Fins for Firewire ADDVance

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Hey All,

Trying to pick a new set of Futures thrusters for my 6'6 Firewire ADDVance. I previously had a set of medium Futures AM1 Honeycombs that just got wrecked when my board was swept onto some rocks.. now looking to replace them. Given that this was the only set of thrusters I have ever used, I have no way to gauge if they were optimal or not.

I've narrowed it down to three futures sets: the AM1s I had, the Lost Medium Honeycomb and the F6 Medium Honeycomb. Which set is the most appropriate for my board and skill level (I am a beginner, have been surfing 1.5 years can go down the line but still working on my bottom turn)? I am also 5'11" and 165-170 lbs (75-77kg).

Seems the F6 have the most drive / stability and that the AM1s may be a little looser. Not sure what the thicker tips on the Lost set translate into.

Links for descriptions of each:
https://futuresfins.com/en-us/fam1-ci-l ... -00-detail
https://futuresfins.com/en-us/-lost-med ... -00-detail
https://futuresfins.com/en-us/f6-1165-101-00-detail

Link to my board:
http://shop.firewiresurfboards.com/coll ... r-addvance

Thanks!

[Big H]

W-chan recommended these as being good all-around fins a while back....I got them a year ago and have used them in several different boards and while I'm not a great surfer I do like these better than some others I've had....

https://futuresfins.com/en-us/fwct-1177-907-00-detail

....nice looking fins too...

[waikikikichan]

Of all the fins the fins you listed I would recommend ....... none of them. Just go with the stock plastic composite F4's. They'll be fine for what your doing. Sometimes the honeycomb / fiberglass fins are TOO stiff. If you not cranking cutbacks yet, I would save your money. But say on the same day you just put in your brand spankin new honeycomb carbon fiber wizz bang fins, you end up meeting with Mr. Reef & Mrs. Rocks ( again ), then you can go buy another one. But if you're rich, it'll be good to keep the surf shop happy being a repeat customer. Too bad Futures doesn't make the WCT template in composite plastic.

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Got it, makes sense. Why do you think the WCT would work better than the others? Is it because the board is larger and thus could use a more pivoty fin? Was under the impression the WCT may feel looser/unstable due to them being very upright, and that maybe beginners wanted a fin with more drive for stability. I have very limited knowledge of fins though, so could be very off.

The Lost fins seem to have thicker tips, what does this generally translate into?

I may just get the F4 plastic and WCT to see how they feel, as the shops around here don't seem to let people test fins out..

Would you say the Blackstix are too soft?

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Of all the fins the fins you listed I would recommend ....... none of them. Just go with the stock plastic composite F4's.

Why do you recommend the F4's over the F6's in plastic? By weight it'd seem the F4's are too small. They are stiffer though.

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Also I forgot mention that I mostly surf beachbreaks (Pacifica, Ocean Beach) any time it's below 7' and the waves tend to be on the sloppier side. They tend to require down the line speed for 1 or 2 turns before a closeout or unmakeable section.

Thanks!

[waikikikichan]

Basically you're looking for opinions on wether to install a Super Charger or a Turbo Charger on a car, yet you just got your drivers permit. Learn to drive first. What does power and speed matter if you don't know how to use or control it.

"The Lost fins seem to have thicker tips, what does this generally translate into?" Less release.

"Would you say the Blackstix are too soft?" They twist clockwise/counter-clockwise. They're good but expensive ( and brittle )

"Why do you recommend the F4's over the F6's in plastic? By weight it'd seem the F4's are too small." That is usually the stock fin that comes with the board, similar to M-5's from FCS. If you can, put them back to back and see the slight change in height. I don't think you'll notice a huge difference. But go with the bigger fin if you're worried. ( but most beginner-intermediates surfers Over fin, thinking that translate to more speed )

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So my board didn't actually come with stock fins which is why I picked up the AM1 Honeycombs in the first place. My thinking is that I can pick up a set of honeycombs and be more careful of staying away from rock so that I don't have to buy plastic fins now and honeycomb/blackstix fins later. In other words, I'm looking for a fin that is suited to my board and local waves, can last me down the line but also won't be unforgiving to a beginner.

In that case, do you think the F6 honeycomb thruster set would be appropriate? I want something that works better with a thicker and larger board like mine and is geared towards speed to make sections in sloppy beachbreak. F6 seems to be a good all around starting point, though I'm slightly worried its too engaged for small surf (this is probably moot as you said given my skill).

Or Blackstix, what set would you recommend if I were to hold onto them for a while?

Also what about quad vs thruster? I've heard it goes well as a quad and also have been told the narrower tail and fin placement is more conducive to a thruster.

Also considering getting a plastic 5 fin set of Futures F6 to just mess around until I'm better...

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For the Blackstix, I had read that the EA fins were a good fit for the board.

