Stage 6 aficionados

[halfalpine]

My understanding is that this fin does not have a huge following--it isn't everyone's 'default fin' like the 4A, and it isn't as esoteric (or as $$$) as the Powerblade. I'm interested to learn more, and to share my own experiences. What boards/waves make this fin light up? Which ones didn't work?

9'3" FCD high-performace longboard: I have surfed this board a ton with the 9.75" Stage 6, and it's the best setup I've found for a board that I otherwise run as a 2+1. It extends the range from shoulder-high down to about knee high. I mean, I can surf this board in small waves with other fins, but it's not as much fun Nice and loose, and I can actually walk a bit on a narrow, rockered board that normally doesn't allow for much fore/aft movement. I generally drop the Stage 6 once the waves get head-high because there are better options in the quiver, and in the fin bin. This is the setup that originally got me turned on to the Stage 6. Run it somewhere in the middle of the box.

10'0" Soundings noserider: I have never found a placement for the 9.75" Stage 6 that doesn't feel terrible. Normally I run a 10.25" Tyler Warren pivot fin. Feels like I don't have enough drive off the bottom, but then I can't set up for a good trim, either. I need to keep trying different placements but it's not happening at the moment with this board.

7'4" Trimcraft re.bowls: I've had a few really fun sessions in chest to head-high waves with an 8" Stage 6 almost all the way back in the box. All of these sessions were in clean, punchier conditions. I never felt like I really figured out the bottom turn with this one, but once I got going down the line, I could go places on the wave that I don't usually go on this board. Not 100% sold yet, but it was a distinctly unique experience and I'm not done experimenting. (Normally I run the 8.5" Lovelace as a single on this board.)

Up next: Curious to try out the 8" in my 8'2" Haley Pin sometime over the next few days. We will see...

How has this fin worked/not worked for you?

 

[Bonzourno]

Look forward to hearing your HP ride report. I’m having a hard time justifying $200 for a PowerBlade when I can pick up the wicked stepchild for much cheaper.

 

[Lackosense]

Ive got a 9 inch stage 6 that gets no use, like new..few superficial scratches as pictured.

$old

 

[halfalpine]

Surfed this fin for six days straight during what was left of Ian in New England. Mostly clean waves (OK, it got a little windy sometimes) from stomach to overhead during the week. Rode it exclusively on my 8'2" Haley Pin, and moved it all over the box. In my experience, it's a case of "lots of hold, not much drive".

My best session was probably the first morning: fast, stomach-high lefts & rights that would hold a section and had some steepness to the face. I could really move around on the deck, and scored my first cheater fives on this particular board. It was also fun to ride with the fin way up the box on a day like this. I felt a little under-finned, but every time the tail started to wash out, it would lock in after slipping a little bit, and the board would just accelerate--cool.

It also worked really well later that night, when the it bumped up to head/overhead and the break I was at was almost closing out, and I slid it a little over halfway back in the box. I could get in reasonably early with my longer board, then set a line and the fin would just "stick" in the really fast sections--even when I assumed I was going to get sucked up the face or not make the section. (Seems like bumping up to a 9" Stage 6 would have been great in this situation.) Other positive impressions: it worked pretty well in chop, maybe because I felt like I carried a little bit more speed down the line. I could still do a decent cutback, but felt I had to step on the tail a little harder to make it happen. This is probably due to the rider, not the fin!

Later on in the week, I tried the board at some softer, longer breaks. I felt like it was harder to pump and harder to pull off a really satisfying bottom turn, just not responsive as I wanted. The fin was still a "section-maker" when the wave got a little faster, but all-purpose cruising did not feel as rewarding.

In the future I will probably be surfing the Stage 6 in the front half of the box in punchier conditions, and surfing the 8.5" 4A on softer days, even when big.

 

[Chilly Willy]

Glad you brought it up. I've always wondered about this fin, if nothing else just to see what it's all about. Interesting takes on it. I see that you have two sizes of it -- that was part of my dilemma. Do I go with the 9.75" to try in my longboards, or maybe a 9" to test it out in some of my mids. Specifically, I thought it would be fun to try it in an 8'6" that I shaped. Generally speaking, would you say that you appreciate the fin more in a midlength or a longboard?

 

[halfalpine]

I've ridden it on two mids and two longboards. I like in my high-performance longboard and my flat, pintail mid. I don't like it in my noserider or my tri-plane, round-tail 7'4" (rebowls).