Longboard Fin Advice

[Spring2016]

Hi, I am looking for a pretty versatile longboard fin for a 9'8 Takayama Noah Ka Oi Epoxy Longboard . Picture attached. I have no interest in Nose Riding, but I do not want to buy a Fin that is limited to a particular type of surfing. I can only afford to purchase one Fin, so I want to make sure the one I buy is pretty versatile. What type of Fin and size would you recommend for this board? The board has side bites which I can utilise.

[jaffa1949]

9" cutaway for the fin system you have! As advised for one of your boards forward in the box makes it looser ( easier to turn ) or back in the box harder.
Side bites I'd try surfing without them to see how you go single finning!
Why rule out nose riding, a guy your size on the nose would be an impressive hood ornament! It is only one of many parts of a repertoire.
Have a read through the fin primer to see what is suggested and to gain an understanding of fins!

[waikikikichan]

Are you sure that Noah board is 9'8" ?

Since you don't want to Noseride, what do you want to do ? More progressive riding and turns ? Just trim and glide ? Where's the fin that the board came with ?

[Spring2016]

9" cutaway for the fin system you have! As advised for one of your boards forward in the box makes it looser ( easier to turn ) or back in the box harder.
Side bites I'd try surfing without them to see how you go single finning!
Why rule out nose riding, a guy your size on the nose would be an impressive hood ornament! It is only one of many parts of a repertoire.
Have a read through the fin primer to see what is suggested and to gain an understanding of fins!

Thank you. Will look for some 9' Cutaway Fins online. From the advice I had on another post here, I put my fin on my other board in the center of the box and it worked well.

Nose riding is not for me. I can walk to the nose and back when required; usually when the wave is dying in front of me and I am trying to use my body weight to push the nose down the wave, then running backwards to the back of the board to get it horizontal again. Standing at the end of the board just does not do it for me. No specific reason.

[Spring2016]

Are you sure that Noah board is 9'8" ?

Since you don't want to Noseride, what do you want to do ? More progressive riding and turns ? Just trim and glide ? Where's the fin that the board came with ?

Yes, it is a Noah 9'8 x 23 x 3 1/4 . It is being repaired at the moment; I bought it second hand; it came without a fin; it had a few dings that needed fixing before it touched water.

I was excited about the board until it was delivered ! The risk of buying second hand boards online that are too far away to check out. It is a nice board, but the rails are very full compared to what I thought they would be like. In fact, you could easily mistake it for a SUP when you first look at it.

The longboards I want are all around 600 - 800 pounds, which I cannot afford, so I keep getting cheap second hand ones in the hope they will work. One has, I got a 2nd hand 9'6 Firewire Performance Longboard for about 240 and love it. So I have my performance board for bigger surf.

"What do you want to do" is the key question . I want a log type longboard to glide along in anything from ankle weak surf to 2 foot. Basically, I would like a Takayama Model T .

http://www.surfboardsbydonaldtakayama.c ... s/model-t/

I just can't afford one, so I look for similar shapes on the 2nd hand market. When the Noah came up, I went for it. But, as above...it is not what I am after.

[Spring2016]

Interestingly, is it 9'8? It says 9'8 on the board, but when it is stood next to my Firewire 9'6, they look almost the same size. See Picture.

[saltydog]

Uncle Jaffa: Do you mean to ride single w/ a cutaway fin? My 9' longboard came w/ a 8.5" true ames cutaway. When I told that to my local surf shop guy, he was pretty adamant that cutaway should be ridden as 2+1. I did pick up 9" Farberow flex for my board then and I've been pretty happy w/ the increased drive and stability as well as having the option of nose riding down the road. However, recently I bought a 8'6 mini longboard for my kid and that came w/ a cutaway as single also! What are the benefits of that setup?

[jaffa1949]

Just personal taste in what I ride and how I ride! I put in bonzer side bites and move the centre fin slightly back for hollow long and larger Indo walls, my set up considers the Venturi channels I have on the bottom.
My thoughts on fin set ups are in the fin primer, I also play with one of Roy Stuart's fins as a single based on a Humpback whale's pectoral fins. Modern tech 3D printed!
I enjoy experimentation in smaller and fun waves but go to tried and true systems for waves of consequence ( and each year the waves of consequence get smaller ) .

My thoughts on fins = Uncle Jaffa's Fin Primer....

[saltydog]

Thanks for clarifying, Uncle Jaffa. I've read your fin primer a couple of times. Very helpful! Now I have an excuse to buy more toys like fins and even a 3d printer(I've been eyeing on one for a few years) under the name of experimentation!