Wakeskater - Fin Technology

Fin Technology

Fins are constructed with three different kinds of materials. The first and original fin material to wakeskating is plastic. This material will bend and crack if it is exposed to the right conditions. When the fin breaks and bends, it loses its performance. Plastic fins can only be molded down to .5 inches in width. Fin manufacturers also use fiberglass and aluminum. Due to the fact that they are hand molded or machined they can be much narrower. The narrow fins will cut down on drag in the water. Aluminum fins are heavier and cost more, but they hold up to the beating that wakeskating can give them. Fiberglass fins are cheaper than aluminum fins, but in time they chip apart. They don’t weigh as much as aluminum fins either.

The length of the fin on your board can vary greatly. Some fins are 5-8.5 inches long. The longer fins are good because, they don’t have to be as deep to get the same surface area in the water. They will track better than a fin that is shorter. Also the long fins work better on rails and ramps because they are shallow enough that they will not make a lot of contact with the rail and ramp. Shorter fins must be deeper to get the same amount of tracking. A shallower fin will not track as good as a deeper one. But a deeper fin will have more drag in the water, and it will not release from the water as fast.

Many wakeskates are designed to be ridden without fins. After several early years of stigma associating finless riding with bad style, several prominent wakeskaters who prefer to ride finless have emerged over the last few years giving legitimacy to the argument that fins are a personal preference and not totally necessary.