All About SUP Fins!

This is the best article/blog that I have seen on the subject of SUP fins.  Picking the right fin for you, your board, and the conditions is a bit of a black art.  A lot of it is based on feel.  Nothing changes the feel of your board like the right fin.  So how do you pick the right fin?  The best thing you can do is find a more experienced person with the same board.  If you are lucky like me to have some good SUP shops nearby that know their stuff, get them to make some recommendations to you.  Don't go by looks or shape.  Read on to learn about picking the right SUP fin for your board.

http://www.supracefins.com/advice/how-to-choose-a-race-fin/

Just for fun, here are the fins I run on my boards:

• Angulo Shaka XLT (14' x 30") downwind board - Allison Ninja works great for me.  A really good downwind fin that also tracks well.  If it's really flat, I will use the Allison Thresher.
• Bark Custom Unlimited (18'6" x 27").  This board is lightning fast but very tippy for me when going slow.  It gets more stable when going fast or with the wind at my back.  Interestingly, it feels very stable when going downwind in light or moderate wind.  I have not had it out in really windy conditions yet.  On this board, I am running a HUGE Jimmy Lewis fin that was modified to fin the small fin box.  This fin helps stability and tracks great.  I also have an Allison Gladiator that I will go back to once I get more water time on this board.  It feels faster and has more rake.  1/7/2014 UPDATE:  I now have an Allison Batwing fin on this board.  This fin is great.  It fits my tiny fin box, has loads of surface area and lots of rake (so it's great for grassy Tomales Bay).  It's not a very "deep" fin though so you can get through some shallow areas without scratching it up.  What I love about fiberglass fins is you can shave off little bits here and there to get a truly custom fit on your board.