So when is a fin too big?
I’m looking for a fin for my 10’6"x24.5" soft 50/50 rail cruiser.
Thinking of getting the 10.5" True Ames Heritage.
On a big board like this can you get a fin that is too big?
What would it feel like if the fin was too big?
b.t.w. I’m 215# and my bro is 220-240# and we’re both 6’2" and have no trouble bringing a big board around.
i put a 10" fin on my 6’8 and was it ever slow…lots of drag.maybe because the board was not heavy enough? i think you can go to big 4 sure …you want just what you need and not a bit more …thats for performance i guess…less drag? i think the goal is to go smaller and have your stick still work the way you want it to …
So when is a fin too big?
when you ride it up towards the beach and it causes an earth quake …
when ya cant handle the effect…?
making the board sluggish
billy Kane showed up with a 15’’ deep fin and the kid that was me saw it from a distance and was stopped in my tracks.
looking back.this may not haxe been a good choice for riding the hook[41st ave]
… ambrose…
…please explain …
(or, does the hook break in 10" of water , perhaps ?)
ben
i believe the break got the name “the hook” because of all the kelp that hooks your fin, so a big fin like that would be crazy!
4est, I’ve found that there’s actually a spot where boards get so big that the fins can start to get smaller. I think its where the big soft rails & all that waterline are creating drag which gives control.
I have the TA Heritage 10.5". Its good on lighter, snappier boards around 10’, because it slows down the back end for noseriding. Its too much on 10’4"'s like my Velzy that you rode and terrible on my 10’3" d-cell board. I like the over-10-foot & over-20-lb boards with either a 10" Velzy noserider fin (points & reefs) or a 9" Farberow flex for beachbreaks. But, I took the Heritage to Maui last year and put it in my friend’s 9’8" Local Motion (yanked out the sidebites) and it went great in head-high Lahaina breakwall & sharkpit.
So its good to have, makes a smaller, lighter board behave like a well-mannered lineman, but if you already have a Tackle of a board, you don’t need to give him ankle weights.
I’m obviously in a mixing-my-metaphors mood this morning 
4est,
I’ve been using a 10" Greenough series 4 on my 10 ft. green board for a year now and so far it’s the best option I’ve found. It’s really livened up the board.
well 4st i would have to say that if you are not glassing on the fin, a few different would be a good thing as limiting yourself to the heritage might not work as you think it will at different breaks. might not work as well at rincon as it does at say malibu or c- street. borrow from friends take off other boards and expirement with different templates
The more fin, the more you can push it = more down the line speed. That is depending on the board, rider, waves, fin… sometimes!
I’m going to try and post a pic. of the fin I use on my 11’6" nose rider. My son also rides the same fin on his 10’ nose rider. The fin is a front tap, and can be cut in the back so you can slide it back in the box. The fin is 11.5 inchs deep. I think a fin is too big when you have problems not being able to turn the board, I like my board to be very stable. In Bennys camp is Skip Fry who thinks a smaller fin works better on a bigger board. I tried that and did not like the way my board handled.
when it’s like 12ftsq square on the base, and it take 5 seconds to turn 110 degrees
Thanks for the input. Sounds like the Heritage might be better on a nose rider. While I spend most of my time on the nose, these 2 boards are not nose riders. 10’6"x24" wide point at center with low tail rocker and pulled in nose 17.5" & 18".
the heritage might not work as you think it will at different breaks. might not work as well at rincon as it does at say malibu or c- street.
Only ridden Rincon a few times. Why are you setting it apart? Is it because it is a fast wave than C-street?
OK so maybe I needs a lesson on fin basics for a big board:
How does fin base affect?
How does rake affext?
Note I use this board in ankle to DOH+. It is glassed heavy and is not a very lively board. Thick with no noticable flex. Soft 50/50 rails alround.
I have a basic 9" template and 10" Turbo Tunnel. The tunnel is not as loose but nose rides MUCH MUCH better. Have no trouble making a quick turn with either if I need to.
Please give more seggestions. Sounds like I need at least 2 more fins: the Heritage (I guess I’m just obsessed with the template) and something more suitable for this board.
Oh and Bag, I too tned for the stable board, but maybe I need to liven up this beast a little. Guess I’m ready for some fin experimenting.
<edit/addition> Oh yeah part of the motivation for this is I need to recomend a fin for my brother. I’m glassing a copy of my beast for him right now and not sure what to fin it with. It will have a standard 10.5" box.
thanks everyone
If you really want to try a trippy fin pick up one of the Velzy V fins. Turns like a small fin holds like a big fin, nose rides like you got someone pushing up on the front of your board. But you don’t want to use it around kelp.
4est-In general, more base= more drive. Less base=looser. More rake= turns easier from anywhere on the board. Less rake= pivots best from right above the fin.
Noseriding…well, I think its mainly about the rider. There are as many noseriding equipment theories as there are ‘noserider’ board shapes …
A bigger fin doesn’t always produce more thrust. I agree that it does with harder rails, but softer rails create so much drag that you don’t want to add even more drag with a truly giant fin. That said, I don’t want to disagree with Bagman because that Lance fin is a great template…
There’s been a lot of talk about how thicker fins may reduce drag…
I have mostly found that the guys who like the Greenough 4a template & related fins (like Velzy classic) are under about 180 lb. Those fins mush out way too much for me to really drive a bottom turn - lose too much bite & let water out the side - and you’re even bigger than me & your brother’s even bigger than that…
My favorite fins are the Velzy Noserider which is a lot like some of the Tyler, Takayama, & Nuheiwa fins - same shape as the Heritage but not as wide. Good for wide tails. On round pins I prefer a Farberow Flex…which doesn’t seem all that flexible anyway.
The fin on my tanker is 11" with a 7" base. The board is 11’ x 23 3/4 x 3 7/8 with 60/40 rails blended down to knifey rails in the last 18". Fin tip is 1/2" off the tail. I’m 6’ 210#, and have no problems turning it at all. My friend(~180 lbs) rode it last weekend in chest high surf and said he couldn’t believe how loose it felt for that kind of board/fin combo. I temlpated the fin off an Island Fin Design 10"h x 5 1/2" base fin and then expanded it (mahalo Bert Burger). I ride bigger fins as I tend to push on them pretty hard. Tried to upload pics, but files were too big. Aloha, M
Benny, funny you should talk about a thicker fin. I had a fin made using the Lance templet, except I had it made 1 inch thick. Rich used foam for the thickness so the fin is lighter then the stock fin. I can’t tell any differance. You need to come down and give my 11’6" Lance a try, we will trade out the fins and see if you can tell any differance.
Bagman…is that you, Al?
Same Benny. Yep.
See you in San O. Less than a month to go…
Yep Little AL, Bagman same guy.
