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28
Jul 2025
Introduction
When it comes to fins the classic “ahh how am I going to notice” or “they can’t make that much of a difference to me” seems to be a train of thought that’s rapidly dying out these days, and for good reason. Fins make a massive difference. We see it in the shop day in, day out. Fins really can make or break the feel and performance of a board and if you have your fins dialled in it will certainly help to improve you overall surfing experience. Below are our top 5 tips of things to consider when choosing a new set of fins!
Find out what you like from a fin:
How you surf can have a huge impact on what you are going to want from your fins. For example, a fin with more rake will give you more hold and is better suited to drawn out carving tuns whereas a more upright template will give you more pivot and will be better suited to snappy turns in the pocket. Knowing what you like and what you want from your fins can enable you to dial in your equipment.
For instance, our good friend and local ripper Tyson Greenaway surprised us recently when choosing fins for his JS Black Baron. He deviated from the recommended upright twin in favour of a keel fin. This is not the recommended fin-board combo, but Tys is an exceptionally powerful and exceptionally good surfer, and he knows that he likes more fin area and more drive, so they work great for him. Once you know how you like to surf and what you like from your equipment you can really fine tune your fin choices to suit your individual requirements.
Experiment
Following on from the above, it’s always so useful to try different fins. Sometimes they can really surprise you. For example, Reubyn Ash was in the shop a few weeks back telling us how he loves to use MR’s in his JS Monsta 10. We’d never traditionally suggest a twin plus trailer in a shortboard like this, but he reckons it flies in smaller surf with the MR’s. This is something that we are seeing more and more; experimentation with twin trailers, thrusters with large sides and small centres, twin plus two’s… the possibilities are endless.
Try something different and it might just surprise you. Worst case scenario it doesn't go quite to plan and it will confirm what you knew already. Now, the common retort to this is, “but I don’t have endless sets of fins” or “I don’t have friends with other sets of fins”. But worry no more… because we have an extensive range of demo fins! Drop into the shop and take a set for a spin free of charge anytime. Contact Us
Construction is key
Certain styles of surfing / certain styles of surf require different levels of flex from a fin. For example, if you are a heavier more powerful surfer or if you are surfing in powerful heavy waves then you may want a stiffer fin to harness that power. PC Carbon, Techflex and fibre glass constructions will offer a stiffer flex and more control.
Whereas in everyday conditions a fin that offers a more optimised flex such as PC, Blackstix or Honeycomb construction would be advantageous in order to provide more flex and more response through your tuns. Getting a feel for flex and what you are going to require from your fins in certain conditions can be really useful. It can allow you to dial in your favourite board and enable it to perform at the highest level in a wider range of conditions.
Size Matters
There are all sorts of weight to fin size recommendations out there, however we are noticing a trend of more and more people deviating from this. Generally, it seems that there is one very important rule to bear in mind: bigger fin = more lift. This means that it can be hugely advantageous to use bigger fins in smaller to good size surf as they should give you more lift and more drive.
Whereas in bigger waves and certainly when you are surfing a step-up with a narrower tail / more refined rail you should in fact benefit from smaller fins to harness this design and add more bite and control. Check out the video on YouTube of JJF and John Pyzel discussing this it proves to be incredibly insightful and makes total sense.
The fin talk can be found in the second half of the video:
Listen to the shaper
If in doubt, look to what the shaper recommends. Certain fins seem to work well in any board for instance; the AM template is one of the most popular fins across FCS and Futures and we see people loving them in a range of different boards. However, sometimes certain boards are designed for specific fins, so it’s always worth paying attention to this. For example, if you look at the template of the CI Fishbeard you could easily think it would suit an upright MR style fin, however Britt pushed the fin boxes forward in order to accommodate a keel fin.
Check out our DHD & FCS fin pairing article to find the perfect fin choice for your DHD model.
Similarly, Jim Banks tells us to never put uprights in his Revolution design it's got to be a keel fin, or ideally, the Hooker fins. So, there can certainly be elements of board design that will have a huge impact upon what fins bring the best out of the board. Shapers know best, take their advice at least as a starting block when it comes to fins. Then you can impart your own individual preferences and look to experiment from there.
Conclusion
Overall, when it comes to fin choice it’s important to remember that as with all aspects surfing, that there are literally no rules! So, try something out of the ordinary and you might just discover something amazing. Experiment with different fins in different boards and overtime you will discover what you like from your fins, and you can then hone your equipment choices from there.
We are blessed these days with a sheer abundance of information, available at the click of a button. So, do your research; check out what your favourite pro surfers ride, listen to what the shaper recommends and then use this information to steer you own fin choices in the right direction. Most importantly and above all else though, go surfing and have fun with it.
Links
Written by Justin Lapskas for Carve Issue 228
