Fins… so small… and yet such an important part of choosing the right board.
I had a Long chat with Raymond Long of Long Ocean Boards in South Africa.
We recently sat down and he explained to me the very important and technical information
that goes with deciding which fins a person should consider having on your board.
1. How long have you been in this industry of board development?
11 years and still loving every moment as I move forward.
2. What made you decide that fins make a difference?
What happened in windsurfing is a perfect example and explanation of my thinking. Fins were the last thing to be developed and then they also turned out to be the most critical part of the board performance development process.
3. Some kiteboarders prefer rally small fins or sometimes they remove them completely as they believe kiteboarding is about edging your board – and using the rail as their fins. What are your comments on this line of thinking?
Kiteboarding is about edging, but then you always have a rail to rail transfer, which mean when jumping or wave riding and changing direction, your board becomes flat at some stage, and thát becomes crucial to controlling your board, i.e. bigger fins create more grip and upwind performance.
4. Explain to me what would you consider as a good quality fin.
Normally a fin that looks good to the eye works good too. Take a shark or a dolphin design for reference.
You should also look at a multi layered G10 (compressed multi layered glass) with a 8 – 10 mm base and with a smooth consistent foil, symmetrical fins i.e. both sides of the fin must be identical.
5. Why is this material (or shape) better?
Plastic can cause flex and vibration, which is not desirable..
6. What would you consider is a well shaped fin and please explain why.
You should see an even foil and base it on a shark or a dolphin’s fin shape. I do believe that 1 000 000 years of evolution cant be too wrong!
7. How many different style fins do you have in your board range, and please describe which style and or size will suite which boards and why?
We have one style and three different sizes. I prefer to use 2.5” on the riding side, and a 2” on the other side. The dolphin fins are shorter base – which creates a lot more grip – but they release the edge when turning for a different direction.
8. Why are plastic fins not as good?
Plastic fins flex more, causing vibration and spin out. They do not allow you to hold your rail as consistent as a high quality fin.
Fin size is a personal choice, but in South African the wave conditions – which cause intense waves and surges - it is recommended that you use bigger fins. I don’t think we should follow the Maui trend of ‘small is better’.