Feeding my fin fetish...

As many of you may have noticed, I have a weakness when it comes to surfboard fins. I'm always looking for that magical fin set-up that will move my surfing to the next level. This time, I may have discovered the ultimate 2+1 fin set.

Manufactured by Shaper's Fins in Australia, and distributed by Block Surf here in Ventura County, these fins are made using state-of-the-art composite construction. The fins pictured above have a honeycomb foam core, with carbon fiber base and leading edge. The trailing rear-half is fiber glass. Shaper's calls these fins "Carbon Stealth". The end result is a light fin that has a variable flex pattern from base to tip, and from front to back. Surfing these fin in slightly overhead conditions at my local point break, I was amazed by how smooth and fluid my turns felt, but with more than enough drive and hold.

I was so impressed with the performance of these fins that I ordered a quad-keel set for my new 7-3 Widget (big brother of the Mini-Widget) I shaped that board last week and now its waiting its turn at the glasser's.

The wide base and upright rake of these fins will give it plenty of drive and a more "pivoty" feel. The cutaway base will also help reduce the stiffness normally found in low aspect ratio fins. Shaper's Fins are available in either single-tab (Futures) or dual tab (FCS) styles. Get the full story on these fins at http://shapersfins.com.au/

Sweet fins...

Here is the Tyler Warren Quad Set from True Ames:

There are a couple of things worth mentioning about these beautiful fins. The rear fins have a slight amount of foil on the inside surface. This produces a smoother feel, especially during turns. These "80/20" foiled fins seem to work best when the rear fins are set closer to the stringer. The Future-based fins have a shallower base on the rear fins to accommodate the thinner part of the tail where they are placed. FCS fins don't have this problem. These fins are a sandwiched bamboo/Hexcore construction, keeping overall weight very low. This particular set is destined to be used on 5-4 Mini-Widget currently being glassed.

Fin Fairy stopped by yesterday...

Once or twice a month I order fins, both for new boards and for customers that need a new fin to spice up their surfing. Yesterday's delivery had a little drama associated with it, but eventually Chuck Ames, owner of True Ames Fins, came to the rescue. Unlike some fin companies (who shall remain anonymous here) True Ames not only has great fins but great customer service and super-prompt delivery. So, yesterday here's what came:

1. This is a set of glasson marine-ply Geppys in the Hobie Fish template for Jay's future 7-8 Kingfish. Pretty sweet, eh?
2. This is a 9.5" Josh Farberow Flex fin for Jerry's future 9-8 Nova. This is the fin he'll use on those small days in South Carolina. My personal favorite for an all-around LB single-fin.
3. & 4. Here's Jerry's 2+1 set; a 7.5" L-Flex with Hexcore Sidebites in FCS. Never know when those hurricane swells will kick up.
5. This is a new center fin for Dan's 2+1 6-10 Mini-Nova. Dan wanted a little more hold on those bottom turns. I'm anxious to get some feedback from Dan on this fin.
6 & 7 This is a five-fin set for for Phil's new Widget 3/4. He'll use the CI template (7) in Hexcore when he wants to surf the board as a tri, or switch out the CI center fin for the two Hexcore TA sidebites (6) when he wants to surf the board as a quad. Using the combination of FCS plugs and Hexcore fins really keeps the weight down on multi-fin boards.
Remember, buy a new Thomas Patrick surfboard and get 30% off on any new set of fins, leash or board bag.