Fins or no Fins?

[jbheuerman]

So one of my fins fell off my board somehow and I'm thinking about just taking the other one off. Can anyone tell me the main differences I should expect in not having the fins? Or anyone else wakeboard without them? Preferences? Thanks.

[kaneboats]

Little more slippery-- you will definitely learn to edge. Way fewer faceplants. Enjoy!

[mcdye]

No fins here.

[RideNH]

no fins, surface spins are much easier

[rjgaumer]

No fins. NEVER!!!!

[jjolson]

So one of my fins fell off my board somehow and I'm thinking about just taking the other one off. Can anyone tell me the main differences I should expect in not having the fins? Or anyone else wakeboard without them? Preferences? Thanks.


It depends on the board that you are riding, the size of the fins you have/had in, how big your molded fins are? I ride both ways. It is easier to slide without the fins but landings initially will not be as solid either. Go easy at first. Good Luck.

[Ian Brantford]

I leave the fins on the board that I use for beginners. The other boards have only the integrated fins.

I basically learned to ride all over again two years ago after buying The Book and Detention 2012 instructional videos. Valuable advice was to take off the fins and to do sliding exercises starting at very low speed (say10-12 MPH).

[madriding1]

Fins are for sissys and girls..
Just kidding.. GO FINLESS

[brain_rinse]

Fins are for sissys and girls..
Just kidding.. GO FINLESS
Whatever, real men can do surface tricks with 3 inch fins and never catch an edge :p

So one of my fins fell off my board somehow and I'm thinking about just taking the other one off. Can anyone tell me the main differences I should expect in not having the fins? Or anyone else wakeboard without them? Preferences? Thanks.
IMO center fins are useful only for the newest of newbies. So when you say "the other one" I assume you're talking center fins. If that's the case ditch them for sure.

But fins in the corners are different and have varying degrees of usefulness depending on their size and the board. I get that not having them forces you to edge properly, but having them allows you to edge even harder (assuming you are already edging correctly.) Like jjolson said, they also have some value when landing.

Personally if the board has molded in fins, that's good enough for me. If it's a featureless board (flex) I like the .7" fins they put on to give it a little extra bite.

So what kind of board are we talking about here?

[jra007]

I guess im the odd-ball here but i always ride with my center fins in place (unless im at a cable park with kickers and sliders). Most boards have molded in fins with optional center fin... My center fin is only 0.7", and gives me a better chance of landing big airs. Everyone is always talking about i "cant spin with my fins"???? Modern boards have enough rocker to easily pull the fins out of the water when you have the board perpendicular with the boat to do any surface spin... But, who does surface spins? You should SPIN IN THE AIR! In my opinion the only reason anyone should ride finless is if they are landing a handfull of inverts, wake-to-wake 3's, on a consistent basis. OR you ride at 6am on perfect glass. Now if you are riding at 2pm on a saturday like the rest of the world in choppy water... well, you know the saying... "Sure you can eat soup with a fork, but you have the sneeky suspicion that there is a better tool for the job"!

Fins are there for a reason, and in my experience they help more often than hurt, especially when trying to land big airs.

[kaneboats]

I think the point is really that the longer fins make a board easier to control for a newbie but keep folks from learning to edge properly. Your fins are almost like molded fins.

[jra007]

Agreed...

i have two .5" molded in fins on each side and one removable .7" center fin on each end (that i leave on).

Im not preaching that everyone should go out and put a 2.5" fin on their wake board. Anything over 1" is extreme and could get in the way... but remember there is no penalty for riding with fins and i bet you'll land more tricks. You'll never hear Dale Earnhardt say i think im going to run Daytona this year "without" my spoilier...right?

[Kidder]

<snip>You'll never hear Dale Earnhardt say i think im going to run Daytona this year "without" my spoilier...right?

You won't hear Dale Earnhardt say anything these days. RIP

[kaneboats]

He still talks to me all the time, especially when I'm driving in traffic on a highway.

[jra007]

You won't hear Dale Earnhardt say anything these days. RIP

Yup... my bad. (Jr.)