Its been mentioned a board or a fin dose not make you a better surfer,I say SB to that.
I really struggle on big single fin boards but if I put the correct fin in it makes huge difference for me.
I've ridden some pig boards which also reflect on my surfing,so I say both matter unless your a freak.
As we know some people can surf any type of board and blitz it but for me i use the fin that the shaper has put in the board .
Select to expand quoteasea said..
As we know some people can surf any type of board and blitz it but for me i use the fin that the shaper has put in the board .
what if he dose not supply one,then what
I think it depends on the board shape...if you've got a 10'0 or 10'0+ log designed for noseriding. A big fin is gonna be a good thing. If you've got a HP LB, then a 2+1 fin setup with the centre fin moved forward is gonna be more maneuverable.
ok if i kept a set out of the last board i would use them because the boards underneath would have been the same as the previous board,the only diff of the 2 boards would be a few inches in length or minor thickness.Does that make sense Only if i were to get a completely diff board i would still ask the shaper what he recommends.
This is what the shaper recommended in fact it was not negotiable & it bloody works well 
Im a really big Fan of fine tuning with fins.
For many years i was a staunch fixed Fin man and always promoted that fact when selling boards where i worked. But then all my boards were custom made by awesome shapers who made their own fin templates and put the right fin, for the right board, for the conditions i was intending to surf.
All that changed when i had Corey Graham shape me a board (Shorty) years ago and it rocked up with FCS. Awesome looking board exactly as ordered and surfed like a dog. after a month i swapped the fins out and it still remains one of the best boards ive ever had. The change of Fins made all the difference. That was a wake up call for me.
Theres two schools of thought for me with FINS and Long Boards.
A) Fixed fin, you have a symbiotic relationship with your board, a relationship that regardless of conditions you know how it responds, and you surf it appropriately.
B)FCS/ BoxFins: Diffferent fins respond in different ways obviously, now everyone knows boxes were invented to allow more "Fine Tuning" by way of moving the fin forward or back, to either loosen or tighten the board depending on what you were chasing, e.g. - Loosen up for small waves tighten up for bigger surf, however having the opportunity to change the fin base , depth, foil and rake entitrely will provide a completely different feel and response form your surfboard.
In my case if the waves are really hollow i run a specific fin,a different fin design alltogether if its full. In both cases the positioning of forward or back of those fins in those condditions are considered pending on power and size of the wave. Same board if i going to Predominantly nose ride, I have a specific Fin, if i want to throw that same board around a bit, different fin again with side bites.
I love the flexibilty and different personalities i can get from one board by changing Fins. Just a different approach. You either fine tune your engine by changing your fin(s) (Fin Box), or fine tune your style (Fixed). No right or wrong personal preference like most tings, but the changes a fin will make to any design are definately dynamic.
I'm lazy. I get a board, swap things around until it feels good, then never touch it. Sometimes I miss out - surfed Saturday and wished my board was a little looser (which it would have been if I moved the fin forward) - but generally I just reach a nice compromise in my fins selection and placement.
Good shapers do tend to have good templates for glassed in fins though and I have had a lot of those over the years too.
Select to expand quoteasea said..
As we know some people can surf any type of board and blitz it but for me i use the fin that the shaper has put in the board .
I agree. I picked up a custom singlefin 10 footer off my old longboard shaper some years back and it had a pivot / hatchet style fin in it and I was expecting a dolphin style fin but was assured it would work and it did. Really well. Still theres nothing wrong with playing around with fins. 
