King Waka's Korner

pictured above
LONG BASED KEEL'S compared to a standard FCS THRUSTER FIN
DRIVE vs PIVOT Performance

FIN'S

http://www.boardcave.com.au/

how to put a board cover on from adam williams on Vimeo.

Fin Size

The overall size of the fin will make a big difference in the performance. A larger fin will have more hold and provide more control in bigger surf, where as a smaller fin will be loose and less forgiving , but the lack of DRIVE and control needed in bigger surf.

Fin Base

A wide or long fin base will help produce more drive and will allow you to draw out your turns. A narrow , or short fin base will be a little easier to turn, but will provide less drive.

No Knee-Bahs Here from adam williams on Vimeo.

Fin Depth

The depth of a fin is how tall, or how deep into the water the fin goes from the bottom of the board. A deep fin will have more hold and stability , where as a shallow fin will provide more release in your tuns.

Fin Rake

The rake of the fin is how far back the fin tilts or sweeps. The more rake you have in your fin , the more drawn out your turns will be, and are preferable on bigger days or where there is a long wall to work with . A upright fin will pivot a little more and will be more useful on weaker or junky days.

Fin Foil

The foil of the fin is the aerodynamic shape of the fin from front to back , and will help create some lift under the board. Fins are usually thicker around the centre and taper out towards the edges. There is a few basic foils and many variations of these. Side fins found on twins, thrusters and quads are usually flat , or sometimes curved inward on the inside , with its foil on the outside. Centre fins usually have equal foil or double foil on both sides . Usally found on single fins , the centre fin on a thruster , or sometimes the rear fins on quads and some keel fins on traditional fishes .

Fin Cant

The cant of the fin is the outward angle of the fin in relation to the bottom of the board.A fin set up at zero cant, straight up and down, is faster in a straight line , but not very responsive through turns.The more cant a fin has to a degree, the more responsive . This helps keep drive up when the board is tilted or on rail.

Fin Toe

The toe of your fin setup is the angle of the fin pointing towards the centre of the board. Common of the majority of side fins, the toe of the fin creates pressure on the outside foil of the fin , allowing the surfer to have a more responsive feel with the fin or the board.

Flex

Much of a fins performance is going to be directly related to flex. Flex contributes to projection , which in turn produces speed and control.They usually feature a wider base , tapering down to a narrow tip and offer very little drag and alot of projection when coming off a bottom turn.

Tri Fins
Glassed in Boxed

Twin Keel
Large broad based

Bonzers

Spoons & Single Fins

Asymmetrical

UFO\

UFO from adam williams on Vimeo.

Mini Simmons

Richard Palmer
Flexible Keels

richard from adam williams on Vimeo.

Flexible
with Neal Cameron

FLEXIBLE from adam williams on Vimeo.

Textures

Colour

and the moral of this story is....?

Mat Surfing the new 5 Star General Surf Mat from G-MAT CUSTOM SURF MATS

G-MAT CUSTOM SURFMATS

Okay I have been slack and have been meaning to write a review of this new mat, so here we go.

First Impressions

Beautifully hand made mat that has a great deck grip system built in , so no need to add any extra grip or wax.
The air valve ( Boston valve) is different but easy to get use to, apparently there is a rubber diaphragm that normally comes with the valve but Graeme took it out as people were having trouble blowing air into their mats with it in .

Slightly longer and narrower than say the Krypt or the 4GF , which really does not make alot of difference as I never compare mats as ' apples for apples ' as there is too many variables in the rider ( height ,weight & style ) and the actual type of wave that your surfing ( beach , reef or pointbreak)
This is a restricted breather , I am not one to crap on about low inflation and what bend you should be riding it at, its all in the touch & feel on the day your mat hits the water , small days , pump it up and the larger days , let them down , again it all comes down to the ability and experience of the rider!

Our first surf on the 5 Star

I was joined by Neal Cameron and Phil Harper for the early out at Gilligans Island , the surf was not exactly pumping but there was still plenty of push and length of ride for its maiden voyage!
Bonus was were all able to swap mats and all have a ride !So 3 different mats, 3 different riders and 3 bags of mixed air!

watch for the Dolphin cameo right at the end of this video

MIXED BAGS OF AIR from adam williams on Vimeo.

Phil Harper below

Finding the G SPOT by Phil Harper

Early Birds

This time I was able to share a few small right handers with Paul Newman, at one of our favorite reef breaks

Vision below
2 different mats and riders
2 different views from their cameras

EARLY BIRDS from adam williams on Vimeo.

Mat Adventures from Bulkheads Stuff on Vimeo.

Feeling Flat?
now that's really low inflation

Late afternoon , after work surf at Gilligans.
Drove into the carpark and one of my mates mentioned that Tom Carroll was out in the water...so I paddled out on the 5 Star , straight inside everyone and took off on the biggest close out set that I could get , much to the bewilderment of the crew out there, paddled back out and said hello to Tommy as I paddled past, back to the inside again!

Vision below via my helmet cam

Tommy Gun and the 5 Star General from adam williams on Vimeo.