Longboard Fin Positioning... forward or back?

[Snoodle]

Hey, just got a beater longboard, normally I ride a fish or a shortie so I've only ridden longboards twice now... Of course I will experiment with this stuff to figure out my own take on it, but I'm curious as to other peoples' opinions. So here:

What is the effect of moving the center fin forward and backward in the box? My board is 9' by very wide by very thick (no dims on the board, haven't measured anything yet) with glassed sidebites and a big ol' moveable center fin. So is it easier to turn with it forward? ... or...?

Like I said I'll be playing with it. I surfed it once with it centered in the slot, now it's set up all the way forward for my next session.

[twerked]

looser, easier to turn farther forward. still won't be point and shoot like the fish or shortboards. the farther back it's generally a bit more stable and a bit harder to turn...at least from what i've found

[oldgrom]

Forward loose, rearward drive ,if your trying to get better turns and a looser tail than yes move it forward ,more drive and stable tail move it back, but ha ha as stated it still won't respond like what you've been on.

[Snoodle]

Twerked OldGrom, thanks for the input. That's what I figured, i was wondering if with it further forward that just allowed you to not go quite as far back when turning or if that was more dictated by the immobile sidebites. it's pretty fun running up and down that thing. The other day I locked into a strauch five that had me grinning for a couple hours. But yeah.... I was thinking maybe further forward just meant you could get those turns going from a sliiiiiightly further forward position (maybe just foot at the sidebites instead of further back like when the center fin is backed right up). makes sense.

Thanks for the responses!

[regforte]

Here's what I do. Get yourself some of these:

http://www.surfdogz.com/beach/fins/wonderbolt.htm

Make adjustments out in the lineup to your liking. You'll get the details of fin positioning and your personal preference figured out right quick.

[Snoodle]

Regforte, good suggestion with the wonderbolt! And I actually have one of those on there, I just for some reason never thought of shifting it about in the lineup... which is totally possible. That's money, be nice to get an immediate wave-to-wave comparison.
thanks!

[oldgrom]

I usaly don't have it all the way forward or back. Depending on what board I'm on and what fin I'm using as my keel I adjust to where I have the best response and find my best foot placement. For if I'm on a mal or the likes and have a fair amount of rocker to use (and/or) hard rails, pintail, etc. I can use them to my advantage and not just rely on fins. When you match the board capability to fin selection and fin placement and find your feet sweet spot you'll drive it wherever and however you want. It's great fun fine tuning and even funner once it's set up.

[parrysurf]

each board is diff. Do you have side biters or are you on a single fin? True, back is drive and forward is loose, but if you have the bites, I find the board to work much better if the fin is back, when you move it up the three fins are almost in a line, and it seems to drag a lot, and lack of drive, I don't like side bites.

[Snoodle]

each board is diff. Do you have side biters or are you on a single fin? True, back is drive and forward is loose, but if you have the bites, I find the board to work much better if the fin is back, when you move it up the three fins are almost in a line, and it seems to drag a lot, and lack of drive, I don't like side bites.

I've got glassed on sidebites, little guys. Yeah, I thought it was too bad that they were glassed on, so I can't try it without 'em... That's good to know, I'll keep that in mind when I'm trying it with it further back. I definitely thought they would be close to being in line at the front, looks weird.

[Rodrigo]

ummm ... i know this is a really kooky question, but my middle fin on my longboard doesnt really stay in one place... it kinda slides up and down in the slot... is this bad ? does it affect the ride negatively ?

i can't screw it in tight enough for it to stay in one place

and i have to take the fin out after every session cos otherwise it doesnt fit into the bag or storage space

advice ?

[oldgrom]

First off ,,Yea Parry !!oops I forgot about that!! For sure if your center fin is up inline with the trailing edge of side bites you will have more drag,the foils work against each outher,if your running single fin than go for it but running with side bites your adjustment area is smaller. Since you have glassed on side bites your stuck there and say try a new center fin like a cut away that will alow you a little more adjustment and allready have some loosness inherent in it.

Rodrigo,,, yes a fin moving on it's own within the box is not a good thing.
Try making some plastic shims (kinda like a washer ) for your fin screw and meatal nut. Allso you can put some tape on the sides of the fin that sits inside the box to make it tighter,,, or go old school and place a piece of newspaper across the box so when the fin goes in it wraps the sides in paper and stuffs into the box,it will swell and wedge tight when it gets wet.
You'll have to do it every time cause your bag/storage problem(wich sucks) ut oh well. Mark the spot you want the fin to be allso so you can return it to the sweet spot when you reinstall it. Recomend some more permenant shims (makes it easyer) but paper works fine.

[regforte]

ummm ... i know this is a really kooky question, but my middle fin on my longboard doesnt really stay in one place... it kinda slides up and down in the slot... is this bad ? does it affect the ride negatively ?

i can't screw it in tight enough for it to stay in one place

and i have to take the fin out after every session cos otherwise it doesnt fit into the bag or storage space

advice ?

Time to start replacing things. Start with the hardware... the screw/bracket thing that holds the fin in place. That's a very cheap fix. You can probably get one for free.

If that doesn't work, buy a fin that fits. It's good to try a variety of fins anyway. Different base sizes, different rakes. It's a learning experience that will make you more knowledgeable .

It might open doors for you. I once had a longboard that needed a new center fin. I replaced it with a cutaway type, which I had never used before, and the board ended up riding much better. I wished I had done it much sooner.

.

[Lost]

Also a ghetto fix is to shim the fin with duct tape. Duct tape one side of the fin and gently force it into the fin box(both if necessary, also use making tape if dct tape is too thick. The sticky is not important, its just a shim to make the interference fit work). Use a razor blade to cut away duct tape that protruded above the fix box.

[waveseeker]

I have my stand up paddle surfing boards with the fins set mid box on the single fin and towards the back on the one with side bites, both are loose, although its a bit of a bugger to adjust them on the fly - a mallet is generally needed. My longboard fin is towards the back - I like speed and all the SUPing has meant that turning a longboard is no problem

[Hang11]

Fins never seem to fit right - someone told me that US and Euro fins and centre boxes are slightly different. I usually cut strips out of an empty beer can, and use them to pack out the base of the fin. You can stick a few smaller bits down the edge of the fin once it's bolted in the box, to get it really solid. Having a sloppy fin doesn't do your turns any favours.

[waveseeker]

Great tip there, my C4 board (US), the fin was too loose in the box and I packed it out with electrical tape, my GONG boards (Europe) the fin box was too tight and I have to dremel the fins down to fit and whack them in with a mallet. I think you might be onto something with the difference between the US and Europe !