It looks like the surfing world is catching up with the age of technology, or maybe it’s the other way around.
Surfing, and surfboards, have always been based on equipment that was handmade and personally designed by a shaper/designer. Then, not all that long ago really, came molded boards and the “shaping machine.” The shaping machine pretty much does all the work and the shaper just has to finish the board off a little bit. They have board designs that are on computer chips these days. Who would have ever thought this would happen back when Hobie and Grubby Clark were mixing up the first batches of polyurethane foam?
The molded boards are self-explanatory — they are made in a mold. We used to call these “pop outs” back in the dinosaur days. The modern molded boards are generally lighter and more ding resistant than normal boards, but they do break in half easier for the most part. There are those who love them and those who hate them. My opinion is that it all depends on the particular board you are talking about. My surfboards are all handmade, but my stand-up paddleboards (SUPs) are molded.
Recently, there have been more changes in surfing. One of the most controversial and talked about changes are man-made waves: wave machines and wave pools. The most notable is Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch in Central California. When I first saw video of this I was amazed. My first thought, and I am sure many others had the same, was, “Wow, I wanna ride that.”
I can remember doing a surfing exhibition at the first wave pool in Tempe, Ariz., in 1969. It was called Big Surf. I can testify that Kelly Slater’s wave is far, far beyond the mush-burgers at Big Surf. It is so good, in fact, that they are now holding world-rated surfing events there. You have stands, concessions, parking — the whole nine yards. Just like going to most any other sporting event. To actually ride a wave there, though, costs both arms, both legs and those of all your pals, too.
Taking this even further, we have all kinds of powered boards coming out right and left. A few years ago a company put out a powered surfboard that moved about three times the speed that a person could paddle. Made it easier to get into the lineup and to catch waves. The thing was really heavy though and that was a drawback. And the battery life was pretty short. There have been others that have almost made the market but for one reason or another, probably funding, haven’t. I was all into designing a board that would surf good and had a motor that actually had some speed to it a few years back. But the company didn’t have the resources and it never happened.
Recently, a powered “foil” hit the market. This thing looks pretty cool but costs a lot. And I am not sure I wanna be around in the lineup when some beginner comes screaming along on a powered foil. Just normal ones are pretty dangerous — can you imagine getting hit by a foil going really fast? Ouch. But the concept is really interesting.
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Then, even more recently, I got a press release for a new powered “fin.” It’s a surfboard fin with a propeller on the back of it. Like the powered board, this fin adds a slight increase in speed. You can catch waves easier, for sure, but I would have to try one to say how it affects the riding of the board. So far, I have not had the chance.
So here we have it. We show up at Kelly’s Surf Ranch with a powered foil and one of those new watches that can tell you how far you ride, how fast you go and if you are cool. Put on a battery-powered heated wetsuit, waterproof iPod, set your watch and jump in. That’s about as “mod” as you can get, I guess. I have no idea how much this is all gonna cost, but it’s probably more than most of us can muster up for a few rides in fresh water.
Or, we can show up at our local beach with a decent board and a normal watch that tells the time and maybe the tide but has no idea if you are cool. Slip on your mildew-smelling old wetsuit and paddle out. Total cost is very low.
Ask the expert
Q. Can you explain to me what the difference is between using one fin, two fins, three fins, four, or more? I don’t get it.
Bruce Tucker, San Clemente
A. OK, here’s the short version, as there is not enough space to give you a real detailed rundown on this.
For the most part, the outline and overall shape of the surfboard more than not determines the fin set up. For instance: A big wave board is longer, usually narrower and more drawn in toward the tail and you want a very big turning radius. So the normal set up is single fin. The opposite would be a board designed for short peaky beach breaks. Then you’d want a wider and shorter board with way more width in the tail and a much smaller turning radius. With a wider tail either two fins (twin fin) or four fins (quad) works best. The placement of the fins near the rails keeps the wide tail board from spinning out.
Everything else is in between and can be set up according to the surfer’s personal taste. I like quads for small- to medium-size surf, myself, but many like tri fins or single fins. There are some who add a small trailer fin to a quad on the tail and in the center.
It’s all personal taste, but the board design is a huge factor in choosing the fin set-up. I hope that clears it up for you.
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