fin drag

by **man** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 6:27 am

how considerable is the drag of a tri fin when compared to a single? my LB has FCS boxes, but i've mainly been riding it as a single fin. for the hell of it, i put in my side fins on a smaller day (2-3.5 ft) just to see the difference. i hardly got one wave the entire session.

i'm guessing there are certain days for tri-fin and certain days for single?

thanks a lot

**Sponsor**

by **justloafing** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 9:48 am

I am sure someone with more knowledge than me can answer this better but from what I understand. In smaller surf as you are talking about all you need is a single fin. The side fins help in bigger surf so you don't side slip down a wave. Also with 3 fins in smaller waves I would think that turning would be harder.

Having said the above I am sure it all depends the size of the single fin you are using also.

by **RJD** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 11:44 pm

Side fins dont help in bigger surf.

Side fins make the boards back end less stable, create drag but push the back end in a turn, so you can do cutbacks & rapid direction changes.

Single fins are faster and more stable & do carved turns rather than forced.

by **man** » Tue Jun 12, 2007 12:50 am

so then what's the advantage, if any, to having side fins on a LB if all they're going to do is create drag and constantly initiate the board into a forced-awkward turn. and from what it looks like above ^^, there is no advantage to having side fins in bigger surf. soooo, why have 'em?

by **Hang11** » Tue Jun 12, 2007 1:54 am

Pushing water between the fins creates drive, hence why a thruster is called that.

I reckon in steeper waves, that side fins give you a bit more in a turn, maybe stop you spinning out if you really lay hard into it, and it feels more drivey, same for cutbacks, and if you want to chuck a longboard around a bit, they make a difference.

Who knows though, fins board shapes, the whole thing is a bit of a dark art I reckon, it's all about the combinations of things, the person riding it, and the waves you're riding.

by **Otter** » Tue Jun 12, 2007 1:56 am

man wrote:so then what's the advantage, if any, to having side fins on a LB if all they're going to do is create drag and constantly initiate the board into a forced-awkward turn. and from what it looks like above ^^, there is no advantage to having side fins in bigger surf. soooo, why have 'em?

They make the board look like it's moving really fast when it's on top of your vehicle...

Truly, it's all in the marketing... more money for fin manufacturers if they create a need for side bites and people buy 'em, more money for them. I truly doubt they can make much difference in the performance of a board either way, it's the surfer not the board, same as the fiddler, not the fiddle...

by **man** » Tue Jun 12, 2007 2:32 am

that's what i was waiting for, OTTER! it seemed a bit odd to me why i need these things on a longboard. honestly, i've been riding single fin for a long time now, and when i decided to throw the side's in there, everything got poopy.

with the bites in i felt like my board was trying to think for me. i didn't like the feeling of being half way into a turn 2 seconds after i pop'd up. it seemed like i was constantly fighting with my board, which took my concentration and focus off the goal...riding the wave.

i don't know. if i'm way off, please, someone put me in my place. :wink:

by **Otter** » Tue Jun 12, 2007 3:18 am

I'm constantly posting about the surfer not the board, or the fin set up, or moving them forward or back 1/16 of an inch... Sheesh! I've been surfing for a few years, I've ridden all kinds of boards. It's not the configuration, it's the surfer!

I read somewhere that Joel Tudor was riding a wooden door at one of the Hawaiian breaks, true or not I dunno, but a wood door is not very hydrodynamic, nor would it handle very well, yet Tudor was kicking some butt! Consequently, the surfer, not the board is the difference.

I expect to catch some flak from some folks who will insist that moving the fins about, or some such micro management technique will improve your abilities... I don't see it, never have.

by **WooD** » Tue Jun 12, 2007 6:37 am

I've heard a tri fin longboard is a good thing in hollow over head waves.

Check out this link. Its about surfing longboards in Indo. Mostly pictures, but on the second page he discribes his board set up.

http://forums.surf-station.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?s=91d7fa6965f4353135686e33c748be8e;act=ST;f=11;t=16619;hl=pica