Make a board based on a fin set?

The other day we were discussing how to choose which fin system to use in a new board, and the question was asked, "should someone have a board made with a particular fin set in mind?" As our minds wandered momentarily about how specific you could get, we were brought back into focus when Roger said, "you design the board for the wave, and choose the fins the same way."

He has a great point. If you were to make a board for a particular set of fins, why wouldn't you glass them on? After all, beyond travel function, aren't we using fin systems to enable us to switch out fins for changing conditions?

When a board is designed, there focus is on what type of waves we will be surfing; fast and hollow, slow and mushy, ect. Fins are selected for the conditions. When you get your 6'3" rounded pin for juicy surf, and the waves are 4-6' and hollow, you'll pop in a medium size performance fin. At 8-10' and hollow, you'll be stepping up to a larger fin with more drive and hold.

Same with a longboard. Our local break is pretty slow and mushy most of the time, so most of our boards are long, flat and have fairly soft rails. When it's small I see most of the dominant surfers using pivot fins to keep the board loose at low speed. When the swell jumps up a bit, they ride the same board with a fins that has more rake and a wider base.

Pivot Fin with a vertical template











Rake Fin with a swept back template