What size single fin

McHenry the centre fin is way to far forward move it back to approx. 200 mm from the tail tip of the board.

Your current fin (blue) looks to be a 7 inch? if you want to ride it as a single whack in a 9.

9' should be fine mate...but gotta say SA has awesome waves, I loved it there. Just a bit of a hike from Adelaide I guess.

As Simondo said dolphin fin I like the 9 as a single because you have drive and turns a lot better than a 10.

McH the same shape as your current blue will be fine

I did the same thing, same length board,put in a 9"single and love how much faster and smoother it seems to ride.

Fcs soulglide 9"- a narrow, thin hp fin. Super fast, turns easy but little control over shoulder height. Great for Middleton as it offers very little resistance when paddling/catching waves, and is sooo fast. I use one in my Billy Tolhurst 9'6" Surftech. I only use side bites when waves are headhigh or over- feels like an anchor is attached to the tail! Day st/Cliffs/ Goolwa better option to Middleton as banks give steeper faces= faster.

The site I posted above has a great fin guide

http://www.finshack.com/finsbuyersguide.html

Fin shack Fin Guide

A simple beginners guide to longboard fins.

(as you get more involved with your fin choice you will begin to agree/disagree with a lot of the following? it's meant as a 'primer' see how you get on, and remember there are no rules!)

So, the question will arise sooner or later, 'what fin shall i get'

More often than not the question is prompted by the realisation that the cheap plastic wonder the board shop 'gave' you isn't really what the aspiring Joel Tudor should have on his board. First off let's ask the question what does a Fin actually 'do'? Might be easier to answer that by trying to ride your board without a fin in the box, good luck with that!. Failing that watch the likes of 'The Present' and carefully study what happens when you ride an Alaia (one of those fashionable wooden finless retro jobbies). What you should immediately notice is how the board will slide around the face of the wave, almost at times falling out back'ass'wards, fine if you have infinite control like Mr Machado, but for mere mortals like you and I, not so awesome.

A fin, much like the tail on a plane, provides some lateral stability, just like a keel on a yacht it stops you slipping sideways. Unlike the Alaia, your back end won't break away and slide out behind you. Unlike a keel on a yacht, which is placed in the middle of the hull, a surfboard fin is placed at the rear of the board. That way you are able to control the front of your board to turn. The fin acts much like a pivot in this sense as well as a keel. As a general rule, move a fin forward to loosen things up and backwards to gain more stability.

So a fin will help keep you on the straight and narrow, but that is a very simplistic explanation obviously.

Your fin works in conjunction with the board it is bolted to, obvious really, but a fin that works on one board may not work quite so well on another. The complex relationship between the boards rails, bottom contours and the riders weight and style, the waves height, speed and profile will all affect the way a fin helps or hinders your riding.

To complicate matters further the position of the fin in the fin box will also change the way your fin works, there is often a 'sweet spot' like a cricket bat when the fin works well for your board. A good rule of thumb is to measure about 8 and a half inches from the tail edge to trailing edge of the fin as a good start when positioning your fin, box and fin allowing. Start with that and then try moving the fin around and see how that affects the ride. You might even find a better position and not even need that new fin you think you want. A fin is after all the cheapest way to improve or destroy the performance of your board. An adjustable fin bolt is a God send when fiddling with fin position, we might even sell these, I can't remember?

So a few observations? (pinch of salt and all that)

1. A fin of around the same length in inches as your board is a good starting point. i.e. a 9 inch fin for a 9 foot board. For tri fin boards you can go that bit smaller, it's a balancing act between the relative sizes of your side bites and main fin.

2. Fin colour and fancy graphics make all the difference to performance? really, they do.

3. The bigger, or weirder shape of fin makes you not a better surfer, but however may attract more of the opposite sex, this is also true.

4. Flex, the big fin buzz word, get used to the feeling of your fin, try flexing the tip, some won't budge, others will be pretty springy, a flexible fin will be easier to turn, but you may prefer it stiffer when you get better, decide if you can tell the difference and what you prefer.

5. Make a point of looking at what the best surfers at your break are riding board wise, see what fins they have, you can learn a lot like this, try to look at the whole package, height, weight, board, fin, don't stare too hard now.

6. Just like a sanded/matt bottom on a board a sanded fin will offer less water resistance, if you notice this difference, kudos. Seriously though all part of fine tuning.

7. One of the biggest fins you will see is on the back of a 747, check them out next time your jetting off to Indo, aero dynamics are very similar to fluid ones. Big fins for big guys, smaller ones for lighter folks, as a general rule.

8. Cavitation, a great word to bandy about when your discussing fins with your mates, look it up before you spout forth though, let me know what it's about though won't you.

9. The 8 and a half inch rule, position your fin in the box with it's trailing edge 8 and a half inches from tail edge as a good starting point for position, no sniggering.

10. Best to have a spare fin in your board bag, just in case you loose one, maybe forgetting to tighten up that adjustable bolt, **** DOES happen. In fact have two, order them now.

11. A rub of candle wax will let you slide a tight fitting fin in the box more easily? see how all your favourite pasttimes are related?

So, what fin to buy?


You'll have to click the link for the rest.

http://www.finshack.com/finsbuyersguide.html

I like the one inch per foot rule as well. But i will be putting a 9' in my 7'5. Im with stuck,and a person I put **** on for his single fin mindset simgromdo. I am loving the drive and high lines I'm getting out of my big girl. Will be putting in a 9' Ruben roxburgh shapers fin that SDR recommended.
The speed,the carves and just the pure feeling I've been getting is awesome. Hard to truly explain. It was hard at first to keep where the wave wanted me without bogging,then once ya start to work it out wow....a world so far apart from the thruster in trying to generate your own speed.

I'm hooked

Edit the Ruben fin will be for my big girl not my middie

I was using a very flexy 7 inch Dolphin with a couple of side bites on my 9'1 that I reckon went alright. I'm riding a 9'3 with a 5.5 inch Ruben & a couple of sidebites now. They feel very nice, highly maneuverable. But the Clearwater board has a very nice double concave through the fins which I think makes a big difference too. I know from a firewire hellfire shortboard that has very deep double concave. It turned great with future solus fins, but another board flat though the fins went badly with them...but anyway, yeah I reckon a 9 inch dolphin would be a good all round choice. Or a hatchet if you want to noseride. Fat weak beachies I'd go the dolphin.

Check out some of the specials on surfsitch, I scored a $130 nose rider fin for about $50 and a bag for the new subx for $75, I think mid year sales still on

Still having a hard time finding anything online.

Why are FCS Fins half price in the US ??

Will have a look in the shops when I am down south next. I am thinking either 9'' dolphin or cutaway.

Also, are Shapers fins made in Aus ???

No sales on Surfstitch, ebay is the same price as the online manufacturers, gumtree I cant find anything.

Question, if its a 9 inch fin does that include the base?

McHenry i'll have a look in my cave later I may have a 10 inch mct redline fin or a 8 inch kicking around.

Thanks guys.

When you measure a fin say 9 inches. Is that just the fin or does that include the base