 3/4" depth
These have held in fine in up to head high surf so far.
If needed , this board also has a back fin box , so I can ride it as a thruster if / when I want to …also as a four or five fin too.
ben
I’d think little guys can use less fin, bigger guys need more fin, depending on their style of surfing.
For less drag, taller, shorter chord fins are the way to go.
The long chord keels create drive and direction, but generally NOT acknowledged as the most efficient fin shapes around.
For most of my twins in the 5’4 to 5’8" range, and I had about 15 of them, prolly more, best fin size for a backfooted 155lbs surfer was 6.5" height, 5" chord, for all around surfing in small waves.