FINS

[MFaso 56]

Quick question. I'm new, riding(or trying to) a 4'10 Doomswell NEO. It has 4 fins. Can someone explain what different fin combinations would do? I have all 4 on. Never tried anything else. I assume NO FINS would make the board really hard to keep straight and probably not something anyone riding a surfstyle board would do.(or do you) What does removing the rear most fins do, or the forward fins?

I'm being told to remove the rear fins next time out and it will help make the board faster and make it easier for me to learn to stay on the wave. This weekend I dropped the rope but I feel like I'm REALLY leaning over on my front foot to stay on the wave. It's almost uncomfortable. Thoughts on if removing those fins will help me?

Thanks!

[Cdifranco 463]

Don't run finless.. I run the front 2 fins. The speed in my opinion has the most drive with the two front and two little backs in. I don't like how much "grip" you have with all four in though so I only run the front two. Try it out! 

 

Most commin to me for that board would be all 4 in, or front 2 in. 

[Cwazy1 89]

Hey M, 

Heres the breakdown on how fins impact your performance. 

quad setup = more fins = more drag = slow board when statically moving down the line (putting your weight forward)

quad setup = more fins = more force generated when driving the board = faster board when generating speed (pumping)

quad setup = more fins = more stable board = more time for you to think about how board is moving and adjust in order to maneuver the way you want.

twin setup = less fin = less drag = faster board when you're not generating speed and relying on the wave to push you around

twin setup = less fin = less power when you pump = takes more effort to go faster, boost higher, do bigger bottom turns and etc. There isn't enough fin surface area to capture your horizontal force and translate it into forward drive

twin setup = easier to rotate about the central axis point between fins. This means a more squirly board which will rotate around your rear foot easier. This requires more control ability to keep yourself in the transition of the wave. 

now we can get into more specifics 

1. f3 fins that come standard on the doomswell are 4.25" tall. If you want a medium between running twin f3, and running a quad f3 with tmf-2, you can go find a rear set of futures to replace your f3's with and still run it as a quad. That'll reduce the height of the front fin down to 3.75" from 4.25". 

2. if you want even more edge to edge sensitivity, you can get yourself some v2 foiled futures fins. The neo already has an insane amount of toe on the fin box placement, making for a super responsive board, but you can add to it this way. 

3. f3 fins are actually a 'full size' primary fin, for 'small riders'. Another alternative to #1 is to replace your quad setup with f3 and tmf-2 with a true full sized wct rasta fin. This is a popular one among wakesurfers because of its good size and its minimal rake on the fin. This will give you good grip due to its longer length over the f3, but it'll also pivot around its axis and generate less drag than a quad setup. 

[InfinitySurf 302]

I have the same Doomswell Neo board and had similar questions since I have just gotten to ride it a few times and its much different than the other board I was using which was more of a skim style and not made for my weight (least not at my skill level). I can tell the Neo will be a better board for me to handle my 205lbs of weight..but it definitely different, so still trying to figure it out. Think I will be removing the 2 smaller fins since I still rely on wave pushing me and learning how to "pump", etc. Thanks for the info!

[MFaso 56]

I will be pulling the two back small fins next trip out. I spoke to a few people including Brock at doomswell. I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks! 

[Jake707 171]

what about fin placement front to back? My Inland Surfer only has two out of the 4 fins on it however each fin location has three adjustments forward or back. I currently have the two fins in the rear locations as that's how it came.

[Cwazy1 89]

37 minutes ago, Jake707 said:

what about fin placement front to back? My Inland Surfer only has two out of the 4 fins on it however each fin location has three adjustments forward or back. I currently have the two fins in the rear locations as that's how it came.

The best way to think about fin placement is that the more center (length wise), the easier the board is to rotate about the dead center of the board. This is a generalization because its related to how your stance is over the board. Having primary fins placed where secondary fins would typically go (further back on the board) is going to make the board easier to pivot around your rear foot. Having your primary fins placed in the typical primary boxes is going to allow your board to pivot closer to your center of gravity while standing over the board. This can be good/bad depending on what maneuvers you're learning and how you do them.

Your micro adjustments on the inland board is really just for rider preference and fine tuning. If you want an easier pivot about your central axis, slide the fins to the furthest closest to the nose. If you do 360's by rotating around your rear foot (which some people do), then you can move the fins back to their furthest aft mounting position on the box. 

EDIT: found the board you have. 

For the swallow, yes, I'd start with running fins only in the rear boxes. I'd honestly run them in the furthest forward position since the boxes are placed so far back to begin with. If you choose to, you can run another smaller pair of fins in the forward boxes to make the board feel like a traditional quad. If you choose to run bigger fins in the center and smaller on the outside, it'll feel like a twinzer. Quads are more locked in and drive better when pumped, and twinzers are more reactive edge to edge and have slightly less drive compared to quad.

Edited May 31, 2017 by Cwazy1

[InfinitySurf 302]

Question....I am trying to pull out the 2 smaller fins at rear of my Doomswell Neo like recommended. I have backed out the allen screw and am sure its out far enough. I did notice when I installed them new, they were very tight, but I am having trouble getting he back 2 fins to pop back out and dont want to damage board by prying. I noticed the 2 holes in fin that seemed like you could insert allen to help pry out...tried that and still not working.

Any tips or tricks to something like this?

[Cdifranco 463]

1 hour ago, InfinitySurf said:

Question....I am trying to pull out the 2 smaller fins at rear of my Doomswell Neo like recommended. I have backed out the allen screw and am sure its out far enough. I did notice when I installed them new, they were very tight, but I am having trouble getting he back 2 fins to pop back out and dont want to damage board by prying. I noticed the 2 holes in fin that seemed like you could insert allen to help pry out...tried that and still not working.

Any tips or tricks to something like this?

Keep pulling..they are tight. Note how they go in, one side has like a channel to pivot them in.. they're tough but pull pull pull

[MFaso 56]

Front comes out first. Stuck the little Allen key in that hole and pull up from that same side. Mine were tight too but they come out. Make sure you have the little screw all the way out so it's not still holding it in a little... Just pulled mine yesterday. Tight but took me 2 minutes. 

[Cwazy1 89]

A tip for you guys with really tight fins... you can take some sandpaper and sand down the part of the fin that slides into the box. I do this with all my glass fins as I take my fins off after riding. 

[RhuntIII 555]

You got fins to the left 

fins to the right

and you're the only bait in town.

 

Just a little Buffett for breakfast.

[Troy 234]

I have the Neo also. I run the just the front 2 tall fins.  I don't know any of the technical terms.  LOL.