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Enhance the flow…

Surfer: Lance Carleton
Photo: Andrew Shields

Guides

Fin Primer and Layout Guides

This page contains a fin layout primer and a collection of fin layout guides for different types of boards and fin setups. You can freely download these guides to use as a starting point for determining your custom layout.

These layout guides provide information on fin positioning for various fin setups. They are not specific to any given board length and are only intended to serve as a starting point. The builder is left to determine their preferred layout.

Please keep checking back as we periodically update these guides as the layout progresses or when new ones are added.

Fin Primer

A Guide to FIN SETUP and TERMINOLOGY

At best, this is more art than science, but well worth experimenting with!

The beauty of an adjustable fin system is that you can go out and experiment for yourself to verify what effect a change in fin placement can have on a board's overall performance. This primer will use some terminology best explained upfront so that we all speak the same language.

Terminology

fin triangle or cluster

this is the grouping of the fins, whether a thruster, quad, or 2PLUS1; it refers to the entire fin layout

fin setup

this is the position of the entire fin cluster as a unit, either all forward, all back, spread apart, grouped, etc.

cant angle

also referred to as fin angle, it is the amount by which the side fins are leaning out from the centerline of the surfboard, bottom-up

toe-in

this is the amount that the front of the fin boxes are pointed in (toed in) from the centerline of the box towards the stringer

fore 'n' aft

this is the position of the fin in the box forward or backward along the length of the board

spread fin cluster

this is where all the fins in the cluster are spread as far apart as possible, and side fins all the way forward and center fin back. This generally makes the board stiffer. The fins are spread as far apart as the box adjustment will allow for quads

tight fin cluster

the opposite of the spread fin cluster, typically side fins back and center fin all the way forward, makes the board looser and more pivotal. For quads, the fins are pushed as close together as the box adjustments allow, with front fins back and back fins all the way forward

thruster setup

a thruster setup consists of side fins and a center fin, with the most common setup featuring fins all the same height

quad setup

a quad setup consists of two sets of side fins, with the most common setup featuring a larger set of fins in front of a smaller set. The placement of these two sets relative to each other can vary widely, but our preference is for them to be close together

Reverse quad setup

a reverse quad setup consists of two sets of side fins, with smaller fins in front of a larger set. The placement of these two sets relative to each other can vary widely, but our preference is for them to be close together. This is a term we coined to describe this setup arrangement

Twinzer setup

a twinzer setup consists of two sets of side fins, with small canard-style fins in front of a much larger set. The placement of these two sets relative to each other is typically very tight to allow the canard fin to serve as a transition fin to the larger fin. In addition, the canard fins typically have additional cant built into the base to have more cant than the boxes usually provide

Twin fin setup

a twin fin setup consists of two side fins. Typically, larger fins are used in these setups to provide adequate drive

5FIN setup

a 5FIN setup is simply a quad setup with the addition of a center box, and this allows the board to be ridden as either a quad or a thruster or with all five fins

2PLUS1 setup

a 2PLUS1 setup consists of side fins and a much larger center fin, most commonly placed in a regular longboard center box. The side fins are typically small in relationship to the size of the center fin, but the heights can vary

Fin Setup Traits

spread fin cluster

TRAIT
longer turning arc, more common on longer boards or guns

CONDITIONS
larger, faster waves, situations where a gun would more likely be used

tight fin cluster

TRAIT
shorter turning arc, the typical setup for smaller thrusters

CONDITIONS
wide range, depending on skill and the board's shape

fin cluster forward

TRAIT
looser, shortest arc, less hold
CONDITIONS
pivotal surfing on small to medium waves

fin cluster normal

TRAIT
loose with control, typically the position designed by the shaper
CONDITIONS
versatile wide range of conditions

fin cluster back

TRAIT
more control, more projection, bigger tube/pocket waves

CONDITIONS
once again typical for situations where a gun would be used

more fin cant

TRAIT
looser with less drive, requires more turning to generate speed

CONDITIONS
small to medium surf

less fin cant

TRAIT
stiffer with more drive, bigger, faster hollow surf

CONDITIONS
commonly used in twin fins, guns, or tow-in boards

The above is just a tiny sampling of the more apparent combinations. There are many more in between or with subtle variations. The intent is to provide a little insight into the more general characteristics of fin placement.

The position and cant of the fins are critical and significantly affect a surfboard's performance. The slightest change can sometimes dramatically affect the board, but it is not a magic bullet. Sometimes, the opposite effect can occur. Fin setup is just one piece in a complex dynamic system of shapes and curves that make up a surfboard.

Each board is different, as is each surfer, so any changes could have various results depending on the board and the surfer!

The information provided above applies to a 2+1 fin setup, except that the size of the center fin has a more heavily weighted effect on the cluster. The smaller the center fin, the more it will perform like a thruster. Therefore, the placement of the center fin will be the most controlling aspect of the setup's performance.

Of course, other factors can affect fin setup, including the size and shape of the fin, its foiling, and whether all the fins in the cluster are the same. However, we believe the beauty of an adjustable system is that it allows the surfer to experiment to determine what works for them and helps them learn the significance of being able to adjust the fin setup on a surfboard.

Our system was designed with built-in adjustability, making hands-on experimentation with fin adjustment easier.

Illustrated Terms

The renderings in this section show illustrations for some of the terms used in the fin setup discussion. Hopefully, these will provide a visual guide to some of the terminologies.

Fin Cluster

FIN CLUSTER

Shows what is referred to as a fin cluster, the combination of all the fins in the layout.

Fin Cluster Rear

CLUSTER REAR VIEW

Another view of the fin cluster from the rear of the board shows the cant angles of the fins in the cluster. This is the most common view used to refer to the left and right fins when talking about fins.

Cant Angle

CANT ANGLE

Shows how the cant angle is measured. The cant angle is built into the box with the GB24 fin system. The correct cant angle needs to be selected before installation.

Toe-in

TOE-IN

The toe-in of the boxes is another critical value, shown in this drawing. This is the distance the boxes are pointed towards the stringer from the box centerline. This can vary from the front to the back fins in quad setups.

Spread Cluster

SPREAD FIN CLUSTER

A spread fin cluster is where the fins are spread as far apart as possible. For a thruster, the side fins are as far forward as possible, and the center fin is as far back as possible. For quads, the front fins are as far forward as possible, and the back fins are as far back as possible.

Tight Cluster

TIGHT FIN CLUSTER

A tight fin cluster is where the fins are pushed as close together as possible. For a thruster, the side fins are as far back as possible and the center fin as far forward as possible. For quads, the front fins are as far back as possible, and the back fins are as far forward as possible.

Fin Primer
FIN PRIMER Cover
Download

Layout Guides

Downloadable guides to fin placement.

Several fin layout options cover all the most common fin setups. To facilitate usage, downloadable PDF files are provided.

The provided layout guides show the GB24 box being used, but these guides can be used with any fin system as the measurements apply to any of them.

Twinzer Layout
Twinzer Layout
Download
Quad Layout
Quad Layout
Download
5FIN Layout
5FIN Layout
Download
Thruster Layout
Thruster Layout
Download
Twin Layout
TWIN Layout
Download
2PLUS1 Layout
2PLUS1 Layout
Download
KB Twinzer Layout
KB Twinzer Layout
Download
KB Quad Layout
KB Quad Layout
Download
KB 5FIN Layout
KB 5FIN Layout
Download
KB Thruster Layout
KB Thruster Layout
Download
KB Twin Layout
KB Twin Layout
Download

Advanced fin designs to take your surfing to the next level

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