There are so many levels to this discussion that I will touch on the basics first and then take it from there! It is always important to know where it all started, then I will give you some insight into removable fins which really opened up the door for fin design as we know it today. It is no secret that a board that seems like a dud can be turned into a gem just by changing the fin setup, so if you want to learn a little more enjoy the read.
A little bit of history…
When it all began there were no fins on surfboards at all. In 1936 a skeg was added, to help steer the large balsa-wood board. It was only in the 1960’s that the ‘modern’ shape fin was designed and used on longboards. In the late 1960’s the twin-fin was designed, and really popularised by 5-times world champ Mark Richards. As with most things there is always a big resistance to change (whether we like to admit it or not), and with surfboards it is no different. Perhaps the biggest resistance in the evolution of the surfboard was towards Simon Anderson and his ‘thruster’ design. Simon was on the world tour and arrived one day at a competition with 3 fins on his surfboard. There was a lot of scepticism and even after several events and good results the world’s best still did not think that there was any advantage of having 3 fins. It was only when he went on to win the Bells Beach Classic in 1981 on it that people had to sit up and take notice. Despite such massive technology advances in the world, this basic thruster set up is still by far the most popular design 30 years later.
Room for improvement
What exactly all these setups do, from single fin to twinfin to thruster to quad will have to be a blog all on its own, so hold your horses and that one’s going to be in video format so you can see what its all about! But for now we turn to fins, which were originally made from many layers of fibreglass cloth glassed together and then sanded to shape. These were then glassed onto the surfboard post surfboard production. In the 1990’s the first idea of having removable fins came to life, and by 1992 Fin Control Systems (FCS) brought out the first fin system where you could take your fins out. The vision being that they would be much easier to travel with (airlines knock out fixed fins) and you would be able to change your fins to suit the conditions.
Fins changed forever
By 1994 FCS went worldwide and very quickly revolutionised surfing in its own way. If you walk into any surf shop at least 80% of the boards will have a removable fin system these days. The invention by FCS created a new market and brought a whole lot of new players fighting for space. FCS has fought hard to keep prime spot of removable systems and used its headstart to remain at the forefront of fin technology as well. They have easily brought out the most shapes, materials and innovation in fins over the years. There are lot of other fin systems out there though, with the leading competitor to FCS being Futures fins (FF) and companies like Scarfini fins in South Africa. The everlasting decision a company has to make is to focus on quality or quantity. In this area companies like “Gas Fins” have come out with fin plugs that were far cheaper than other companies but of a similar ‘design’ to FCS plugs and do take FCS fins.
Which to choose?
If you are buying your surfboard off the rack you are not going to have much choice! You will most likely choose the board shape over your fin system and to keep board prices low the plugs will be a generic fcs and fins a generic too. If you are getting a custom board you do have a choice. FCS and Futures are definitely the market leaders. The differences being that FCS come with two ‘plugs’ which connect to the two tabs on your fin to keep it in the board, whereas FF have one long box. Now you will get people arguing about which is best, with the most common argument being that (FF) have more connection to the board from the fin which results in better response between the board and the fin when surfing. When you consider that surfers like Kelly Slater use FCS it becomes quite hard to argue that he would not use the ones that would be best for his surfing! Surfers like Dane Reynolds and Jordy Smith tend towards FF, but often have FCS as well.
What do the pros use?
Now where it really gets interesting is that almost all professional surfers do prefer fixed fins over a fin system. Yep that’s right, despite the travelling and getting over a hundred boards a year, the pro’s contest boards will be fixed fins. This is especially in waves of consequence or the more perfect waves. WHY? The theory is that it is all about the response and transfer of energy from the fins to the board. When you turn a surfboard it is the combination of the rail and the fins that are helping you turn. It is of course the link between the fins to the board that affects the performance of the board the most. It is for this reason that fixed fins are the preferred choice. Would your average or good surfer even notice the difference? It is unlikely! Yes the best board I have ever had did have fixed fins, but then again I have had fixed fin boards since then that weren’t great so I don’t know if it was the fins or the board!
Fixed fins have improved as well, with a bigger range of templates and composites. Companies like Maisch in South Africa, whose factory we tour on our surf trips, don’t focus at all on the boxes, but specialise in making glass fixed fins, FCS and FF fit fins. With regards to the boxes you also have to take into account which are easiest to use and are the strongest. The easiest are certainly FF which just have one screw and make a really high quality key which works easily in the screw. FCS originals have improved dramatically over the years in terms of the fit, but a lot of the generic versions do have trouble with screws and keys not fitting very well. There is nothing more frustrating than not being able to take a fin out or putting it in tightly, so a little word of advice when you get your new boards is to test them all before you take the board. The simple change of a screw can be the difference between immense frustration and a happy surfer!
So what do i do?
What you can see from the above is that you have two choices, which plugs to get and then which fins to buy. If you want to know which fins to buy for yourself my next blog will go into more detail about terms like rake, flex and how different shape fins affect the way your surfboard will feel on a wave. For now I hope you feel better informed for when you purchase your next board, and can join in that next fin discussion in the carpark at the beach!