Singlefin?

AM_Glass · Post by **AM_Glass** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 12:16 pm

I'm concerned/confused about toe/splay/number of the side fins and their affect on everything and I started wondering, does anyone ride a single fin? Could you take a 3/4/5 fin board and remove the side fins, put a larger single in and have it work?

willli · Post by **willli** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 1:15 pm

Here on LI you're going to be riding a lot of beachbreak/ shorebreak, and a large single fin could be problematic. what works well for longboards doesn't migrate readily to kneeboards. plus the topic is covered in depth if you look past subject page 1 on to the bottom of page 2 where Singlfin? has a 4 page interchange of ideas. Lately I've been heading to the outer beach at Smiths. Usually I surf further east, when decent swell is showing, but for 2-3 foot why drive more than necessary. think you PM'd me at nysurf. still plenty of september left.
Bill

AM_Glass · Post by **AM_Glass** » Tue Sep 14, 2004 4:53 am

Heyo, I normally ride Smiths also. I'm out of town this weekend but I'd like to meet up some time and talk/surf. I'll drop you my # as a PM on nysurf.

toofast · Post by **toofast** » Wed Sep 15, 2004 4:32 pm

All my boards have single fins. I use a fin box toget the hold I want. The fin I use is called a butterfly fin. I don`t change fins because of the surf I`m riding. Shore break or big outside or in between. I move the fin back when its a step face. Other then that, it stays upas I can get it. We just had Newport gathering and I was the only one still riding a single fin board

Beeline2.0 · Post by **Beeline2.0** » Wed Sep 15, 2004 4:55 pm

Jon Manss · Post by **Jon Manss** » Wed Sep 15, 2004 5:08 pm

toofast
A major error on my part not introducing myself to you and checking out your shape. I love new ideas and like to explore all creative ideas and spirits. I'll try to make it up to you next gathering. I'm paying attention to you're post. Your board is very unique. Jon

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Thu Sep 16, 2004 2:47 am

toofast wrote:All my boards have single fins. I use a fin box toget the hold I want. The fin I use is called a butterfly fin. I don`t change fins because of the surf I`m riding. Shore break or big outside or in between. I move the fin back when its a step face. Other then that, it stays upas I can get it. We just had Newport gathering and I was the only one still riding a single fin board

Interesting. What board lengths and tail shapes are you using with those "butterfly" fins? Are those fins similar to what stand-upper Cheyne Horan was riding way back when?

toofast · Post by **toofast** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 7:37 pm

I don`t know if Cheyne used one of them.I`m the only i`ve seen use one. I sure othr people have them. I was told that they were designed for longboarders, The fin would allow them to spin their board while standing on he nose. I bought mind in the early 80s. I can`t get them anymore. I`m working on a way to make them myself. Ihave a few ideas how, I just have to do it.
There is a couple of pics of my boards here on th site. One board is 4'-9 stinger shallow, another one is 5' stinger modified pintail. Then I have a 5'-3 which is a bigger version of the 4'-9.I`m waiting on my newest board, a 4'-10 picklenose stinger modified pintail.
I have alway ridden a "different" shape then everyone else and probaby always will. They also single boards.

Beeline...no matter how you slice it, it`s a single fin. I have a question for you. I saw a guy yrs ago with a single fin,but, at the tip of the fin there was a very little version of a butterfly fin. Question is , does that count as 3 fins ??

Maybe I mite have to come up north to one of your gathering. It would be fun

Beeline2.0 · Post by **Beeline2.0** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 8:16 pm

albert · Post by **albert** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 7:49 am

Didnt Cheyne Horan pretty much ruin his pro career endorsing these fins??

Beeline2.0 · Post by **Beeline2.0** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 8:22 am

hart · Post by **hart** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 3:27 pm

Beeline's take on it is accurate..

But Horan's fins weren't exactly the 'butterfly' type. The moulded (polycarbonate) fins he rode with were designed by the late Ben Lexcan and modelled from the successful keel design of Australia 2..the 1983 Winning America's Cup yacht.

More of a 'T' shape than than 2 butterfly wings.

My understanding of it was that the Lexcan single fin worked well on Longboards at the time..the T-pieces at the tip allowed for extended nose-riding due to the fact they helped the tail stay in the water.

hart

MTBarrels · Post by **MTBarrels** » Sun Sep 19, 2004 4:42 am

In the 60's, around the time of the Morey Noseriding Contest, Carl Ekstrom used to sell a pair of small bold-on fins that were typically mounted about 2/3'rds the way down the single main fin to form a cruciform design expressely for nose-riding. They were very sensitive to alignment...too much pitch down -> too slow; not enough pitch down -> not enough down force to make a substantial difference.

Approx 30 yrs later, the US Patent Office granted a patent for essentially the same design--yet another example of many surfboard design features that were developed and published in the major surf magazines, and/or commercially sold, yet granted a patent one to three(+) decades later.

surfhorn · Post by **surfhorn** » Sun Sep 19, 2004 9:46 am

MT- You jogged my memory with that comment. On the market there used to be small (approx. 2") stick-on rail fins to go with single fins. You would peel off the backing paper and stick the fins in place on the rail.

DrStrange · Post by **DrStrange** » Sun Sep 19, 2004 1:23 pm

Before the stick on rail fins were available, Jeff Alexander (Mr Pickle Fork) waas making his own in the back room at Channin in San Diego. Everyone else made fun of him until he rode the board. Ripped! Once he got em in the right place they added enough extra hold to make a dif.