Fin advice 7' Fowler V8

[messierishome]

Reposting under a new thread since it got burried already

I now have 2 V8's , Dansan's 8'2 tanker (Im 155 / 5'8) and a 7'0 single fin. A real connoisseur.
I love the 8'2 in any slopey not hollow fat waves just planes into anything and even though its an 8'2 it paddles better than some 9'0s ive had, I know its very chunky. Im having fun running it with a set of controller quads. It has a nice amount of looseness yet control over a single fin that i tried - 9.75 greenough..

The 7'0 on the other hand is still a mystery to me. It paddles almost as easy as my 7'9 vaq - im guessing due to the extra width, and its semi duckdivable... Ive only been able to take it out on a handful of mediocre quality days at OBSF. Once up on the wave with any face I love it, its really loose and more carvy than the 8'2 obviously. However I'm really struggling on waves with a bit more oomph where I need to stick a slightly bigger bottom turn - think waves that Vaq eats for breakfast. Like I get in the wave and I'm like ok this is nothing tooo special or too powerful but then kinda fall off it on the bottom turn as the board picks up speed, almost feels like the fin is clawing to hold and kind of shakes me off. So I really want to try to dial it before giving up - 1. need better waves obviously - or maybe the right wave for it?, 2. more practice 3. fin ?

I'm running a 9.75 Greenough per Bruce's rec. and its a pretty tight fin box - unlike the extra long on the newer v8's but i guess there's some room for adjustment 1/2" maybe either way? When i got it, it did come with the 9" Greenough Stage 6 which I have yet to try, but hard to imagine that being less squirrely, was thinking trying my 10.25 DRD4 critter?

Any thoughts appreciated.

 

[DanSan]

I run 4A 9.75 in 8' and above .

You could try a velzy...
Or a fin with more base like capt fin co.
Scotty s. Fin...

Is ypur 7.0 a 2+1..or 4+1?
Try a quad with a smaller center

 

[messierishome]

I run 4A 9.75 in 8' and above .

You could try a velzy...
Or a fin with more base like capt fin co.
Scotty s. Fin...

Is ypur 7.0 a 2+1..or 4+1?
Try a quad with a smaller center

Its a single sadly, i would have definitely loved it as a 2+1.

 

[DanSan]

Honestly...i prefer single
99.9999999999999999999999% of the time..ha..
But you stull have choices
I scored this sweet Boardworks Sunrise
9.75 fin from a friend...more base than a 4A...and other slight differences..plus
I have this 9.5 gato heroi tfin..i use in my 8.6 frankenspud..
You will have some fun..exploring the single life..

 

[messierishome]

Honestly...i prefer single
99.9999999999999999999999% of the time..ha..
But you stull have choices
I scored this sweet Boardworks Sunrise
9.75 fin from a friend...more base than a 4A...and other slight differences..plus
I have this 9.5 gato heroi tfin..i use in my 8.6 frankenspud..
You will have some fun..exploring the single life..

Yea agreed, I think I just gotta try something different. The 4a although an excellent fin may not be the answer in all cases. With that said I need to learn to surf better. The couple of good waves I've gotten got me dreaming of what could be and then I go ahead and blow half my other waves.

 

[ekim]

I'd try the 9" stage 6.

 

[Macilious]

Yea agreed, I think I just gotta try something different. The 4a although an excellent fin may not be the answer in all cases. With that said I need to learn to surf better. The couple of good waves I've gotten got me dreaming of what could be and then I go ahead and blow half my other waves.

First of all fins are totally subjective. I like smaller fins that give me a little slide with side bites to juuuuuuust keeps me in there. It sounds to me like you need a bigger fin and think "smooth" on your bottom turns.

So I try to think "smooth" on my bottom turn and then use the fin and corner of the board that's in the wave for control, then move forward for speed and drop down, then back to the corner. Does that make any sense to you? It does to me, but WTF do I know.

#1 the 4A is always the answer! There maybe better answers, but the 4A is ALWAYS the ANSWER! Don't anger the Forum Elders.

#2 Ditto E-Kim on Stage 6 (but I'm biased. I like E-Kim and the Stage 6 fin). With the Stage 6 if try to snap a bottom turn it'll TWAAAAAANG and you just stop dead. So think carving and not slashing.

#3 I have an 8'6" V8 and I have 2 "Velzys" - one is a fake super light plastic and the other is a standard both 10" and I set them 12" from the tail. All this advice came from E-Kim as well!

Enjoy the journey... because there's no destination.

Mac

 

[CantDecide]

Enjoy the journey... because there's no destination.

Mac

Damn that is so true when it comes to rudder research. It’s all about the journey. There is no right answer!

 

[messierishome]

First of all fins are totally subjective. I like smaller fins that give me a little slide with side bites to juuuuuuust keeps me in there. It sounds to me like you need a bigger fin and think "smooth" on your bottom turns.

So I try to think "smooth" on my bottom turn and then use the fin and corner of the board that's in the wave for control, then move forward for speed and drop down, then back to the corner. Does that make any sense to you? It does to me, but WTF do I know.

#1 the 4A is always the answer! There maybe better answers, but the 4A is ALWAYS the ANSWER! Don't anger the Forum Elders.

#2 Ditto E-Kim on Stage 6 (but I'm biased. I like E-Kim and the Stage 6 fin). With the Stage 6 if try to snap a bottom turn it'll TWAAAAAANG and you just stop dead. So think carving and not slashing.

#3 I have an 8'6" V8 and I have 2 "Velzys" - one is a fake super light plastic and the other is a standard both 10" and I set them 12" from the tail. All this advice came from E-Kim as well!

Enjoy the journey... because there's no destination.

Mac

I hear you on the 4A just feels like the board is quite funky and unlike my 8'2 I cant get in the wave as early so Im finding myself doing later/slightly steeper drops and get whipped off. Somehow don't see how stage 6 would be any better but with that said I have it so it doesnt cost me anything to try - so I will. I think the other point here is that Im still figuring out where to use that board. I figured weak, small summer waves. But maybe a santa cruz point of sorts.

 

[ekim]

I would not recommend the board in weak surf. Beachbreak that dumps quick and needs quick directional changes is not when you want to bring this board out. I like it in at least head high to comfortably overhead,open-face waves where you would not have to normally pump a board to catch up. Best thing about the board is getting the sweet spot in the middle where you don't have to shuffle your feet to turn it. Good step up for when longboard waves get a little more performance and you don't like walking around the board?