Find the right fins for your surfing
Having the right fins on your surfboard will make a huge difference to the feel, stability, drive, and manoeuvrability of your board. A perfect pairing will help you push your surfing.
How to read your fin boxes
To work out a good fin configuration for you, examine the base of a surfboard near the tail. The number of fin boxes you see will likely range from one to five. The most common surfboard fin setups are Single, Twin, Thruster, and Quad.
Please note: This is a guide. Always seek advice from your local surf store or shaper about what would be best for you. If you want tailored guidance, our private lessons are a great place to start.
Single fin, 1 fin
Normally the setup of a longboard. The fin provides stability and control, perfect for long line rides, but it will reduce loose movement like sweeping turns and straight line charges.
Twin fin, 2 fins
Twin fin boards are harder to control in larger waves but offer great manoeuvrability in smaller conditions. They are usually found on shortboards and fish, because the two fin setup encourages speed.
Thruster, 3 fins
This is the most common setup and is found on all kinds of boards. It performs well under most conditions and offers a stable, manoeuvrable feel. A thruster is the go to choice for most shapers.
Quad fin, 4 fins
A quad offers speed in smaller surf. It works by channelling water to the end of the board and out the tail for acceleration. Two fins near the rails also help with stability and hold when surfing bigger waves. Quads are great for generating drive through turns. WOOOPAH!
2 + 1
This configuration appears on longboards, eggs, funboards, and SUPs. You have a single fin box in the centre with two regular thruster side fin boxes. The middle box is much longer, which allows you to set your middle fin forward or back.
What should you choose
There is a lot to take in, and heaps more about fins we could cover, shape, sweep, flex, foil, that is for our more advanced lessons. So how do you know what to choose, try them all if you can. Test drive different board types and fin layouts to see what you feel for. A focused weekend like our Newquay Progressor Surfer Programme is perfect for experimenting under coaching. You can also mix it up on a Surf Camp, or feel the difference on long, running walls during our Morocco surf trip or silky point and reef setups on our Bali surf retreat.
