"I wanted to build a fin with a shiny carbon fibre finish - and my wife likes paddling on the SUP" - the most banal of occasions obviously lead to some astonishing results. This is because Michael Still from MS Fins usually builds matt-finished racing fins for windsurfers, which are designed for speeds from 60 km/h upwards.
Forwards and backwards over rocks
The functional specification came from a mate: "Why don't you build a fin that you can ride forwards and backwards over rocks". For the fin developer, this resulted in four requirements: "The fin must of course be short, but should still have sufficient surface area. You also need a stable, wide base and the fin should be supported by the fin box," explains Michael.
The result is remarkable. The fin sits almost the full thickness of the fin box and thus integrates the box into the profile. Towards the front, the fin has been extended well beyond the box, which results in a very decent surface area. The strongly bevelled edges should reduce the impact on stones - a practical test is still pending. To ensure that the fin sits securely in the box, it is fixed in the centre with a second fin plate and screwed in at the back.
US boxes for SUPs with large deviations
The most important question: Is the fin available and how much does it cost? "What annoyed me was the different fitting accuracy of the US boxes on the SUP boards," says the ambitious fin designer, who has put the project back into sleep mode for the time being. In contrast to the tuttle boxes in windsurf boards, the dimensions of the US boxes differ more in length and depth. "But if I were to offer a fin like this, it would be a sandwich in matt and it would certainly cost 150 euros or more."
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Stephan Gölnitz
Deputy Editor in Chief surf
Stephan Gölnitz comes from Bochum and had Holland as his home windsurfing territory for many years before moving to Munich in 1996 for the job of test editor at surf magazine. The materials engineering graduate worked as a surf instructor on the Ijsselmeer during his studies and competed for several seasons for the Essen sailing team in the Surfbundesliga and the Funboard Cup. He completed a traineeship at surf-Magazin in the test department and since then has actively accompanied almost all tests on the boom and for more than 10 years also as a photographer. Stephan has covered many thousands of test kilometers, mainly on Lake Garda and in Langebaan, but also in Egypt and Tobago. He gets his hands on over 100 new sails and boards every year as his company car. Privately, he prefers to surf with a foil on Lake Walchensee or “unfortunately far too rarely” in the waves. SUP is Stephan's second passion, which he pursued for several years at numerous SUP races. Today, he prefers to paddle on river tours with family or friends - even for several days.
