FIN KNOWLEDGE
Thanks for the reply duo.
Yeah we've spoken, just thought someone out there may have had an idea. Plenty of experimentalists out there.
"Primarily a quad" quoted by shaper as he has success with that style of board in the past mostly as a quad re: feedback.
Yeah time to get the tape out.
Also the rear quad boxes are adjustable, an inch forward or back.
Possibly to many components for my head to deal with.
Any advice on large fins as rears for drive.
You want drive try Controllers, plenty of guys love em, I feel they are a bit stiff. But Fins are such a personal thing I feel. I love Rusty R2's
I have a set of these. Feel a bit stiff my little pier pony quad has these on the rear and the old Simon Anderson ones on the front and it seems the best option. I have found quads on this little fat board a bugger to set up fin wise. I went too stiff at first then too loose, the current set up seems to work. Seem to need a bit of rake and base width.
I'm 79kg's and I use a set of these - https://inertiafins.com/index.php/product/eco-core/ in a 5'8" Baked potato style board on the small days and they just rip! The board also has a really low rocker which helps but the fins definitely give it the extra drive and manoeuvrability. Worth a look especially for the price. :)
Alkali fins are also the ticket but you have to be willing to pay the added cost. Not for your everyday surfer unfortunately.
If you want down the line fishy glide and drive on your fish you cant go wrong with ontrollers although you probabaly have to buy them from the USA.
iLL never sell my controller fins.
Donweather you mentioned a long time ago on anther forum that you thought C-Drive fins were responsible for holding you up on take off or stopping you from having a clean entry/drop ....was that the fins you think ?
Having same problem on a grovel board which i put down to just being to corky until i changed fins...had only ever used C-Drives in it...a few more surfs in diff conditions will tell but im inclined to think it was fins ?
Yep it was C drives. Loved them when on the wave, but had trouble catching waves with them as for some strange reason they kept hanging you up at the top of the wave when paddling into waves. Good memory udo!!!
The website states that the difference is noticeable even when paddling. Not sure what difference they mean. Increased drag is the most obvious consequence of lengthening the fin base, but it is hardly a characteristic you would want to advertise!
ATT / MR Troy Clutton Cdrive fins
Website gone No reply from emails sent to gmail acc
Cdrives still in production ...if so where can i buy ??
The fins RCJ uses at Nazare are they a extra large template ?
Brutus....any leads here how to purchase ?
Such a big Fin advertisment missed with RCJ Nazare clip....no printed logo on the fins !
you would not believe how many surfers have never heard of them...i recently tried to buy a set that were on a restored board......seller replied 'strange looking spacey things i would never try to surf with them they obviously would never work ....only good to have in the man cave to laugh at after a few beers with mates'
Udo these are awesome fins. I purchased mine a few years ago and have a range of sizes. Bummer he can't get production back up and running. Never had a problem getting hung up the top.
They are very good - add heaps of drive to get around sections to boards that are prone to getting caught up with not enough down the line speed. Tend to stiffen up the feeling of the board, but if its big faces and long down the line walls, they are great.
I know you were asking Johnno but I'm using the blue ones. I had a few little problems at first, nothing serious, and only at very low speed in small waves, however they give me no trouble whatsoever now. I leave them sitting in my standard shorty and ride them every day.
In big waves they just can't be beaten. Took 'em to Hawaii and rode them in waves up to 10'-12' and they went fantastic.
Shit, can't remember. Large or medium? They're in the back of my car which is only 50 metres away but it's curently pissing down.
When the rain stops I'll have your answer.
Yep agree with all above. They really come into their own on larger/ long wall waves. I have used them at 6-7' Balangan and 3' temples and they were unreal in both. Sooooo much drive. In small, short sharp beaches you don't see the real benefit. I have a set of large for a twinnie which are good, a set for a Quad which are good but the best is just straight thruster with mediums up front and a small on the tail. It was too stiff with all mediums. I am light at 63kgs and 5'6"in height and ride them on a 5'9" and a 5'11". They drive as hard as a Quad on my backhand with more release at the top and I am a painfully average surfer and getting ancient surfer. They also seem to drive more on a squash tail rather than rounded pin.
So what sort of little problems Stu......i had a set years ago and cant remember why i sold em on a board....
Occasional jerkiness at the beginning of a turn. Always when the board was going slow and I was trying to drive for speed - I figured it was due to the lack of fin area.
That said, it never happens now so I've somehow adjusted my surfing though I can't quite put my finger on what I've done.
