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A Comprehensive Discussion With CJ Nelson About His Longboards Fins

Hawaiian South Shore Surf Boutique

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Santa Cruz’s CJ Nelson is arguably one of the best nose riders. He has starred in films such as Sprout, The Present, and A Paradigm Shift, and in particular, his section at Scorpion Bay in Sprout maybe some of the most technical traditional longboarding ever featured on film. He is one of the few nose riders to comfortably switch his stance on the nose and does so with impeccable style.

On this video CJ took us to his Garage the home of his Fins and Surfboards. CJ has a series of Fin Models with Flying Diamonds of California.

0:00-1:10 Fin Recommendation for APEX Surfboard
01:11-01:44 Power Flex and Involvement Fin
01:45-02:32 Involvement Fin - A Fin For Hawaii?
02:33-05:10 CJ Nelson's take on a more flex on the tail
05:11-07:06 Fin majoring trick by CJ Nelson
07:07-08:35 Whats the advantage of this trick?
08:36-10:09 Classic Pivot Fin
10:10-11:15 New Noserider Fin
11:16-12:16 Classic Pivot vs Noserider Fin - Which is better for Noseriding?

Your Surf Authority in Honolulu Hawaii

11 Comments

@Taylor314ce 3 years ago

The 1/3 of the fin thing is so sick....thank you CJ

@twister4489 3 years ago

Great discussion. I was recently telling a friend to consider less flex for his new Outlier and the explanation here is much better than what I was saying.😂

@SteveGit25 3 years ago

thanks for sharing 🤙

@woodman1701 2 years ago

Interesting.
I find each board design prefers it’s own shape.
That said if you like a particular shape board you’ll likely end up using the same fin for predictability.
Most of my boards are gliders now. I usually ride fairly stiff fins set ups. Usually…
Currently I installed a set of four FCS plugs in my 10’6trying out quad, 2+1, twin keel, and thruster set ups on my board. By the end of this winter I hope to have found a really good set up for it. They all work in small waves but I’m searching for a larger wave set up.

@AnzaValley 1 year ago

Most surfers have no idea on the proper design and placement of the fin. I have 60 years of surfing experience so here is the proper fin design. That said I have been using the Greenough outline fins since they came out in 1967-68 winter. First thing is thickness at the base, for every inch of length of the fin it needs to be 1/8th an inch thick a nine inch fin should be 1 1/8th inch thick at the base (This means glassed in not a fin box). This ensures proper hydraulic laminar flow around the fin. Thin fins cavitate losing there grip on the water. As for fin placement it is also a simple rule the forward edge of the fin should be twice the length of the fin from the tail. With a proper designed fin you do not need a long fin this is due to the fin gripping the water more efficiently.

@AndreSuarezPeriodista 3 years ago (edited)

Hi! I have a CJ Nelson x Ryan Engle Neoclassic 9'5. Tell me what fins of CJ Nelson or any other do you recommend for noseriding? I was using RFC Nomad 10'25 but i feel it too fast and my weight is 73 kg. Thanks!

@Folgers333 2 years ago

Just curious, I wonder if there is a hater method for 2+1

@JUDDLILIHA 3 years ago

1/3 ....

@brba1325 3 years ago

This is great!

So is the 1/3 based on fin depth? Should fin rake be considered? I have two fins at 9". One is upright and the other much more raked. At the 6" mark, the raked fin has far more fin past the rail line.

@sergiysosnov2999 2 years ago

Hi
what size fin for beginner you recommend - rider 82kg and surf 7,2'?

@AntoineLeBreton-r1u 3 years ago

Hi i have a cj nelson x Wayne rich haven 9’4, what fins do you recommend ? I am 65kg and need one fin for everyday conditions and one for noseriding… maybe one can do both ?