Interview with founder Russell Brice: Flow Fins - young fin brand from Denmark

Hi Russell, what is your background? Are you a windsurfer, are you an engineer, and how did you get into designing fins?

I'm actually both. I come from Australia and used to race a lot there. But then I'm also a composite boat builder and a naval architect. So I take the whole nerdy engineering part and the practical design part and I also have the windsurfing know-how.

And when did you start designing Finns?

We founded Flow Fins almost two years ago. But I was already producing boards and other components for other companies in Australia many years ago. And that's why we recently decided to get going again.

Do you build performance fins for racers or for hobby surfers?

We cover both. We have two models that really focus on performance and top speed. And then we have a freerace model that we can offer in both carbon and G10. But the main purpose of our business is that we personalise the fin. That means we customise the layout and the features of the carbon fins to fit your body size and how you like to ride. And that's really good for the customer: you have much more fun surfing because it works much more the way you want it to. And we recently launched a seagrass fin for flat water. And that has actually been our best-selling fin in the last few months.

We can personalise all fins: We customise the layout and features on the carbon fins to suit your body size and how you like to ride."

It looks like it has a lot of surface area, right?

Yes, it has much more surface area. And that's so that we can keep the pressure point of the fin closer to the position of a normal fin. And it also has the advantage that the fin is not as deep. Normally, for example, a 31 centimetre fin is for really strong winds and small sails. But you could actually use this one in a board that is 85 or even 90 centimetres wide. And you can ride it normally and still go upwind. And they have good control, so they're very easy to ride.

What is your main model? Are they freeride fins?

The biggest seller among carbon fins is the SLR, our slalom fin. It is specially designed to cover the widest range of conditions. Because once you've started a race, you can't change. So it has extra performance in the lower wind range and is very easy to run upwind. But the fin still has extremely low drag. So you don't lose any speed, but you can still deal with all the uncertainties that you experience in a race. The wind shifts a little and you don't make it to the buoy. Or it's extra deep to get down to the buoy. It gives you all this flexibility without having to compromise on top speed.

And where do you produce your Finns? Do you produce them all yourselves?

We produce all carbon fins 100% by hand in Denmark. We also produce the G10 fins in Denmark. But we have the machining done by a partner company. But then we put them on the base and fix the angle of inclination and the position in the head. And we do it all in Denmark. We also manufacture the head components ourselves in Denmark.

Here at the stand you mainly have freeride and freerace fins. Do you also build wave fins?

We are currently developing wave fins. And we're actually making pretty good progress. But we don't want to launch them on the market until they are fully developed.

Where can I buy your fins?

Our main sales channel is online via our website. We are very active on Instagram. So look for us there, follow us. And then everything directly to our webshop, flowwindsurf.com.

What is the price range for an average fin?

If it's G10 - whether it's the freerace, slalom or seagrass model - it starts in the low 200s. And for the largest and most sophisticated layout of the carbon fins, they can cost just over 500 euros.

You also fitted Björn Dunkerbeck with fins, right? How did the contact come about?

We met him last year at the Defi, which was our first big event. And he really wanted to see how they ride and was really happy with them. We then made him complete sets of asymmetric speed fins and normal speed fins for the Lüderitz Speed Challenge. There weren't really the right conditions on the canal at the time, but on one or two days at Diaz Point, one of our fins reached 46 knots straight away!

Info under flowwindsurf.com