1. How to Choose Surfboard Fins
There are many types of surfboard fin systems to choose from. Choosing the one that you want is an
important part of choosing your surfboard. Fin characteristics as well as the brand of fin system are to
be considered. Most surfboards today come with the removable, as opposed to glassed-in, type of fin.
Most brands do not have cross compatible boxes. Boxes are the devices that hold the fin on the
surfboard. This makes it important to choose the system you want, as it affects all your future fin
choices for that surfboard. The maximum height of a fin as measured from the bottom surface of the
board. This shows how far the fin goes in the water. The hold of the surfboard increases with more
depth but generally makes it harder to turn as well. 3-4 inch depth is standard on tri-fins and long board
single fins typically have a depth of nine inches. www.bodyboarding.ws provides all the information
about bodyboard, body board.
The length of the fin where it joins the surfboard increasing length adds forward drive, but makes it
harder to turn. Short board tri-fins usually have a 3.5-4.5 inch base, long board single fins are about 6
inches. The horizontal curve of the fin, measured from the front edge to trailing edge the distance
between the trailing edge of the fin base and the fin tip. This is the swept back characteristic of the fin.
Increasing rake increases traction. More tip means more hold. Stiff fins are faster but flexible fins are
easier to turn. These fins are the most widely used surfboard fins in the world. The great things about
FCS fins are the huge variety and the availability. You can almost always find a replacement at the
nearest surf shop. Since FCS is the most common fin system, most surfboards come with that type of fin
box. FCS makes a huge selection of fins. For fins with a softer edge try Pro-Tech. The are compatible with
the FCS boxes. Installation is with a simple allen key.
There are fins system for just about any type of surfboard out there. In particular, Future fins has an
excellent selection of of Quad fins. There are also plenty of foils to choose from such as Vector, Vector 2,
and the Scimitar. Future fins also install with a simple allen key. These surfboard fins have one significant
advantage over most other fin systems; they are adjustable. You can slide them forward and back to find
the sweet spot for you. They are easily adjusted with a slotted screwdriver. This is a snap in fin system.
For those that love to experiment, this might be the fin system for you. You could even slap some fins in
your board shorts and change them in the water. Four ways as in forward/back, cant/flair, toe-in/toeout, or an entire fin replacement. The only problem with this system is there are so many choices you
might go crazy tweaking just one set of fins. www.bodyboarding.ws provides all the information about
bodyboarding, body boarding.