The biggest board I’ve done so far is a 10’0" so I’m going into uncharted waters. I’m shaping a copy of an 11’0" Brewer Long Board with 60/40 rails going back to a standard Brewer rail in the tails that have been softened. Rolled bottom with no concaves, vee out the tail. The board was probably shaped back in 86 or so. it’s got kind of a parallel rail shape, it’s not overly curvy @ 11’0" x 19 x 23 x 14 x 3 3/4. It almost looks like one of the old guy boards surfed at Sunset, “Sunest Gun”. But it’s not a Chapman Brewer 80’s big board looking type shape thing.
Anyhow, big fin big rake? Big fin straight rake, 2x1 set up? 9in, 10in, 11in? Whats appropriate?
Hey Jay! Hard to say without knowing a few other variables like your weight, surfing style, etc. If you can, try out a few different fins. Maybe start with the 11" Sparky (Da Cat) fin, and a pivot fin like a Nuuhiwa around 11". Also DT makes a really nice one called the Model T - I think that comes in 10 1/2" & 11" as well. I’d lean towards the rake (Sparky) especially if you’re around the 200lb + range. Halcyon may step in and have some better guidance on this one.
Without seeing the board, knowing what the rocker will be like and where you surf but I would definitely go single on this one. It’s tough to make a call on the fin, but if you want to be sure the board will be a versatile a possible put a Bahne Box in it. You’ll be able to try a number of fins in it and tune it to the conditions it you do. There are a vast number of templates available. I would think something very traditional for a board like this would be the way to start. Look at Lance Carson’s Website. He makes a longboard fin that might suit it fin. A Nuuwiha fin at about 11.0" would be a good choice. A 10.0" Velzy nose rider might be enough ~~ http://www.trueames.com/velzy.htm ~~ and certainly wouldn’t be a bad place to start. I could make you one like the one in the attachment at about 10.5" that would work quite well on the board and make it lots of fun. If you want to loosen the board up you can go with a real narrow fin like a wingnut cutaway but a fin like this has so little surface area that I won’t give you much drive at all. Anyway these are some thought that I hope will help you make some good choices.
Resinhead, As stated, a lot depends on the numerous variables associated with you, the board, and the waves. That doesn’t help you though. If you can, try as many different fins as you think might work and choose the best. I shaped an 11’ sort of gunny board with fairly parallel rail in the middle. Little V in the tail, with double concaves in the last 36" or so. After trying many fins, the absolute best for that board was a 9" Guy Takayama Manta, no side-bites. My philosophy is that there is a right fin or fins for each board with a particular rider. You just have to find what’s right for you. Enjoy the search. Doug
Hey guys thanks for gettin back so fast. I’m 6’2" @ 200lbs, the boards rocker profile is 4 1/2 nose and 2 1/2 tail. The nose is tip 4 1/2, 2"@12, 1"@24. The tail is tip 2 1/2, 1" @12, 1/2 @24. So it’s not exactly your flat log. looking at the bottom rails & bottom again it’s pretty rolled with quite a bit of belly.
How’s the rocker on the original? Pretty flat, or not? What tail shape are you going with? How thick is the board going to be in the tail, and how much V back there? Are you going to use a fin box or not?
Have you surfed the board you’re using as a model? How does it turn?
Are you going to try to ride it in big surf or little?
Without knowing any of that, I’d wager a pretty beefy 10 inch fin is about the minimum for your 11 footer. A box would be the way to go, unless you don’t want it for aesthetic reasons. 11 foot boards are not known for their spiffy turning characteristics, so unless you want to go straight a lot, you’ll need to do something to help it along…some combination of rocker adjustments, V, narrow tail, big enough fin. good luck, and post some pictures.
I just finished an 11’6" for a friend and after much thought as to what kind of waves he’d be riding and his style, we settled on a 15" box and a 10" carbon reinforced cutaway fin. My experience has been that cutaways seem to hold better for their size than a conventional fin outline. The board was designed for a fairly broad range of conditions and he is a very competent but not a show off kind of surfer (i.e. not into nose riding and tricks.) I figure he can experiment with fins and fin positioning but this is a good place to start. For more stability and nose riding capabilities, the bigger fins described by Gregg and Rich sound great.