Fins are a pivotal component in nearly all paddle boarding activities.
Fins are responsible for maintaining stability and direction.
Without fins you board will begin to turn or twist underneath you as you paddle, with fins however you will be able to stay straight as an arrow whilst paddling.
Now obviously depending on what activity you are doing these fins will be responsible for ensuring you are able to perform that activity to the best of your ability.
For example if you were SUP racing you obviously wouldn’t want a large bulky fin that could create drag in the water and slow you down.
Below you will find my top picks for Fins to suit your paddling needs.
Best SUP Surf Fins
Starting out with my favourite variation of Paddle boarding, SUP surfing.
SUP Surfing is a tricky one to recommend fins for as there are so many different fin setups available.
With this in mind I am going to recommend my top Quad Fins, thruster fins and large centre fin.
Quad Fins
The purpose of quad fins is to provide greater speed when riding waves, when using a quad fin setup (providing the board is designed to suit) you will notice a considerable increase in on wave speed.
This does make maneuvers such as sharp turns and cutbacks somewhat more challenging, not necessarily more difficult, just more challenging.
Read into that what you will.
If you are someone who appreciates on wave speed you will very much enjoy a quad fin.
Providing your board suites the FCS fin range then my top pick for performance SUP surf fins at a reasonable price point is the FCS II SUP Performer PC Quad.
PC in the name stands for Performance Core.
Performance core is a process of building up the fins using multilayers resin transfer moulding.
This makes the fins, light yet stiff to offer drive in and out of turns.
If you are serious about SUP surfing and you are in the market for some new quad fins, the FCS II SUP Performers better be in your shortlist.
Thruster Fins
The thruster fin configuration is one of the most commonly used setups.
This incorporates a centre fin with two side fins.
This configuration offers a great compromise between speed and control.
Being able to pivot and turn off the centre fins whilst the side fins lock you in and drive you in and out of your turns.
I tend to find that if your surf conditions are somewhat inconsistent then this is a great fin setup to have as it allows performance in both quick punchy days and slow rolling days.
If you are in the market for some new thruster fins then again I am going to recommend looking to FCS.
In fact it is the same fins that I recommended for the Quad setup but instead the thruster variation.
My top pick for Thruster fins for your SUP is the FCS II SUP Performer PC Thruster Fins.
Single Fin
Single fin’s will forever and always have a soft spot in my heart.
As someone who has grown up both longboard surfing and riding SUP’s.
Single fin setups really tick all the boxes for me.
One of my favourite single fins on the market currently is actually the Koalition California Classic 8.5 inch.
This fin is constructed of fiberglass and is suitable to be used as a single fin or as part of a thruster setup.
If you want so californian heritage thrown in the mix when SUP surfing this is a great option.
This fin will work with any traditional US Fin box.
Best SUP Touring Fin
If you are someone who enjoys SUP touring you will want to ensure your fin enjoys the task just as much as you do.
Generally SUP Tourers will do a bit of everything, from long distance paddling to catching the waves on downwinders.
The best fin currently for SUP Touring is the purpose designed FCS II Touring SUP fin.
This Fin is a bit of a bargain that you will instantly feel the next time you are on the water.
This is actually the fin used by RedPaddle Co on their Explorer board.
Do you need a better endorsement?
Best SUP Racing Fin
If you are into SUP racing you are going to want a fin that is short to reduce drag and offer maximum speed whilst still being rigid enough to maintain true direction.
This is where the Black Project SUP comes into the picture.
Now many of you may not have heard of black project SUP, but I don’t think this statement will remain true for very long as they are really shaking up the industry and coming out with some fantastic products.
The SONIC Sup race fin is 100% carbon infused with the lightcore technology.
This fin is really light, weighing just 150grams.
If you are an experienced SUP racer and you want to take your game to the next level you need to try the Black Project SUP SONIC Race Fin
Replacement Fins
So maybe you are trying to be the next world champion or sponsored rider and you simply have broken your SUP fin and need a replacement?
Well fear not as I have included a link below to allow you to buy a budget replacement fin to suit your board.
Replacement SUP Fin (US Fin Box)
Replacement Quick Lock SUP Fin