The importance of fins in the surfboard
The fins of a surfboard have a dual function. On one hand, they keep the front part of the board facing forward when in motion, and on the other hand, they prevent the tail from slipping when performing a turn. They provide thrust, resistance, sensitivity, and control in turns and lines. But the question is, what fin setup should I put on my surfboard?
We have different options: single fin, twin fin, trifins, quad, and five fins. Next we will try to explain what each of these options achieves. A good fin system should be proportional to the width of the tail and the overall volume of the board.
No fins
The first boards made by the Polynesians did not have fins, but the concern of these surfers was not to perform complicated maneuvers or turns. If you have never tried surfing without fins, we recommend it. It will force you to crouch and lower your center of gravity, something that your surfing will appreciate later . We leave you with this video where you can see the difference between surfing with and without fins.
Single Fin
As its name suggests, a single central fin. A board that was very present in the 70s and always associated with the ‘oldschool’. It is not the fin setup that will help you perform maneuvers the most, but it will facilitate paddling and offer you optimal speed . It works well with big waves and also performs well on small waves.
Twin Fins
Created in the 30s – 40s they are also related to the old school. With this setup you will gain speed but lose grip in turns. Your maneuvers will be tighter and stability will increase , but with large waves, they may transmit some instability. To delve deeper into the topic of twin fins, do not miss our twin fin buying guide. You can buy them here.
In our surfboard section you can find our opinion on various Twin Fins that our team of testers has had the opportunity to try. Such as the Modern Twin Fin by Clayton , the Mini Twin Fin DHD by Asher Pacey, and the de Asher Pacey and Ono Fish by Single Quiver Surfboards.
Trifins
Without a doubt, the most commonly used. Created by surfer Simon Anderson in 1980 under the name Thruster. Simon would prove its efficiency a year later by winning at Bells, Surfabout, and Pipeline. The Australian shaper obtained no less than four titles with the novelty of the three fins. Check out his board catalog at Single Quiver.
This third fin gives more speed to the board and facilitates maneuvers. A perfect mix between the precision of the single fin and the speed of the twin fins . Ideal for more radical maneuvers and big waves. However, for speed and grip, it is not the best setup for barrels.
Quad
With Kelly Slater as ambassador, this setup offers great grip and acceleration power . Quad fins are faster and they perform well in barrels, they are the most used in the World Surf League events like Pipeline. A good choice for big waves, as the significant amount of water flowing between the fins provides greater stabilization for the surfer. Kelly Slater uses them in both small and big waves. But we already know that Kelly Slater is from another galaxy. Read our truster vs quead fins comparative here.
Five Fins
It is about the quad configuration but adding a central stabilizer. Quads by themselves already offer us greater grip and with this small center fin, the tail is stabilized in the critical and more vertical sections of the wave without compromising speed. In this way, five fins it allows us to maintain control in the most radical turns.
And you, what configuration do you prefer? 1, 2, 3, 4 or do you even dare to surf without fins? Don’t miss our tips for buying surf fins.
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