I have a question for you guys.
I’ve been short boarding for over 20 years, and for the past years I’ve been experimenting with new boards.
First I bought a classic log and then I got a traditional San Diego fish.
I’ve been loving this new sensations.
I’m about to buy another single fin and I wanted to get some advice. I narrowed it down to these 2 options.
I’m thinking a 7.5 fin for any of these (4a possibly). Is that alright?
I’m trading some old shortboards for one of these boards. I’ll be using the board mostly on beach breaks and sometimes some point breaks around southern california.
I’ve seen both of this boards in person and I’m loving both shapes.
I want to be able to draw different lines from what I’m use to (more trim and glide).
Most of my friends are short boarders and I don’t have enough knowledge to know any better on these boards.
Some guys can finesse a wide round tail with a 7.5" single but dedicated tail stompers will eventually get in to a wave and spin out. I’d go with a 9 incher. If board rides too stiff, grind it down.
I would go with John’s recommendation too. 8 1/2" to 9". Especially in beach breaks where you will need to muscle rather than finesse it around sometimes. A more upright template will help under such circumstances as well.
Thanks for the reply John.
I ended up getting the 6’0. My friend gave me a 7.5 4a. (for free…couldnt say no )
I want to try it and see how it feels.
Should I place it at the back?
Thanks for the response.
The bottom contour is flat to a slight vee. The board is 6’0 x 21 x 2 3/4. (is the board on the first link on my original message)
My friend gave me a Greenough 4a (7.5).
Any suggestions on the placement? Right now I have it in the middle of the box. I’m gonna try it tomorrow morning.
We’ll see how it goes. This is all new for me
The tail width is ample and along with the bottom contours you’ll require a good amount of fin drive.
Templates are a dime a dozen and will affect performance big time.
I think a fin with moderate flex and a good amount of fin base will serve best.
I’d say around 8 inched if you favor a fin with a bit of tip area.
More upright fins are fast but I think the board will be slippery unless it’s
quite deep 9" or so and more flexible.
The right fin will balance things and balance is what you’re aiming toward.
Experiment, you’ll settle on the feel you like best.
Start at the back of the box if you use the 7.5 4A. If it feels stiff, start moving it forward slowly, or go up a lot and see how crazy different it will be. I like to look from the side and set the end of the fin close to the end of the tail, but not past the tail. I’d use a longer version of the 4A for a tail that wide. You might want to try to get a McCoy fin too. They seem to work well in wide tailed single fins.
Also get a small tool you can have in your pocket to make changes, then you can do them while you are at the beach surfing. That way you’ll see the difference immediately.
Or, bury a dime in some wax on the deck of your board for some in the water fin placement changes (just don’t drop the screw, lol. Been there done that).
Thanks so much for all the responses.
You guys were right. I do need a bigger fin!
I tried the board yesterday with the Greenough 7.5 in the middle of the box (to start).
As soon as I started paddling towards the lineup I could feel already the fin wasn’t connecting much to the water…
I caught a couple of waves. Ate it on the first one and had a couple of fun rides. The board felt super fast, but it was way to loose from the back. I could tell it wasn’t working properly.
I got out and changed the fin to the end of the box and it improved dramatically, although still too loose. It’s hard to exactly describe what I felt, because my experiences with single fins is almost non existent (except for my little logging).
Overal I really like the feeling of the board on the waves I was able to surf it. Super fast board (although kind of out of control when my line was not set correctly…)
I guess a bigger fin would be more forgiving?
A friend gave me an 8.5 TK Flex.
I’m gonna try it out in the next couple of days.
What do you guys think?
Any recommendations on placement with the TK?
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