New Member here, wondering if anyone has experience in the “Star Fin” usage
i just put one into my 7 11" single Nugget surftech
I surfed one on a nugget-type bottom for several weeks. I found it very pivoty and it held really well, but I would have liked it better if it had a longer base.
that is a great combination
go get one of McCoy’s Gullwing fins for comparison
starfins don’t like leg rope or kelp
miss my 7’11"
Thank you response-- this is approx 8" length and then the fins— we’ll try it soon
I surf a "Star Fin" pretty regularly, but in shorter (6'4" to 6'8") nugget style boards. It can be a difficult fin to figure out but don't give up on it even if your first impressions aren't great. If you're used to surfing single fins then you should adapt pretty quickly. If you're coming off thrusters it will require a little more time. Don't try any thruster style "tweaks" or "adjustments" of the board as you begin to drop into waves or you will most likely just fall over (it still happens to me after swapping back and forth). I find the fin excels in long, powerful (but not hollow) , lined up waves - but others may disagree. You will find moments of magic on it if you persevere.
Cheers
Rohan
The hardest part is choosing which one to ride ???
back in the early 90’s Randy Rarrick was pushing the starfins on high performance longboards for the distance you could get doing floaters. Basically you jump on top of the white water and slide as far as you wished before redirecting the board back down in control. With a longboard its a big deal to help you get around sections that would normally pass you by. Its a technique I’ve used for years to blow up and over sections falling just infront of me, but you need allot speed and control coming down and planting your fin.
I started riding them on my high performance longboards and liked them over the classic 2+1 setups everyone else was using.
But you do have to watch you weighting during take offs as any little weighting to your back side will cause it to immediately take hold and pull you into a bad fade at take off.
I like to move it all the way back in the box but Cheyne said to keep it centered
I found the further back in the box the less finicky the fin was and you still had all the pivot and lift in the tail when you planted you foot back there.
The only thing is it doesn’t likeis allot of tail rocker which causes drag from the finlets if you are riding further up near center or nose riding
that original 7’11" Surftech McCoy Nugget single fin model was my ultimate secret weapon. Paddled like a 10’ PU longboard and surfed like a 7’ shortboard with it’s loaded dome bottom. I don’t think the later thruster models rode the same. Too bad I ended up creasing mine and gave it to a friend learning to surf.
The smaller you go with that starfin the more impressed you’ll become. I had some outrageous carving deep in the pocket rides with that fin on a 6’8" Ricky Carroll boat nose replica I got from Solosurfer (Noel) shaped like a giant dark blue teardrop with a deep vee in the nose and almost no tail rocker with a 19" tail. But man did it love the steep curvy part of the wave with that star fin. Just thinking about that day brings a smile to my face.
Oh and I think there’s a company(poorboy?) that makes a coiled ding string that you can use with the fin.
I know who to call now if I need another one.
Cheers
Rohan
I did a report on the fin here…http://www.swaylocks.com/comment/1485174/Re-ace-New-year-new-board-new-fin.