Hi guys. I was hoping to throw a question out to the brains trust. Ages ago there was a conversation here on the forums about whether or not fins make any difference to surfing. Some swore that fin selection was paramount and others said it doesn't matter much. I found the same true in people I know, some surfers have flash fins but some surfers I know who surf very heavy waves swear by M5s. My general opinion is that rails, rocker, volume etc would surely make more difference than fins, but I am happy to experiment and be proven wrong.

Anyway, I got a gift voucher for a surf shop as part of a Christmas present. I have enough money to look into trialing a set of fins. Bit of background, my surfboards are all old and tired, generally around 6'2 - 6'4 older style, 18 and half by 2 and half. Wish I could get a more modern, flatter rocker shorter board but my budget when I buy a board is very low and I hunt around in the second hand market. What sort of fins would you recommend, if any at all? Presently, I use M5 although some of my boards have glassed in soar fins and they seem to 'giddy up' a bit better; maybe its just a good shape.

How much do you weigh? Quad or thruster?

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mitchbat said..
How much do you weigh? Quad or thruster?

Yeah good question. I didn't want to overload the first post with info. Usually around 80 - 85kg, closer to 85. All boards are thrusters, never ridden a quad. Skill level is reasonably modest although my confidence has stepped up recently.

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PaddlePig said..

mitchbat said..
How much do you weigh? Quad or thruster?

Yeah good question. I didn't want to overload the first post with info. Usually around 80 - 85kg, closer to 85. All boards are thrusters, never ridden a quad. Skill level is reasonably modest although my confidence has stepped up recently.

I've been using as a thruster set PC7 sides and a PC5 rear, seems to work really well in powerful waves. I use a quad set up with a mix of shapers rear fins and FCS fronts.
I'm a similar weight.

I can't go past Merrick G-AM or shapers AM2's.
perfect for your weight and the G-AM's made a huge difference to my boards when I changed from M5. Heaps more hold

Thanks for the feedback guys.