I don’t think we’ll see boards get away from fins along the rail. Short wide boards with multiple fins can be magical. Skateboard influence has really broadened our view of what you can do on a wave.
For us older guys, the single fin can be magical. I think it’s because that’s what we all learned on.
Single Fins are a great experience to ride in an ideal world, but many of us have to surf ‘junk surf’ unpredictable onshore waves that closeout regularly or back off so you have no shoulder, this is where single fins suck, with the conventional shortboard thruster you can still have fun on rubbish waves. Single fins IMO you need a decent wave to feel the positives.
Im sure someone will be along shortly to disagree with me ha ha
Hey Greg. I planning on building two more single fins. Because I’m having fun on a single the last 2-3 months. Something different. Revisit some stuff I surfed in my youth only with a bit more modern rocker and foil. Plus, I have a garage full of 3 and 4 finned boards. It’s part of the goofing off in the garage and making stuff for my own amusement. They really hold in on the big square bottom turns and hang in the toob. Try to surf with a bit of style, something that is rare with the more athletic, modern surfing. Mike
I like the way Alex Knost rides the toob on his single fins. Seems like a silly little fop, but he sure can ride the toob. Mike
Feel sorry for those who live where the waves suck. I don’t think I would be a surfer if I did. I try to not surf when the winds are onshore and the waves are close out. Then again, you see these kids riding those kinds of waves getting incredible airs.
I Life in such country with onshore, mushy, powerless surf. With waves that are surfable for only 20 meters some times. And I love a singlefin. Surfed boards with thrusters, and did not like it. Had to pump it like crazy for a short ride. With a singlefin, less drag. Just jump up and have fun. Flow down the line, pass the mushy stuff.
It’s been said by many but style and flow. As bill said, ask yourself what surfing is. I had a weird introduction to surfing. After a broken body from a life of skateboarding - filming video and contests, at 22 I saw buttons part from many classic moments. His hit the lip, jump to switch cutback was all I needed to see. I had a friend that owned a board company and mike minchinton would help out shaping sometimes. Never bought an off the rack board, told minchinton to shape me something buttons would ride and I could surf. 2 weeks later I had my single fin sting. Started shaping all my boards after that, 90% are singles. I have surfed everything but one fin is so freeing and smooth. Still to this day I don’t see the fascination with surfing just like the guy next to you, doing the same things and trying to look the same doing it.
*on a side note, my home break was nothing like the long pealers of the south shore buttons was surfing haha. I learned how to barrel ride on that thing!
Like pretty much all surfboards, they definitely excel in quality waves. But I, too, live in an area where the surf is usually absolute junk. And I have to say that I’ve had some great rides on an in-line single in waist-high windswell.
My current mission is to build a compact quad + single-fin so I can toggle between the two philosophies on a single board.
Funny. That looks very much like what I’m drawing up.
What is “better” in surfing, anyway? The challenges of surfing are totally personal. Every wave is different, every second of every ride offers a different set of choices and possibilities. Different boards make different lines, and make different surfers happy for different reasons.
I guess it’s tempting to extend design knowledge of things that work for you and things that don’t into objective generalizations about all surfer’s experiences. But questions like the OP’s seem prejudiced toward one opinion in a field of countless and ultimately personal preferences.
I’m chiming in here 'cause I deal with that prejudice all the time in the lineup, trying to get waves on a mat. Some surfers actually believe a wave not ridden on a “HPSB” is a wave wasted.
It’s about flow, glide and connecting lines in a graceful manner. Multi fins tend to be too jagged and hard edged in all of those respects. Most fish that swim the ocean have one tail fin. Seems to work for them.
High performance fish have many fins.
Touché
In response to comments about having to pump multi finned boards , this Email report of Cyril’s first wave experience on his multi finned board .
Took it out for the first time this morning. As soon as I opened the hatch of my car the responses was, ooh, ahh, wtf, sick and of course who shaped it. The waves were solid 3’ and the first wave I caught was a right hander and the board just flew! I couldn’t believe how easy it caught waves and the response was incredible! Loose, fantastic drive and all I had to do was keep up with the board! The turns and maneuverability were insane! Paddles well! Can’t wait to take it out tomorrow morning! Thank you Greg!
I learned - became aware of this state of tune - board and its fin - on single fins , then applied that to multi finned designs .
Single fins can do way more than trim and glide , they can Fly :-)
True, and I knew that someone would bring this up, but all of those fins are in- line. Perhaps Bill is more on track with his fin layout.
not better or worse.
just different boards to mix it up.
stephanie gilmore , on a 6 channel dave parmenter singley at good greenmount ,
in andrew kidman’s latest movie
'spirit of akasha ’
is WELL worth studying , and her comments in the extras sdection , on the board , too
cheers
ben
agree with so many on this thread already and im probably just going repeat some comments …
i think the stand out feature is speed that comes without pumping…
this is dependant on the type of fin used , depth and tip area … but it feels like the tip of the fin is harnessing power from deeper in the wave and projecting you along…
a few other really positive single fin short board experiences ive had …
one time racing a really fast down the line chest high wave and feeling like it was out running me as i was stuck at the bottom with the lip crashing near my feet , so i gave it a squirt and went for the floater , i felt the full rakey tip of the fin flex and unload , it just projected me literally off the flat at the bottom of the wave onto the lip , allowing me to float far enough , with enough speed to make the section and the rest of the wave …
my all time favorite single , was a fish … i had the same board as a 5 fin and in certain waves the single was way better …
fish being so wide in the tail , can get slipery on the transition when going rail to rail snapping under the lip … they feel fine when you have a rail engaged , but on the transition when the board is flat to the face of the wave is when you can lose it , if you dont get the opposite rail engaged quick enough, but the sinle fin version , right at that critical moment actually had the most hold as the it presented the most fin area when pushed laterally … so i could jam this really wide tailed board into the lip so hard and come out with control and projection… where as the thruster and quad options meant i had to baby it in the power zones …
was using a 9" raked fin with generous tip area …
regards
BERT
just wanted to add , im going to re build that single fin fish one day for sure , and others with a similar theme …
i left this board in California in 2010 , pretty sure it got sold … so some lucky person must own it now …
regards
BERT
Pretty cool to see a Bert Burger post. Hope to see many more in the future.
