Single Fins in Heavy Beachies

Been thinking of putting a fin box in my shorty and seeing how a single fin would go in winter beach breaks?

Toyed with the idea for a while but keen to fork out the bones to get it done.

My 'shorty' is a 6'5 x 20 x 2 3/4 with a rounded square tail - sort of a big fish.

Anyone got any thoughts on it?

Imagine they would go well in the juice and 'attempted barrels' of my witner beachy, thrusters don't seem to have the speed if you don't have the room to pump the face before hand, have surfed single fins on mals in some solid stuff and they just seem to find their own line and are user friendly and fun in juicy waves.

Obviously be a bit different on a shorter board but wondering..

My suggestion would be think very carefully before doing this to a board with a wide tail. I would like to have a shot on a single with a 70s style pin, or maybe something like KS's deep six pipe board. Last thing I'd want is a tail too wide to allow the fin to engage. See Owen's sliding barrel at Fiji for the shenanigans that might follow.

But is this really an issue? My thrusters go great. Lack of speed has never been a problem. I'd suggest you might get better performance from a different board. Trim some width and thickness and look at the rocker.

I surfed a old school single that was 7'5 in some.dirty sand banked beachies...the ones where ya had to pick your waves or you got some underwater cartwheel lessons. I loved it and am now going to get a more refined one made.

I got some.nice ones on my shorty,yet I got on this big girl, and wow. Gave me a super easy paddle with all the water movement going on. Got me into the waves really nice,and the single just did its own thing after the bottom turn. No.slipping either as it had a big old flex fin it.

My one will not be so.wide under the chest and will have a more modern bottom. I thought of going shorter,but canned that idea after the above mentioned reasons. On beachies like that I just want to get on them,generally beat that first section,or just tuck in hopefully no top to bottom surfing from me.

Oh I would no.way get a anything but a pin or a rounded pin

Thruster setup turns better/faster in the pocket. To snap, fade, position, whatever, into the tube in beachies.. But as far as a new challenge goes and if ya have a spare board to mod. Could be a novelty kinda fun board option.

the wide fish tail is what will **** you in a heavy beachie

Check out 5'5 19@1/4 redux... Chris wards section at a heavy beachie in chile on a MR single fin... It will get you inspired....

I really should restore the 7ft single fin len dibben sitting in the garden.

...and by restore I only mean making it water tight.

Haha yeah but it was very sad. I went out and their was one other guy. I asked him what his excuse was, as i was interesting in paddling and seeing if i went too high in volume. Well he just bought a new wetsuit and wanted to try it in the cold.

The worst thing was three others then came out as they said they thought we must have known something they didn't

You talking about the 'metre club' Smicko? No dice on that front, had fun at the toga party though!