longboard fin

[londonlocked]

Hey all,

sorry if this is asking an old question, but what are peoples opinions on d-fins/pivot fins vs more greenough/raked fins, esp on single fin 9ft + boards?

Cheers!

[flacky]

Depends on rail and tail shapes I'd say. I love the Nuuhiwa lightweight pivot fins, as a one fin suits all I'd say it's as good as you'll get.

[zboy]

hi ive been surfing today on me longboard its 9.1. 23 wide, pintail and i was surfin it with a larry alison 8.5 flex fin, i must say at this juncture i know nothing about longboards or finnage.But it worked a lot better than my pivot fin which is 9.5. surf was headhigh beachie.

[Matt Rose]

Always liked a Farberow or a 4A.

[Philchapman]

Do you want to noseride and get more hold in the face (D-fin), or have more maneuverability and a "looser" feeling board? I'd say go for a 9" Greenough of some kind. (Which aren't particularly raked by the way). Match the fin length in inches, to the board length in feet.

[zboy]

there is the theory that a smaller fin can work better than a longer one like say a 9.5 to say a 8.5

[flacky]

Rider weight and style dependent surely...

[zboy]

i dont know jus reading some articles on chord values ,and from shapers who build / experiment with fins.

[Philchapman]

Only one way to find out.... try 'em and see. Theory is one thing, but as Flacky said above it's all dependent on your weight/style/how you want it to feel/respond, as well as how all that relates to the board it's going in. Bloody complicated all this surfin' business....

[Roy Stuart]

It depends upon the shape of the board amongst other factors.

[londonlocked]

thanks all, its pig-ish shape 9'4, square tail, rear wide point, I'm 5'10, around 10 stone

any thoughts/advice very much welcome!

[flacky]

Got something very similar on the way to me via a friend. Thinking a 10" flex fin. A Greenough 4A would probably be the go to fin I'd say, depending on the tail width.

[londonlocked]

hey yeh thats what I've got, just interested in the difference between this and something more upright and pivot like

[mister-griffster]

Hey London locked - when you say piggish - do you mean Pig or just a longboard with the widepoint back (two totally different things) - let us know the model and or dims and we'll have an idea of what to recommend.

My ha'penneth - for a piggie - depends on how you want to ride (all important) if you want to slow the board down then an upright fin with the largest surface area will help to stall you in the pocket, but can be frustrating if you want to down the line speed. Also, you have to generate some foce through the turns to make 'em work properly. I used to use and Almond Huck in my pig, and that worked a treat (i also used a Dee which IMHO was turd for the board - I also ride a Junod and the D in that works grand - but that's pretty much a ful on trad pig)

I tend towards a fin that's upright in profile but with less area, that makes the board whippy and lively through the turns, fast down the line, and a bit of hold to get you noseward. As an all round find i find the Velzy Noserider hard to beat- Also the GC 10 is a corker - a bit more base, more area - like a beefed up velzy.

For the middle ground, an RFC Hatchet (which is a standard pivot and not like a Weber Hatchet) is a grand fin -- as is the Nine Plus Keel (essentially the same fin)

Depends how you like to surf as much as what you surf. Personally I like to ride fast, generate speed, tapping the pocket of the wave as much as possible and going for speed runs when the wave hollows, but I also want that hold for noserides when called for.

As for flexes, they're a mystical beast - but for a log you'd be hard pressed to beat an A-Flex - nice base, flexy tip - hold, whip and noseriding ability - much the same with a Farberow flex - but that might not work so good on a piggie.

It's all horses for courses - nwhat's right and wrong scientifically may not 'feel' right to you. It's all subjective - just play around and have fun chap

[londonlocked]

thanks mister!
its a fluid juice "californian longboard"
http://www.fluidjuice.co.uk

Its my first longboard, I've been on short boards up til now. I guess I'll just have to play around and see what feels good, probably should stick to one fin til I've got the board dialled in.
I'd be interested in understanding the difference between a "piggish" board and a true pig?

thanks!

[mister-griffster]

Nice board chap - yep, as it's your first I'd stick with getting used to it first before messing with fins -that can mess with your melon and confuse you to what's really going on until you have the board dialled.

What you have is a class, fun log - proven shape - definitely from the pig fold and updated for modern sensibilities. There's some good pig discussion on other threads - you'll have to wade through some nonsense but some gem's in there from peep's who know what they're on about. check these http://community.magicseaweed.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=32572 and http://community.magicseaweed.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=23167

Always happy to answer and specifics you may have chap

[londonlocked]

cheers boss! good bed time reading

[mister-griffster]

Forgot - there's this one too - looks like you have tonights reading covered

http://community.magicseaweed.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=35337

[londonlocked]

Awesome thanks mate, heaps of good info there, good thing its a quiet week at work!