Fins play a large role when it comes to surfing. To understand fins more I have dove into how they are made.
Surfboard fins are primarily made four different ways; hand-laid and foiled, CNC cut,resin transfer modeling (RTM), and more recently 3D printed.
- The traditional way of creating surfboards in hand-laid and foiled. This consists of laying fiberglass panels, coating them in resin, and then sanding then to create the right shape and foil.
- CNC cut fins are fins that are 3D modeled in a software. This model is sent to a CNC machine which will cut to shape and sand to foil the fin.
- 3D printing is similar to CNC cut, but rather the 3D model is sent to a printer, which will print the fin using filaments, rather than cutting the fin from materials.
- Resin transfer modeling (RTM) is pouring a composite, usually resin, fiberglass, and plastic, into a mold of the fin. Similar to 3D printing, this type of fin creation does not require any shaping.
Hand-laid and foiled fins run at a steep price, but are valued because of their quality in comparison to RTM. These fins are curated to have a wide range of flex, foil, base, and depth. Hand-laid and foiled fins take time to make and the quality of the fin is solely dependent on the time and dedication that the craftsman puts into the fins.
Hand-laid and foiled fins are a traditional means of creating fins. Prior to RTM or CNC cut fins, fins were created by hand. Similar to handcrafted surfboards, handcrafted fins are a novelty due to the fact that it is a dying trade. Still, where they are made, they are loved amongst many surfers.
CNC cut fins are created with a CNC machine. CNC stands for Computer Numerical Control. In order for a CNC machine to function, there must be a CAM or software that will transfer the 3D model to the machine.
CAM stands for Computer Aided Machining. This allows the CNC machine to read and understand what it is cutting. In this case fins. Similar to hand-laid and foiled, these fins are still cut and shaped. The difference being that these fins are shaped by a machine.
3D printed fins are seen less often, but are gathering attention in the fin making world. This technology, similar to CNC cut and hand-laid, offers the surfer the option to customize their fins to be what they need exactly.
RTM fins are produced en masse and don’t offer much in terms of flex. These fins are cheap and seen often among new surfers and at most retail surf stores. These fins are not necessarily bad, but do not offer much in terms of customizability, but due to the ease of making, there are many options to choose from.
Do Surfboard Fins Make A Difference For Surfers?
Surfboard fins are one of the most customizable attributes of surfing. Every surfer is different and therefore, wants different things when surfing. This would include how steady the board is in the water, how easy it is to make turns, how light and fast the board is, and more. All these factors are influenced heavily by the fins on a board.
Fins have a variety of terms that describe how fins affect surfing. These include:
- Toe – the angle of the fin, or fin box in relation to the center stinger, or the center of the board. Most fins are toe-in, meaning that the fins are angled inward. This gives the surfer greater control as the water is pushed on the outside of the fin.
- Cant – the angel of the fin in relation to the bottom of the board. A fin that sits straight is said to have no cant. Boards that fins have no cant offer speed when going straight. Canted fins, offer greater mobility on turns.
- Rake – how far back the fin curves in relation to the base. The rake is difficult to explain, but essentially fins curve backwards, the extent of that curve reached backward is the rake. The more the fins curve backwards, the more the board is propelled faster and will maintain stability, but will sacrifice turnability. Similar to the cant.
- Foil – the aerodynamic shape of the fin. From thin to thick to thin, from one edge of the fin to another. This shape pays a role in the flow of the water under the board. The goal is to create lift and propel the board forward.
- Flex – the flexibility of a fin. This flexibility will play a large role in the control of the board. It is recommended that new surfers buy fins with little flex. This will allow for greater control. On the other hand, fins with greater flex will allow surfers to continue to control their board amist turns. This, in turn, makes the board difficult to control.
- Base length – the widest point of the fin, the base. The length of the base of the fin will affect turns. A larger base will allow for stronger curves and faster drive, but you will lose mobility and speed. Quicker turns are best with shorter base length.
- Depth – the depth of the fin in the water from the base of the board to the tip of the fin. This once again, affects the control of the surfer. Longer fins allow for greater control and mobility. Shorter fins loosen the control but can be fun for experienced surfers.
Amongst the shape of each fin, there is the fin placement that will affect the surfer. As will fin shapes, size, and flex, fin placement is a matter of preference. There are countless placements of fins for boards. That being said, there are two main factors that influence the board and the surfer. Surface area and placement on the board.
The combined surface area of the fins (more fins, more surface area) affects the control and stability of the board. The more surface area, the more control and stability, in return you sacrifice mobility. Less surface area gives the board more speed and mobility, but sacrifices control.
