Hello all!
I was wondering what would be the configuration in positioning on a Hybrid Fish of a 5-plug setup to make a board as versatile as possible…
What would be the pro’s and con’s of the following:
A hybrid performance swallow surfboard. It could have a Five fin set-up that could either be used as a Thruster, as a Twin + 1 small , Quads or Twins (either MR or Keels).
My question is: with a single 5-fin plug setup, which of those above could be used without major issues?
Can you better define “hybrid performance swallow”? Maybe a photo? I think the tail shape is going to dictate heavily how fin setups will work. The depth of the swallow tail as well. Here’s one of mine that might fall into that category but I’d probably just call it a groveler shortboard.
Talking with Greg Griffin years ago, I was told that you can make the board a thruster/quad, but you won’t be able to use the front boxes for a twin. The twin fins would need to be somewhere between the 2 side fin boxes.
So I’ve made large keel fins specifically for a quad that have the tabs way up front to put the fin as far back as possible, but the backs of the fins get very close to the rail, and I place my side fins 1.5" in to get a little more space.
What I like to do is have a long single fin box in the center, then I can do a single plus sidebites, or a Griffin style five fin with the 3 back fins inline.
I recently stuck a 9" GG 4C fin in a 5-10 wide tailed McCoy style nugget shape and I had a blast.
I’ve got a 5’6 multi purpose 5 fin setup with a beak nose. I’m pretty sure its not meant to be ridden as a twin but I put on the biggest twins something between a twin/keel (Deadkooks Utopia | Single Fin) and its just magic. It is EPS so you get that extra pop. I use a stabiliser when it get bigger then you have the drive off the top/bottom. But you can’t beat the feel of a twin in the pocket. So i’d say just try as a twin, but the volume is in the middle of your board so can’t say if it’ll work as well.
