Single Fin Placement

Fin placement is not universal for board types or all riders. When you decide on the fin for your board, the most common place to start is in the center of the box. After surfing with the fin in the center for a few sessions, move the fin in quarter to half inch increments to achieve the desired performance. Move the fin forward, toward the nose, to make the board turn easier, and move the fin back toward the tail to stabilize the board and draw turns out. When surfing bigger, faster waves, move the fin back for better control at high speeds.

If you are new to surfing or you want to work on nose riding, then start with the fin all the way back in the fin box. By moving the fin back, the fin will hold the tail securely while nose riding, and be easier to control. Placing the fin further back also stabilizes the board when you are riding the white water.


To get more performance out of a single fin board in punchy surf, you may want to add side bites. Side bites are the side fins to a 2+1 fin set up, and tend to be significantly smaller than standard thruster side fins. For this fin configuration, the best place to start is with the leading edge of the center fin aligned with the trailing tips of the side bites.