Over the years I have found that fins, although a small part of the surfboard puzzle, are one of the most important parts of the surfboards make-up. The way a board rides can be directly altered by placement and design. Theories of fin design have been and will be disputed, probably until the end of time. It seems like my whole life has been spent searching for the right combination of fin and board. Lately, I have had a lot of people asking me about where I place my fins and how to find which ones work best. The more I talk to people, the more I realized fins have become the forgotten part of the surfboard. People put so much of their trust in a shaper to make the perfect board, then go put in a fin that is totally wrong. You can have the best board in the world but if you have a crappy fin the board wont work. Fin design has a lot to do with the drive, speed and function of a surfboard.
Fins can be broken up into 5 parts;
1st fin size
2nd fin shape
3rd thickness and flex
4th placement
5th number of fins
This first post of the topic of fins is dedicated to Placement. Although fourth on the list, placement can tell you if you need a bigger or smaller fin. Most people already have a fin when they buy their board, but lack the know-how to put it in the right spot.
If your board didn't come with a fin. Then the first step to finding the best fin for your board is to talk to the shaper of the board, and if you cant ask him, try to ask someone in a surf shop that understands your board and fins. They will give you a good idea of what to expect from the board, how it turns, glides, etc. They will usually explain how they got to the fin that they recommend. If anything, it gets you pointed in the right direction.
I am going to start with the single fin since its easiest to explain. Once you have a fin you feel will work for your application, set the fin all the way back to the end of the fin box. Now go surf, the board will usually be too stiff and tipsy, this is a good way to find out if the fin is too far back. Get a feel for how the board works. A good way of doing this is to do a couple of turns, climb and drop, nose-ride and cut-back (if you can). Depending on your skill level you'll be able to tell within 3-5 waves if the board feels stiff...almost as if your dragging your fin.
Next, move the fin up 1/8 - 1/4 of an inch forward and mark it with a pencil. See Pics Below.
Go surf it again. Feel how the board reacts, usually it will loosen up and turn a little easier. Again turn, climb, drop and nose ride the board. See how that feels compared to your last fin placement. If it still feels stiff, move it another 1/8 - 1/4 of an inch, and mark your spot again. Keep doing this until the board starts to feel loose and more predictable out of turns. Most boards will not work with the fin all the way forward or all the way back, with the exception of displacement hulls and long rake flex fins.
You will begin to feel the difference between having the fin all the way back and the board going
from being slow like dragging the fin and tipsy to really loose and lacking speed out of turns. This is good, because now you have a gauge to work with. What I like to do is put a number next to the marks. 1 being my favorite to 5 being my least favorite. Usually I find my placement within
3-5 marks. Sometimes it can take as many as 8.
A side note; try to surf in the same conditions when finding fin placement. Different conditions may cause different results.
Placement is a crucial part of the fins function. Too far up and the board slides and doesn't get speed...too far back and it can feel like a parachute or become very directional. But if a fin is placed perfect, it can make a board go from good to great.
This is your first step on your journey to finding proper fin placement as well as the proper fin for your board.