[waikikikichan]

I recommend you NOT get Honeycomb. I recommend you NOT get Blackstix. I recommend you get the plastic composite in either the F4 or F6 template. ( of which I leaning towards the F4 )

f6.jpg (24.32 KiB) Viewed 2667 times

pc5FullSizeRender.jpg (33.39 KiB) Viewed 2667 times

This is a FCS PC-5 ( the M-5 template for medium surfers ) up against the Futures F6. That thin white area is the difference.

(I'll) be more careful of staying away from rock so that I don't have to buy plastic fins now and honeycomb/blackstix fins later.

You ARE going to buy fins later anyways. Fins break, get reef rash, fall out. And just like boards, you can't just have one.

I made this blog post to help you understand it's more "the Indian and not the Arrow". http://alohaki.jugem.jp/?eid=556

But you seem hell bent on buying expensive fins anyways. I'm just trying to save you some money and increase your fun.

[enjoy]

waikiki, thanks for the advice. I see where you're coming in terms of not just having one set of fins and not being able to account for accidents, so you're right the thermotech plastics make sense for me to not focus on the fins and just develop skill and figure out preferences later.

In terms of F4 vs. F6 the size difference is very minimal indeed, but are you saying that a slightly smaller fin may be easier for a beginner, even if he/she is a little above the top end of the weight range? Is a beginner generally more suited to a more flexible or stiffer fin?

Also do you think it's worth getting a 5 fin plastic set up to try out quads as well? Or does this board not look suited to it?

And now just objectively for future reference, for the ADDvance / sloppier NorCal waves, which of the mentioned fins do you think would suit when my skill reaches (F6 Honeycomb, AM1 Honeycomb, EA Blackstix)?

Again, appreciate the feedback. You did my surfing a favor talking me out of sizing down a little under a year ago and just practicing more.

[Big H]

I had a mini mal when I was starting out....had large fcs plastic fins in it...looking for any help in catching waves at that stage I found some plastic YU FCS fins (between small and medium size) for 10 bucks on the local buy and sell and though at the time I was about 93kg they worked fine and I found it marginally easier to paddle and catch waves....I hadn't found out what putting my foot on the tail would do at that point....really wasn't taxing the fins very much and was pleased with a slow trim down the line at best, so yeah, at that point, pretty much anything would have worked I guess.

[waikikikichan]

Is a beginner generally more suited to a more flexible or stiffer fin?

Just like on a Sponge board, the board is more forgiving cause it flexes, that's makes up for some errors in weight / balance that if you were on a hard stiffer board you'd get bucked off. But advance surfers like a quicker response. An advanced Golfer can over flex a weak club shaft and a beginner golfer gets "hurt" swinging too stiff clubs.

And now just objectively for future reference, for the ADDvance / sloppier NorCal waves, which of the mentioned fins do you think would suit when my skill reaches (F6 Honeycomb, AM1 Honeycomb, EA Blackstix)?

You can ask that question ...... in the future.

[Tudeo]

I'm about the same size/weight as you, I'm using FCS PC-7 Thruster-setup in my Addvance 606.
Even though for my body weight the recommended finsize would be Medium the board performs just right for me in that Large setup.
The pc-7 was recommended by Firewire for my Dominator 606 but I didn't like them on that board, too hard to turn. I did some experimenting with the Dominator and found the right setup for that board with much smaller fins. For the Addvance until now I dont feel the need to change anything.

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Haha thanks waikiki, just placed an order for the F6 Thermotech 5 fin.

Tudeo, I'm assuming the waves you are much cleaner and well shaped than what I see here in Northern California. It's interesting you oversized your fin on the Addvance as it seems quite a few people do the same over at the Firewire forums. IS the PC-7 the equivalent of the Futures honeycomb material?

Have you tried other medium sized fins on the board or ridden the board as a quad? I read mixed reviews about the quad setup, but stoked to try it out for myself when the fins come.

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So these are the the state of my previous honeycomb fins, which I'll probably keep as backups to the composite F6's.

Are these worth sanding or should I just leave as is?

[benjl]

Unless u want to carefully put some durarez on the fins and sand them back to smooth? I've got a pair of am1's that the previous owner did it to and they feel pretty good

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Unless u want to carefully put some durarez on the fins and sand them back to smooth? I've got a pair of am1's that the previous owner did it to and they feel pretty good

I guess my question is if sanding them will prevent further deterioration or even matters besides for aesthetics and a more refined surfer. I doubt at my level I would truly notice much given that the fin hasn't snapped or anything..

[benjl]

Possibly not but the surface on yours would definitely affect how the water flows around the fin as it would be more turbulent with the rough, broken edges.
I'll post up some pics of mine. For a $4 pot of durarez and a bit of sand paper its a pretty good option.

The resin would be as strong as the original glassing on them once set and super easy to sand.