I am new to posting but have been searching forums for the last year and half while I built my first 7 boards… So far the search engine has answered all my questions but I have hit a wall on this one…
I just built and lammed a 5’7" stubby inspired by the Fineline GeeBee and Point Concept Pinky.
Starts out as a light-bellied hull that fades into a double then single concave out the tail… Dims are 5’7"X 21 7/8"x 2 5/8". I built it with weird beach break and reefs in mind ( I live in SLO county, so unfortunately no readily available points like down in SB) and was going to do it as a 2+1. Glass on sidebites made of ply with a box in the middle.
SO:
My question is this: How big for the sidebites, how big for the center fin ( I was thinking a Greenough 4a), and where should the sidebites be placed (how far from the tail, off the rail, etc…)
Where’s your thickness / foil placed? If it’s more surfed off the tail style hull such as your inspiration fineline something like this could work…
I’d would prefer a 8’’ 4a with some 1.5 - 2 inch stubs for sidebites. Smaller the side bites, the more it’ll feel like a single fin. Bigger side bites you could get a center smaller fin, or it’ll be way too stiff. As for placement of the sidebites, I usually like to place the base around 1/2’’ - 1/4’’ in front of the center fin, 1 1/6’’ inch off the rail, and somewhere between 1/4 - 1/8 toe in depending on the size of the side bites.
Ive ridden 4As from 7.0 - 9.5 inches and everything in between. Ive always felt like a bigger fin didn’t hurt at all especially riding them as single fins. I really feel like the 4A is a type of fin that doesn’t need a big side fins because the fin already has so much tip flexing, Ive never liked the feeling of adding a normal sized side bite. All I wanted the side bites to do was to catch a little bit off the top and set the rail a bit gentler.
anyways… hope that sorta makes sense or helps. Good luck
Thanks for the input! The belly starts to transition to lite double concave about 1/3 the way through the board. So a little less “hullish” than most of these types I think. I wanted it versatile, so I figured a more forgiving bottom contour would help. I was thinking the same thing for the sidebites, and will probably go with the 2" ply nubs. Have you surfed a Liddle Flex fin? I picked one up for this board, as I already have a 4a I can compare it to…
Heard good things about the liddle’s but never had a chance to ride one…
I would also be interested to hear from anyone else making these kinds of boards. I know they are gettin popular down south but I don’t know of anyone riding/building them up here on the central coast…