There. Got that off my chest. You know me. I don’t want to argue but would like some input on why anyone would build a single fin short board. Give it to me straight. I can handle the truth.
Wait, people still build single fin shortboards?
I see multi box configs, but rarely a dedicated single fin setup on a shortboard. Mid size and longboard only.
Just saw one at beach this morning - wide, short, thin, belly in nose, then single to double (according to owner). Looked like about 5-5, very little rocker. Guy said he absolutely loved it.
i like surfing singles, I don’t consider them “better”, just different. I have fun on them, and that pretty much comprises my entire performance checklist, haha! I also surf thruster and quad boards too.
To be honest, all the hype about certain designs being better, more modern, etc, is just promotional blather with a commercial agenda, IMO. That, and the human tendency toward chauvinism.
I think it’s awesome what today’s pros are doing, but I don’t surf that way, and notice not too many others do either.
BTW check the ERBB for a thread on single fins that’s got a lot of awesome single fin video clips. Different strokes for different folks.
They flow. Smooth, almost effortless, close to the curl, just point and shoot, flowing with the wave. And it’s educational.
Personally, when I’m up and riding, I’ve always had this thing of getting distracted by just watching the wave breaking around me. It’s mesmerizing, and I forget that I’m supposed to be pumping the board and working the wave to keep going on my multi-finned board. Thrusters in particular always killed me for this reason. But a single-fin - ahhh. It’s refreshing.
The only downside to me is that they have an inherent top-end that you can’t escape. At least, the ones I’ve ridden did. As you start wanting to move around more on the wave, you start to realize why the other fin configurations exist, which is why I say it’s educational.
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No resistance rolling on rail producing a great feeling bottom turn , possibly the best feeling bottom turn . :-)
Well, you raise an interesting question… It calls for the reader to address the question, ‘’ what is surfing, really?‘’ For me it has always been smooth, flowing, graceful maneuvers. Even unexpected moves, done in the ‘‘wrong place’’ on the wave, but always executed with grace and poise. In control. IMO, the master of this style was Phil Edwards. This was also true of Alan Nelson, and Diff, both Windansea ‘‘regulars.’’ To a lesser degree, Butch VanArtsdalen, as to grace and poise. But to the unexpected, he was in a class all his own. Always in contact with the wave. Functional. Not doing skateboard/gymnastic non functional tricks. A single fin, to really be mastered, requires a certain degree of finesse on the part of the rider A skill set, not posessed by the majority of surfers. A properly designed single fin, does a better job of tapping the kinetic energy of the wave, in my opinion. The double single, even more so. It all depends what you want to experience, in the wave riding process. I’m no stranger to multi fin setups, going back to a 1964 configuration, now referred to as a ‘‘Thruster’’ setup. Always fun to explore new and different things.
Or what can a multi fin board do that a single fin board can not do? “Albert, you only NEED one fin” Bradley Buben RIP
I’m with Greg and Bill…flow…
But I’m also not surfing lately, and if I was to ride a single fin it probably wouldn’t be a single…it would have an in-line trailer and probably now also have a little fin Bills style too…so not a single fin, but a single axis.
big (BK/TF/Hakman) non-set up or staged bottom turns that Curren/MR brought to the table
point and shoot surfing (ala Lopez/Russell/Strauch) in big hollow waves (pipe)
it allowed people to develop body/hand(lopez/dora) placements that would later define something called “style” in surfing
to me the comparison is similar to GS skiing in packed powder runs in british columbia, or falling of a cliff into endless utah powder at snowbird drawning endless figure eights at mach 10 versus hammering down the line of a mogul field knees to chest before exploding into a million pieces in front of the crowds at the bottom of the hill waiting in the lift lines at heavenly.
To me the last scenerio is what modern surfing has become,;
its like how many turns can you put into a square foot of water before you explode into some crazy wipeout just to impress the crowds in the water or on the beach then wasting the rest of the wave god has given them the privilage of riding, a gift most take for granted that it will always be there . Then they complain when its crowded or there’s an extended flat spell.
Hard to ride single fins that glided forever and no leashes taught surfers to make the most out of each and every wave instead of just focusing on a single eye catching manuevers. That came from competition. Decisions, positioning and what you did with your board were in reaction to what you were faced with inorder to extend your ride versus trying to put an exclamantion point on it for all to see.You can still see that type of riding in the new old greats like curren and slater who seem to understand their situation with a wave better than most.
Geez…
just talking about this stuff maks me feel old now…
Old but happy inside that I got to experience surfing untainted
Oh yeah the ultimate answer to GT question is … less work in making a board there’s only one fin and you kind of know where it needs to go…Put in a big 10" box and the possibilities are endless
There. Got that off my chest. You know me. I don’t want to argue but would like some input on why anyone would build a single fin short board. Give it to me straight. I can handle the truth.
They will make you look so much Kewler to the local hipster crowd. Only answer I can come up with.
All my multi fin designs are based on what I learned making single fins .
Rail fin boards pick up the enrgy much quicker than 1 fin in the center of the board away from the face .
Both can be refined to where they enable the surfer to do more at any skill level with no extra effort - more fun .
The main point in refining a design is to make it easier for the customer to do better on that design no matter how many fins it has .
Some call it magic , I call it design . :-)
Gotta agree with Greg, multi fin boards pick up energy quicker. Single fins done right are great, but different. I like the way you use the whole board and not just surf off the tail. Step back on a single fin and you can make very sharp quick turns, step forward and you get drawn out turns. Gliding along the wall you don’t have to worry about the drag tri-fins create. If I get out into waves that allow me to surf in the pocket making lots of turns, I prefer multi finned boards. If I have a long wall that I need to get up and go to get past sections, I prefer the single fin. As I get older, a slightly longer single fin makes it easier to paddle, and I can ride further up on the board. I think multi-fin boards need to be short enough to stand in one spot on the board.
We had a nice out of season south swell this weekend with overhead waves. I rode my 5-fin fish the first day and had a great time, but the second day I needed something I could paddle easier because I’m out of shape. I rode this 7’ board the second and third day and had a blast. Not the same as the 5-fin fish, but I could paddle a little better and I had a several really good rides.
I like the compromise of a single with side bites. Single fin feel, with a little more drive.
Another thread that showcases the written word.
Very nice gentlemen.
Carry on**…**
I like both :-)
thats easy … TRIM
…for one thing , they float better…because they tend to have more volume in the right places …they’re also faster , because they have less appendage drag…I like 'em because they want to run , without the need to be constantly pumped…one thing they definately do , is catch more waves !
and trim means that you can go fast with minimal movement so that you can
surf the fastest wave in the world with you feet together ha!
or backdoor through a hollow bowl with a high line and some casual steeze
or noseride for days!
When the pendulum turns , and singles come back to the mainstream , magic will happen again.
Trim, stability, flow.
I love 'em for the tube.
Nothing seems as solid as a fin sitting deep in the water.
Dick Brewer told me a Tri-fin was a modified Single-fin.
Take that fin and divide by three.
I think most surfers would benefit from riding one every once in a while.
Definately smooths out your style.
They certainly have a dis-advantage for the rail game.
But there is something about a fast single-fin speed run.