what makes a great single fin?

[sharkcountry]

I forgot to add that I like having the wide point forward of center.

[sharkcountry]

Here’s some video of guys riding short singles and having fun. Slow down the clips and study the boards. Lots of different boards here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMsf4vhl8wY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9UKYHU03KQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vdpc_dYoTQY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxftAlWJC8A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfSF4oM2jvA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ETE0RmaWRE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEyS8B1Ot_A

[solosurfer]

@$1

@$1

I haven’t seen where concave helps singles without other fins on the rails. I don’t think hard edges too far up the board work well on singles.  I like the tucked edge, but personally not on Singles.  To me the height of performance oriented Single fins were the first and second generation Lazor zaps. I still think double enders are a really good single fin design also.  I don’t really think there has been a huge amount of experimentation with them at the pro level since those times. For fun. Anything works. It all works. Just depends on how you want to surf and what makes you feel good. To me the worst single fins ever were the wide point forward, sharper railed boards of the early seventies. They spun out and they were sluggish coming out of turns. Some of them rode the tube well, but on every beach U.S.A. most were happy to be rid of them when other things came along. 

You need to make boards that fit the waves you want to ride. The tear drop hard rail single fins worked very well here in Hawaii. They were the best boards for the powerful big waves we have, and still work in that kind of surf. All the big guns are tear drop shaped but stretched out and single fin guns still work well. I have a few boards with very hard rails from the nose to the tail, and they work fine for me. I’m not sure why these boards would spin out, but a lazor zap with a wider thicker tail wouldn’t. All my experience has shown the opposite. I can get a 3 fin fish to spin out in big waves easier than an older teardrop thin sharp rail single.

Cheyne is about my age and I we were out at the same places in the late 70’s early 80’s. He ripped on the tear drop single fin semi guns. I was blown away at how well he surfed. I didn’t see the same speed in his turning and the power he used to get out of his turns when he went to the wide tailed singles. He was making the board work in big waves, compensating for the flaws. Everyone could see it because we saw how well he surfed before he switched. He just wasn’t the same. 

If you put that board in different size and power, it’s a whole different thing. That’s why it’s important for people to understand that they need a board for the places they surf, and one kind of board will not be great everywhere. The exception is a longboard for small to medium waves.

Agree with both you and LeeV’s reply to a degree. It’s why I mentioned first and second Generation Zaps. The first and the second generation zaps didn’t have super wide tails. The first generation actually had noses just under 13’’ which folks thought was narrow for the time. Then they moved down to 12’'. The tails were around 15.5 to 16 " and I agree he surfed with more glide on those boards. I liked the wide tail boards also, especially when he went to the keels, but I think the first couple of generations of zaps were beautiful outlines that were functional.  On rails, I was more talking about edges. Hard wings or super sharp edges running up the board, but even that stuff works if the shaper knows how to make it for certain conditions. As you say, some surfers love it. I don’t believe in the 90% neutrality either.

 

I find it doesn’t have enough snap for many folk.  Agree with your last sentence, with the exception that I think the modern longboards are a huge improvement over the older ones in many ways. I used to ride old Lance Carons exclusively and while they were beautiful and did their thing, when I rode them back to back with a modern longboard I couldn’t believe the difference.  Love it all at times…  Different boards make it all fun.

 

I got addicted to certain shapes over the years and just love the way they feel.  I have always found myself going back to certain shapers as well and I have tried many of them over the years.   I’ve been on a bit of a lay off again…with a head injury. Fell off a wall and hit the back of my head on concrete.  Arms went numb and I saw a blur for a few seconds. Hopefully back in the water next week.  It’s been one of the worst years for me surf wise so I can’t wait to surf any board in any surf.  Ha.

 

Glad to hear your input Shark and Leev.  Enjoyed your post. Others here as well.

[jackiebadger]

I can only speak from my experience with a single fin i had shaped recently. See link for pics and attactched file for specs (ignore the rocker on the spec…nose and tail are both extremly mellow rockers…

http://www.swaylocks.com/comment/1454717/Re-fishy82-Riding-center-board

 

This board is probably the best all round board I have and certainly the most fun… Its pretty heavy…(double 6oz on top with patch and single 6oz on bottom) but has a lot of volume n catching waves is a sinch. 

It has deep double concaves and goes like the clappers… the rails ar soft until about 8inches in front of the fin…where they harden up and provide solid turning ability…

Ive never felt that this board is sluggish out of turns…it far proceeded my expectations and can’t stop riding.

This board really shines in waist high upwards point breaks…lucky for me Canada is full of em…

I would highly recommend one… then you get to surf like Dane http://stokereport.com/rant/dane-reynolds-rincon-single-fin

singlefin.pdf