Hi Everyone,

I'm new to SUP, but really getting into it. I'm currently weighing in at about 102, and 5'10 tall riding a Coreban Icon, which I love, but I want to improve it's straight line performance for cruising on the flat. I'm not yet good enough to get out in the surf, but that's the plan for next summer.

I'm looking at some of the race fins to improve the straight line performance and to reduce the yawing of the board.

Does anybody have any fin recomendations??? And will changing the fin realistically make much difference??? From the fins I've looked at online, it looks like it's not going to be a cheap experiment.

I intend to give the Gerry Lopez Quads a go for the surf next summer.

Cheers for your help,

Dave

I've run Future Controllers on the Icon when I was surfing it. A quad setup is a lot of fun with that board.
What do you want to achieve out of flat water paddling the Icon? If you just want to have a bit of fun and not spend too much grab a second hand windsurfer fin from your local shop. I picked up a good one for about $30 bucks from my local kite/windsurf/SUP shop and it worked well for the Icon when I used to use it for a flat-water paddle. The racing fins can cost alot if you are just wanting something for a bit of a lazy paddle. A racing fin for an all-rounder board can be a bit like putting a spoiler on the family sedan.
Also paddling technique could have something to do with it. I had the same thing until some handy tips from the guys at my shop of choice.

Thanks Bill,

What I'm looking to achieve out of flat water paddling is improving my fitness and getting more comfortable and confident on the board. I'm considering getting a dedicated flat water/down wind board next year then keeping the icon for the surf.

I hadn't even considered a windsurfing fin, I always throught the finbox was different.

I'll also look into the controllers might save me a few $$$ over the GL's.

I have made a few changes to my paddle stroke which made a big improvement in the tracking, but would like to see if I can get the tracking a bit better for distance. My normal run is about 6km's around my local lake.

Cheers,

Dave

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djgaffa said...

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to SUP, but really getting into it. I'm currently weighing in at about 102, and 5'10 tall riding a Coreban Icon, which I love, but I want to improve it's straight line performance for cruising on the flat. I'm not yet good enough to get out in the surf, but that's the plan for next summer.

I'm looking at some of the race fins to improve the straight line performance and to reduce the yawing of the board.

Does anybody have any fin recomendations??? And will changing the fin realistically make much difference??? From the fins I've looked at online, it looks like it's not going to be a cheap experiment.

I intend to give the Gerry Lopez Quads a go for the surf next summer.

Cheers for your help,

Dave

A mid-sized keel fin like a Larry Allison "Paddle Core Fitness" will make a big difference to tracking on a round-nose board. Decent sized keel fin with a long base but thin foil and not huge surface area so it's not too draggy. The missus uses mine in her 10'6 Nalu for flat water, I sometimes get to pinch it back for my 12' starby. Not cheap though, for a lower cost option maybe a Ohana SUP fin from true ames or something similar would do the job just as well.

I find a 10" axe pretty good.

Dave the Icon has the US Box fitted so you can throw in anything that is compatible. Should you decide to go for a high end fin then you can easily swap and change it amongst your boards.
I've tried to stick to Future Fins for that reason - ran them with my shortboards so when it came time for SUP I could use what I had already spent a fair whack of money on.
Both the GL quads and the Controllers are good - normally about the same price. Just shop around and check the internet to see how much you can get them for. Two weeks ago I busted a nice red 6" Future Hatchet fin I was having a lot of fun with so I too am on the market for a new fin!

thanks everyone for a great source do information. you guys have such great conditions compared to Sweden...

I bought a Fanatic Allwave 9'2" for my boy and for me to try some surf on wind waves. by watching some paddle technique vids I learned how to feather ( twist ) the blade when stroking to prevent yaw. I can take 8 strokes per side on the AW.
getting that short board made me improve my paddle technique and can now paddle my long board 10 times better.

Thanks everyone for the advice.

I've changed my stroke a tad which helps, and I've just ordered a Futures Byron Kurt ocean fin.

I know it's 'like putting a spoiler on the family sedan' but at least I can use it on a flat water board when I save up the $$$ for it.

Thanks again all.

for those interested, my new fin arrived today. Hopefully I'll be able to test it tomorrow. heres a couple of piccies.