I persisted because C-Drives are so good in big waves and I didn't want to switch fins whenever the waves picked up. Just wanted to surf the same fins irrespective of size. Glad I stuck with it 'cos I ride them all the time now, in even the smallest of waves. I'm feeling like my boards and fin mix is about as good as it's ever been.
Just watched a vid of Fins being CNC machined from a solid flat panel
G 10 surfboard fin - U -tube
Hell of a lot of Waste.
Udo, in response to your question, I'm a bit of an outlier: I have a C-Drives 2+1 set, so the sides are S and the rear is L, but made with a finbox (not plugs) mounting.
I've realised I'm at home as a single fin surfer, but after the last 30 years of development can keep the feeling of those boards but with much better turns off the top with a 2+1. Roundhouse cutties are outrageous on this setup. I've tried and tried on thrusters but they don't seem to have the sheer ability to cover big distance off the bottom turn ("Drive) to get you flying down the line and mowing down sections that the single/2+1 with a long rail length will. Think TF at J-Bay kind of approach. Double ender style boards cover the smaller waves.
For my shortboards these days I'll go a 6" or slightly smaller rear standard fin, and about GL on the sides. In comparison the C-Drives small fins are much bigger and the rear fin smaller than this.
Rear fin was made by Troy as part of the set... no adaptor required... and it is made integral to its own finbox base just like you see on a longboard or single fin. Quite a unique set.
Rightio Udo, the rain just stopped so I can answer that question from yesterday: the fin size I'm riding is SM.
I assume that's small/medium. I was riding large till an ambituous low tide launch at Sandon rendered my quad an asymmetric Thruster.
...and I'm also rocking a 'C-Drive' sticker on the back of the wagon.
I'm 82kgs and have a thruster set of medium (purlpe) C-Drives which are great in waves with a bit of power. I'd like to try them in a quad. Since we can't buy them anymore, does anyone want to sell a set of quad rear fins, or trace the outline so I can get a pair made.
Still a Med Quad set for sale on Swaylocks- $65 US...so about $100 AUD shipped.
EDit - Add is 2 yrs old but still worth enq.
udo , there are quite a few people making them here in the USA , check out the Naked Viking Surf site....still a few fine tuning issues but they will be in full swing soon , buy direct!
Was stoked to find some on gumtree. Have wanted to try them for ages.
NVS website says shipping on August 8.
Available in dual tab and futures.
Gumtree from marcello ?
NVS $110 Aud..plus shipping ?
Troy Clutton supposed to be handling Aust distribution etc...
C-drives now avail - $90 US = $132 AUS plus shipping..is that correct ?
Has anyone bought them ?
NVS site... they making them Stuey..in FCS and Futures.
Just had a quick peek at watermark fins site...no stock ...going well or gone bad ??
NVS have just released commercially the C-drive fin.......so maybe Troy will be able to import them here....
with the C-drives don't go too big , I use smalls , and have the fin placements a 1/4" further up,because of the wide base....
Good speed generating fins down the line. Still loose without being skittish.
They don't tail slide so well. I tried to wash off a bit of speed off the top.
Nearly threw my back out. Maybe I'm doing it wrong.
Yep, best to support the local designer.
just received a pair of c-drive fins from NVS. they were good to deal with and fast delivery to oz
https://www.surfnvs.com/collections/specialty
shipping to oz is US$42. you can get up to 4 sets of fins for same shipping due to the standard USPS package they use. I got side thrusters only (for a twinnie) and was charged US$60 instead of US$90 for a full thruster set. conversion rate will probably change daily. email them - they respond fast
Need essentials - Laurie Towner Solid Glass Futures fins Template suitable for 2ft -30ft... S, M, L, $100
Torren Martyn Futures Twin fin sets also $100
Hand foiled they say ?
Probably CNC Machined and hand finished.
Troy Clutton has the Aust C- Drive Fin site up and running
Beware of the Ebay seller FlyFish Sports with his Chinese copies
Loving my C drive NVS twin+1 and quads, i haven't really experienced the feeling of getting caught in the lip, but definitely have noticed the NVS C drives feel heaps more lively and responsive in the g10 glass compared to the older glass ones. Makes them more viable in smaller stuff but haven't really noticed a down side in really solid surf.
Hi All ,
after a bit of your vast wisdom here , got myself a tiny 5'8 fish for small mushy waves , in 78 kgs and currently have fcs g'3 s in it but find them to lack drive and speed anyone have any suggestions on what would be more suitable fins for speed / drive in small waves , old school fcs plugs in the board tri fin .
help would be greatly appreciated .
bish