Hi guys
sailed Canton Beach Toukley weekend before last ,its my easy getaway from Sydney stop over .

I camped there for 4 days...but had never seen the tide so low since Ive been sailing there...
this place is weedy when high tide but can usually sail back to shore well at least to within 10 feet,or right to shore on a wally.

When i started there I was sailing old longboards...one designs with the typical short fin...now I loved these as you can actually sail all to shore at Canton and the weed is no problem.. a very short fin compared to today.around 26 cm.

Now I ride a Fanatic Bee 317 which has a 30 cm fin size of the early 2000s..This was ok when high tide.once wading out 10 feet and capable of beach start.I havent been able to find a trim box weed fin for it anyway.So its not much longer than the long boards fins...I guess a weed fin would help.

I have just tried my recent toy a used Mistral Prodigy which came with a 50cm fin...but I fitted a 40cm from my f2 just so i could clear some weed..as it was I had to wade out past the weed this low tide probably about 100 yards i guess a real pain.Thank god for booties.

Now my question is that modern boards all seem to need long fins,even when they use a centre board....

now id like to go smaller like on old wallys,would this be unusable...

or would I have to make a special fin to fit my board that was only the depth of a fin from the past say no more than 30 cm but was made with the same surface area of the 40 cm or 50 cm fin by increasing the front and rear measurements.A custom fin not losing any surface area..I remember special fins like this on older boards too.

Or could I just use a standard 30cm on the prodigy as it is and not sacrifice too much.[Im only a cruiser/funboarder anyway]

Besides I have just been told that prodigy's have week fin boxes and long fins may shorten the fin box's life...????[too much side pressure] Hope thats not too true.