The placement of the fins on the board affects turnability. Forward set fins offer greater mobility in turns as the axis of mobility is centered. Back set fins will offer greater stability but turns will be wider.
As contradictory as it sounds, the recommended board for a beginner is a single fin. This is because the control of the board may be lost, but it is easier to maneuver.
Another aspect of fins is whether they are glassed in or removable. Glassed in fins are fins that are connected to the board. They are resigned and laminated to the board. This was originally that only way to make a surfboard, but recent technologies have allowed for advancements such as removable fins.
Removable fins are fins that can be switched out. The surfboard holds a box that can house different fins. Different brands offer different boxes that house either only their fins or a variety of brands.
Glassed in fins are not as popular, but experienced surfers have stated that glassed in fins are more reliable. This being said, glassed in fins are not a choice for most surfers because if they break it’s expensive to fix and you have one set of fins per board. Many surfers will switch out their fins depending on surf conditions.
There are many different creators and manufacturers of fins. Most of these make removable fins. The most notable being Fin Control Systems, FCS. FCS is the fin choice for many professional surfers. FCS is the leading producer for quality fins worldwide.
That being said they make a variety of fins made from composite to performance glass. Their range offers surfers many options. The downside of FCS is that FCS fins are only compatible with FCS fin boxes, where your fin is attached to the board by screws. Yet their system is impressive and does not allow for lateral movement, a common complaint with fin boxes. These fins in particular are made for durability and performance.
FCS’s article Finding The Right FCS Fin explains their fin types well. These include performance glass, performance core carbon, performance core and aircore, performance core, neocarbon, neoglass, glass flex, and soft flex. These different types of fins, they range by surfing experience from novice to advanced.
Future Systems fins are another quality option for surfers. Similar to FCS, Future fins are primarily only compatible with Future fin boxes, but they do make a handful of fins that will fit other brands.
What Are The Best Fins For Beginners?
As mentioned, fins play a major role in mobility, turnability, control, drive, power, and more. Fins are significant and due to the countless placements of fins along with the different rake, foil, flex, cant, and toe, fins can be difficult to understand especially for a beginner.
Despite this overwhelming amount of information and possibilities, there are four basic and common fin arrangements. These include single fin, twin fin, thruster fin, and quad fin. There are pros and cons of each, but what you need to decide is what is best for you and what you might want when you’re on the water.
A single fin is as it sounds, one fin placed in the center back of the board. This arrangement is common with longboards. Because there are not many fins, the drag is nearly non-existent, allowing the surfer to move with speed in straight charges. In terms of turning, the single fin excels in slow, wide turns with stability, but lack in speed and mobility.
This particular setup offers the greatest stability and control, but lack when you are looking for speedy turns and mobility. This setup has been recommended for beginners due to the emphasis on control for straight shot surfing, some beginners might find this setup to be a bit difficult to use because it may feel difficult to turn at all.
Twin fin setups are with two fins located at the back toed in. These fins offer more mobility and speed than the single fin setup. Twin fins will make your board more maneuverable and are ideal for smaller surf conditions. You will see this setup most often on short boards and fishboards. Twin fins may offer greater mobility, but can feel loose and less stable.
Thruster fins are a three fin setup. They are arranged like twin fins with one extra fin in the back middle. This extra fin offers more stability, allowing fans of the twin fin to take on bigger waves. This is one of the most popular arrangements.
The thruster fins offer the mobility of the twin fin but more control for larger waves. This fin setup is great for tricks. The downside of the extra fin, is that it will slow you down. This extra surface area offers more drag and thus sacrifices the speed you see in the twin fin.
The thruster fin is popular for both beginners and advanced surfers because of its balance between mobility and stability. The arrangement of these fins, most likely removable, also allows the surfer to ride twin or single if they choose. The ability to switch to twin fins is a popular option for surfers.
The quad fins are like having two sets of twin fins. This setup of fins allows the surfer to have the speed of the twin fins because there is not drag from a center fin, but the control of the thruster fin setup because of the two extra fins.
This setup is great for tubes and offers mobility, stability, and speed. Despite the fact that the quad set up offers the speed of the twin fin and the stability of the thruster, the thruster is still the most popular setup for surfers.
BoardCave answers the question of why surfers still choose the thruster over the quad setup despite the quad having greater speed with the same stability in their article Thruster VS Quad Fin, “..some big wave surfers going quad for that extra speed and ability to hold a high line. Some guys however prefer the extra stability and control needed that the thruster can give you.”
In the end it is all about what you prefer when you are on the water. Different setups are for different people. The first step for beginner surfers is understanding what they want and what kind of surf suits them most.