HOW WE WORK WITH AND FOR YOU

Fins are the most personal choice a racer can make. For every rider sailing style, sail configuration, board configuration and water and wind conditions there can be a perfect fin. It’s virtually impossible to dictate a single fin that will work well in all conditions. Some of the variables of fin design are as follows:

LENGTH

We're firm believers in the idea of less is more. Why carry more length than you have to? Shorter fins equal better control, all things being equal. Modern boards can do more with shorter fins. We measure length in centimeters.

RAKE

We've gradually moved the rake on our fins back to provide an even softer ride and to help keep the nose of modern boards up. This in turn unwets the surface of the board and makes the board "slipperier." We're not dogmatic, though. If you want a more upright fin, we'll make you one. We measure rake from the trailing edge in centimeters. We can use other types of measurements as well.

FLEX

Hard fins are good for a few things. Really wound up, a short hard fin can be very fast, if a little bruising. Softer fins, on the other hand, do most everything well, with a broader range of applications, which is why we'll urge you to get one of our fins in a soft model. But, just like rake, these things are personal. If you must have a stiff fin, we'll make you one.

Our fins come in seven grades of stiffness:
XXS (extra extra soft), XS (extra soft), S (soft), SM (soft medium),
M (medium), MS (medium stiff), and H (stiff)

TIP AREA

The fin can be cut from the base or tip. Cutting the tip creates a more powerful, lifting fin. Cutting at the base reduces the chord overall and creates a more controllable fin. For example, a 74-4 fin is made from a 74cm with 4cm cut from the tip, creating a larger tip area.

CONFIGURATION

For each of our planforms we can customize the length, rake, stiffness and configuration, tailoring the configuration for prevailing wind conditions, rider weight, and rider style of sailing. If you're not sure how these parameters work together to create the right fin for you, call us. We’ll be happy to work with you to try to craft the perfect fin.

In the most general terms, our best light wind fin is the 74-4 CRAD: a big and powerful fin you can push hard on, with excellent upwind angle and speed, while forgiving off the wind.

Out best heavy air fin is the 63cm E: for those times when you have to send a board downwind through four-foot hollow chop in 25+ knots and you absolutely, positively want to get home in one piece.