I made myself a single fin once and the thing was just too wild. I couldn´t move it forward, anytime I´d make a motion for the board to go forward it would actually move sideways losing control. So I made a nice channel starting at 3/4 end of the fin about 1 inch each side and then spreading wide and deeper as it moved towards the end of the tail.
It was just one channel, and pretty much just behind the fin. It solved the problem and the board became a lot more fun to ride since I could put a bit more movement on it.
My resin tint lamination is a disaster but it Will work i hope! I worked in a cabin but too high temp and for my third board i was lost… And took too much Time to try to remember how to do it…
And still a problem with That rails tape… grrr! So Its looking grunge .
Hey, was juste before the sanding of the hot coat. But i did it smoothy because my glass/strat is not accurate. So yes, it’s far from perfect. I hesitate to sand a lot and to do a final coat but don’t want to be too heavy because i’m not very strong and already a lot of mistakes i can’t fix so i prefered to test it…
Don’t sweat the critics and their poor Ingles. Get it finished, wax it up and get out there. If it doesn’t seem right to you, consider adding a couple of “side bites”. Otherwise learn from the process and continue to improve your skills. Design, Shaping, Glassing. You can do it. Lowel
Still doing a roadtrip so still thinking about the shape for the next board and I’m a little bit confused.
As I said before, I’m 175 cm for 65 kg (143pounds).
I have the idea of retro single fin with a diamond tail. Wide point foreward from the center.
It will be a board for my home in France (south west Les Landes close to Hossegor. Living in Capbreton exactly and surfing in the area mostly).
For the conditions, it will be waist-shoulder to overhead. Mostly hollow and steep but can be a long wall in some spots.
Trim oriented, big carves but nothing sharp, aggressiv. I’m a relax guy so something relax but capble to hold, great paddling and maybe easy, early entry…long turns. So nothing too short but nothing too long. And of course the possibility to be forward on the board or behind and to move (Morning of the earth style with lower level for sure!)
I’m pretty slim and not very powerful so I think it can fit for me but I’m thinking about the template…
I’m not so sure anymore for that… Any recommendations for me after this post and the last one? Maybe 6’6 is short? Don’t know. If you got ideas.
In morning in the earth, I think it’s Barry Kanaiaupuni with this kind of board and amazing style for sure…
After reading your post, it sounds to me like a circa 1971 diamond tail, Lightning Bolt style board, 7’2’’ to 7’ 6’’ would meet your needs. Board width, 20.5’’ to 21 inches.
At your body weight, 7’ 2’’ may be the better call. You’d still have plenty of paddle power, and be able to turn on a dime. Also recommend a thick foiled fin.
Thanks again! Yes I was thinking the same because if turns are not doable it will be a pity!
Why a thick foiled? Because of the board? Which size for this kind of length? I know the rule of one thumb per foot but maybe something more accurate. For the moment I only got 7.5 fins using on my 6’8 and my 6’1.
A thick foiled fin has superior hydrodynamic performance. I’ve used a 7.5 inch fin, on a 7’ 10’’ board, with no issues, on waves up to 15 feet at Sunset. You’ll be well served, with a 7.5 inch fin.
A 20 1/2 inch width will work just fine. As to fin thickness, I like a 3/4th inch thichness on a 5 inch base, tapering to about 1/4yh inch thickness, at the tip. Use the Swaylock’s SEARCH FEATURE for ‘‘thick foiled fins’’ and you’ll get plenty of food for thought.
One problem a lot of people get caught doing is watching a video of someone surfing or seeing photos of surfers riding a certain board and thinking that the board is what makes the surfer look so good. It is the opposite, the surfer makes the board look like a good board. Most average surfers will buy a board tinking it will be great and find out it isn’t. A good surfer can work around the idiosyncracies of a mediocre board and make it look better than it really is.
You need to understand the way you surf and match the board to that and to where you will be surfing. I started surfing just as boards were going down from 9-6 logs, so I understand how single fins work. Other than the “cool retro” factor or personal choice, there’s no advantage to having just one fin. I often ask my friends who are older (65+) and ride modern longboards if they prefer the thruster setup to the single, and most usually say thruster. I prefer single for longer boards.
I’m really enjoying a 6-8 that has a long center box and side bites. I ride it with a wider single fin, but when the surf is up, I switch it to a thruster using the FCS center fin adapter. I added slots in the FCS center fin tabs where the screws are to hold the fin in really good. I can also use it with a large single fin and small sidebites. With the long single box and side bites you can have a wider tail. Maurice Cole’s Shiva seems to be the all in one setup worth thinking about.
