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Hatchet fins ....
- Thread starter flyinraptr
- Start date
You have to place these large tips where they will release
That places the forward base area where it basiclly makes that area ineffective
A well designed fin planes and holds at the base and releases above that
Everyone has felt that Planing effect when doing floaters
Planing on large tips with nothing at the base is not what you want
That places the forward base area where it basiclly makes that area ineffective
A well designed fin planes and holds at the base and releases above that
Everyone has felt that Planing effect when doing floaters
Planing on large tips with nothing at the base is not what you want
As mentioned in the OP - single hatchet fins have been around awhile. One notable difference i see is with the length of the single hatchet fin - the premise of the hatchet part of the fin sitting deeper in the water below the turbulence makes sense. With the twin/quad sets - the fins are obviously not as long - so it would seem that the premise of sitting deeper in the water would not make as much sense or be as effective.
who’s signing autographs on surfboards in the parking lot?
Have you ever stopped to consider that people like a variety of different feels out of their surfboards?
My Vaquero for example. The fin it came with is great. The Greenough 4A on it is great. The Power Blade fin is great.
All feel different. All feel great. I happen to like the way the power blade feels the best.
Why is this a problem?
It reflects my understanding of why i surf.
So Griff, the “opinion” of the end user, the actual buyer/consumer of the product doesn’t matter because of his level of understanding of the design ?
I may not be able to explain why I like a certain board/fin combo, or hell even a specific sandwich but I know what I like and if I’m paying for it, well ........
I may not be able to explain why I like a certain board/fin combo, or hell even a specific sandwich but I know what I like and if I’m paying for it, well ........
rode some stepanek hatchet twins for a while in a 5'3" fish
had a unique feeling of loading up and releasing that was cool, but not ideal for the beachbreak conditions i was surfing the board in. would try again for point surf
would not say they were groundbreaking
had a unique feeling of loading up and releasing that was cool, but not ideal for the beachbreak conditions i was surfing the board in. would try again for point surf
would not say they were groundbreaking
I've never tried hatchets. But I've never surfed and thought "I wish these fins had LESS base." Within reason of course. I'm never throwing huge keels on a board they don't belong in.
But I'm not a small guy. That's gotta be a huge factor too.
But I'm not a small guy. That's gotta be a huge factor too.
That’s the thing. I can explain why a board works the way it does because I do understand board design.
Can I make a good board that works? Nope.
But I’ve ridden surf boards for 40 years and I’ve always pursued an understanding of my equipment.
Riding a variety of shapes, sometimes radical departures from what’s considered ‘functional’, has been very valuable for me in understanding design applications.
GG makes a board with fins and seems to believe that riding that board with some other fin setup is ‘wrong’. In my mind not trying different fins is wrong. Maybe I’d go back to the fins ‘made for the board’ or maybe a different set works better for me in certain conditions. Either way I‘m going to learn something by experimentation.
Surfing for me is an exploration. It’s about fun. It’s about challenges.
I have a single fin stinger that is incredibly difficult to ride. It’s basically unbalanced (super thick in the front half and thinned out and narrow in the back), a fin box that is fucked up so the fin wiggles around in it and no way to attach a leash.
I like to occasionally take it out at a central reef break when it’s pretty solid and try to figure out how to make it work. The board is an absolute dog but it’s fun as hell to surf.
There is no “right” way.
Yeah, Chandler may design for the type of surfing he thinks it the platonic ideal for each board he shapes, but I don't get the "only one way or it's wrong" thinking in surfing. I love the experimentation part of trying new fins and board design details, and feeling the difference. There's surely no objective right/wrong since the type of surfing each person wants to do and the sensations they are after are so subjective. You may think "HP longboarding" is super stylish, while I may think it looks like an abomination. Two of us can ride the same board in the same conditions, but one might prefer more upright fins and the other raked (hello AM sheeple). Why would one be "wrong"?? I've reluctantly put in fins in a board because they were the only ones I had in the car that day which I wouldn't have tried otherwise, and they ended up working so well I haven't taken them out that board.
Back to the topic, I think the idea that the hatchet part needs to be further from the board to be effective makes sense based solely on my own experience. Now that i think about it, the quad/tri seemed like they were getting in their own way sometimes and were confused when they should spring or release during a turn. I've never tried the big twins (instead of keels) or the big single fin, but I could see how that might work better than the smaller ones, or at least more as intended. Might have to try a hatchet single fin in my 8'. Different feels are fun!!!
Back to the topic, I think the idea that the hatchet part needs to be further from the board to be effective makes sense based solely on my own experience. Now that i think about it, the quad/tri seemed like they were getting in their own way sometimes and were confused when they should spring or release during a turn. I've never tried the big twins (instead of keels) or the big single fin, but I could see how that might work better than the smaller ones, or at least more as intended. Might have to try a hatchet single fin in my 8'. Different feels are fun!!!
Good info - sounds like very familiar feel to flex fins. Personally - i like the feel in certain conditions and would agree not the best choice for beachbreaks.
Well said. I see guys riding the same board, with the same fin setup every day regardless of conditions or break .... year after year. If that's they want to do - so be it ....to me ... how f'ing boring that would get at some point. i like riding different boards, different fin setups .... figuring out how they are suppose to be ridden to get the most out of them ... to me a lot more interesting and fun and i think it goes a long way with progressing/expanding your technical surfing ability.
Thats the CNN version
I give the customer the best fins for the board and its design with the board .
They are welcome to move away from that .