Surfboard fin setup

The thruster setup utilizes three fins on the bottom of the surfboard. Learn more about the characteristics of a thruster. Surfboard fins are a crucial part of your surfboard setup.

Before talking about fin size or different fin configurations, it is important to distinguish between glassed-in and swappable fins. T he thruster setup utilizes three equally sized fins on the bottom of the surfboard.

It offers surfers a combination of stability and drive. Thrusters blend the maneuverability of twin fins with the hold of single fins to create a new type of performance. Although it may sound like a 5- fin setup means you attach fins to your boar this is not the case. Five fin configurations are not supposed to be surfed with all five fins.

Five fin boxes simply give you the option to mix and match fins. The twin fin is a highly responsive and fast setup. This loose configuration is fun to ride and will adapt well to waist-to-head-high waves.

In bigger waves, and because it lacks a center fin , it may spin out in bottom turns and rounded cutbacks.

The five- fin setup means freedom to choose. Sean Mattison, a surf coach and former pro surfer, developed the fifth skeg, also known as Nubster. Kelly Slater first used it during the Quiksilver Pro New York. Although Mattison was not the first to put a fifth fin on a surfboard , he redesigned the classic fin to make it useful and effective.

This post will help you with what the proper surfboard fin setup is and help in determining what the is best fin is for you. A single fin setup is most common on longboards and longer shortboards. It is the most traditional surfboard fin configuration.

Single fin setups tend to result in faster, direct down the line surfing. The back fin creates more drag at the end of the surfboard. The four- fin set-up gets a little bit of both the characteristics of the twin fin and the thruster set-up.

Quads can be great in small surf, especially if the rear fins are further up on the surfboard and closer to the rails. Quad Fin: What to Ride and When. Board Engine can help you find surfboard recommendations specific to you, but it may give you the option of getting a five fin setup. This is surfboard fin setups compared. The single fin setup is therefore useful in smaller surf but it requires a bit more paddling to get up to speed.

Giving the surfboard a bit more of everything is the twin fin setup. Pioneered by Bob Simmons and his Spoon, the twin fin setup is most commonly found on fish surfboards.

Tips and advice from the boys at the Blue Planet Surf Shop in Honolulu, Hawaii on setting up your fins for the first time. Taking risks and learning along the way. Want to talk through your order?

Single Fin : Most commonly found on longboards, the Single Fin setup is a great choice for beginners without experience but also scales up as you become a better surfer. Characterized by a single, long fin in the center of the boar this setup provides ample stability and tracking. To recognize which surfboard fin setup you have is fairly easy. Simply turn the board upside down and count the number of fins that are at the tail of the board.

The first fin setup was the single- fin on the longer surfboards. These three setups comprise the bulk of surfboard fin positions. The most popular setup on modern longboards, although some surfers like to have a thruster-type fin setup with two smaller fins on the outside.