Hi Ken,

I also have the drive. Moving the centre fin all the way forward helps a bit with turning. I'm also thinking a smaller centre fin might help but at the expense of drive perhaps!

Cheers

O

Hi Rob,


I was thinking that exactly as my other option (selling and buying good second- hand board more performance orientated). My board does already have the two extra boxes and I thought trying some new fins would be a cheapish way to freshen it up a bit and give me slighty more of a performance feel.

Ive done a lot of research and boards/had a squizz at what people are riding and reckon there would be half a dozen boards which would suit my style/size and abilities and id be happy with.

Maybe it is the way to go.

ken

kennybt said...

Hi had my starboard drive for 7-8 months now, I think it was called the 'white' range which was 2010 model , no deck-pad and only one fin (they do have 3 fin-boxes however).

The fin I have is a 9" plastic 'drake' centre-fin and I would like to experiment with a different fin set up, specifically trying a 3 fin set-up which I am hoping will assist me in turning the board a bit easier ?

I have been looking around on the net trying to get some info but my brain is experiencing a data overload.. so I have the following questions ;

- will a three fin-set up actually make turning the board a bit easier ?
Yep

- what would be a good entry level fin worth a try (its a fcs fin-box i believe for the drive)
The standard glass fins that come with the more expensive Drives - 22cm Drake plus Starboard 4.5 sides[equivalent to FCS M5] - are well suited to the board. The Drive is one of the only boards I have not tried heaps of different fin setups as the standards work so well. For cheapest setup to try, get hold of some FCS M5's or the Starboard plastics but like Rob says glass are definitely way better.


- should I also change the centre-fin (to a smaller one I am guessing)
If you are going smaller with centre, try the Shapers S9 thruster set. They go great on the Element, but would look at more standard setup first.

- should I buy locally (specialist SUP shop or surf-store ok) or online ?
Always good to support your 'local bloke'
Pretty sure Peter Dunn from FunsBack Surf in Cotts rides a Drive, and would be worth talking to about setups, especially for local conditions. May even have some fins to test drive...

appreciate the help,

cheers

ken

Mate - the drive is an excellent board and can be ridden as cruisey or as high performance as you want - and I would strongly advise against selling it as suggested by others.

I would suggest you borrow a fibreglass centre fin around 8inches - maybe a dolphin type shape with a bit of base on it and throw a set of m3s in the side plugs and give it a whirl. The centre fin I would set up just rear of the centre of the box and start from there.

As I say, the drives a great board and will handle anything you can throw at it. It is a very longboardy kinda sup and really responds well to being "surfed" by moving around on the board and learning to load up the rails and trimming and using your body weight to get the most out of it. If you are prepared to move about on it and learn to surf it properly you will be well rewarded with many hours of fulfilling sup surfing. Do not be too quick to jump down on to smaller supposedly more performance boards - its a common mistake made by people who are either too lazy or not skilled enough to learn to surf a bigger board properly.

thanks for all the advice its been really helpful.

I have only been doing this 6-7 months, have been wanting to take my supping to the next level and not been that sure how to go about it.

I have found myself moving around on the board a lot more (especially forward to rear when dropping in on steep waves so not to nosedive) but sounds like Im a bit too static once underway - I have been concentrating on trying to get weight over the back fin and leaning in but not really moving more than maybe 6-8" or so and mostly up and down the board.

I think ill give a go with the fins as suggested and experiment a bit more with moving around the board.