Published on May 7th, 2018 | by Alex Mauer
How to Choose the Right Fins for River Surfing
This is a basic guide on how to choose a river surfing fin. It doesn’t go too deep into fin design but it touches on the basics and what is most important for choosing the right fins.
First thing is first. See what style of fin box you have on your board. Are they FCS style or are they the Futures style? FCS fins have two tabs that are inserted into the hull of the board using screws. Futures style fins are inserted into the hull of a board with a larger single tab using screws. Then you want to look at your fin set up to determine how many fins you will need. From my experience all you need on a river wave is a twin fin (2 fin) set up.
It all boils down to what style of surfing you want to do.
When surfing a river wave you are surfing straight. This allows more of the boards surface area to be in the water. Your fins are going to spend majority of the time in the water. I find that a twin fin (2 fin) setup works really well. I don’t really like a quad set up because it makes the board react a lot slower while turning and doing tricks. If I am riding really short fins I will throw in a 2 + 1 fin set up ( 2 side fins and 1 middle fin). This seems to help provide a little bit more stability and still feels loose enough to do tricks. Keep in mind this is my personal preference from my own experience and surf style.
Quick Fin 101
Fin Size
The fin size is referring to the length or height of the fin. A fin that is larger will help provide stability and control. A smaller fin will create a lose skate like feeling on the wave. In bigger more powerful river waves a larger fin will help you keep more control while surfing. Overall a longer/taller fin provides more stability on a river wave.
Fin Base
The fin base refers to the part of the fin that sits flush with the board. It is typically the widest part of the fin. The length of the base will impact how your board turns on a river wave. A longer fin base will create longer turns. A shorter fin base will help you turn quicker.
Fin Flex
Fin flex refers to how much flex the fin has while surfing on a wave. All fins have a certain flex but some have more than others. For the most part the base of the fin will be stiff and toward the tip is where the flex will be. A fin with more flex will allow the fins to break free for a more skate feel.
Find out which fins work best for you based on your style and board setup
Wrapping It Up
Looking at these basic fin features you can decide what fin is going to work best. You can determine what style of surfing you want to do. If you want to have a looser skate style and be able to do all sorts of spin tricks and pop shove its. Use a smaller fin with a shorter base. If you want to hack massive turns and throw buckets of spray chose a bigger fin with a wider base. Or if you want to balance yourself somewhere between those two styles choose a medium size fin and fin base.
The best part is playing around with different shaped and different size fins to see how it affects the board in the water. Have fun with it and figure out what works best for you and your surf style. Keep progressing and having fun!
Brought to you by
Alex Mauer When I was 12 my dad gave me a boogie board. He told me to go play in the river next to his apartment. I have been playing in the water and helping pioneer the river surfing scene in Colorado ever since. I have a bucket list of waves I want to surf around the world! I love to play in the water and will try and surf anything! Surfing is surfing no matter what you are riding, short board, long board, SUP, boogie board, pool toys, lunch trays ... you name it I will try and surf it!
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