Gday all i have got my new board and i was just wondering what fin(s) you would recomment for a 75kg 6ft rider that likes to carve and nose ride normall on 4ft waves. I previously rode a similiar dimensioned board but with less tail rocker and alot more nose rocker that was running a 8’ soul arch centre fin and GL side fins. I have ridden a board with similiar dimensions with FCS size 3 (dont know if its ment to be 3 inch but no measurements where 3 inch) with a 9 inch dolphin centre and found it very hard to carve.
18.5 nose
22 3/8 wide
14 tail
2 7/8 thick
vee to double concave nose (slight)
slight nose concave
rounded pin tail
I know there is no exact best fin but i would like to experiment a bit but dont have the cash to buy them all, so just looking for an opinion on where i could move to. Alot seem to use 9inch centre size 3 side bitters but thats more surface area all round then my old 8inch with tiny sidebitters
I’m not a master longboarder but for a 2 plus one set up I’ve found that on many boards a smaller center fin with a cutaway works well - something in the 6.5 to 8.0 inch range - then which sidebites you use doesn’t really matter so much.
Your mileage may vary, of course…on a rounded pintail I usually wouldn’t use sidebites at all.
I agree that smaller would be better. 9" is enough on it’s own. Personally, I find cutaways bog halfway through turns - no drive. Could be operator error as well, as I’m on single fins 99% of the time - except that it gets better with a ‘normal’ fin. I prefer a 7" with ‘neutral’ rake - not too upright, not too swept. Smallish tip just feels right - I don’t know the science, but I do know that on a beachbreak wave in the shoulder-high range, rollercoastering up & down on a 2+1 longboard is pretty fun
I have a couple that all fit the bill - a 7" FCS Dolphin (longboard box, not tabs), and a 7" California Classic (True Ames). A buddy of mine just got the Kanoa Dahlin Pro Model from Fins Unlimited in 7" as well & he likes it… I was looking at the Rainbow MD2 because its foiled nice & thick - in that setup, I don’t like much flex in the fins. They’re all similar…
I know a lot of people here don’t like cutaways, but I’ve found that they can be fun teamed up with sidebites.
A 7" cutaway and sidebites is plenty of fin for carving. I had that setup on an 8’6 triple stringer with a slight concave and it both carved well and was noseridable.
