Posted: Dec 16, 2020 12:35 am
Spearthrower wrote:Clearly in this case, a small lump is better than none because that's how stabilization works; optimal stabilization is ideal, but in the absence of that, some stabilization is better than none. If you took a smooth board of wood on the ocean and tried to surf, then compared that with a board of wood with even a tiny little block underneath like a rudder, you'd immediately notice the difference. The first would be very hard to even stand up on as the board would keep sliding away - even a small lump begins to offer some directing resistance to water flow that helps stabilize the weight distribution for you on the board which in turn allows you to achieve better or more consistent forward motion and turns.
No surfboards had fins until Blake Edwards attached a "bulge" to his in 1938. Initially it was a piece of aluminium. Later it was replaced by a piece of wood, which made it easier to reshape.
Surfboard fins have evolved in various - sometimes wondrous - ways ever since. By the early 1950s most boards had "skegs", a D-shaped piece of wood sandwiched between layers of fibreglass. Later in the decade the skegs were made entirely of fibreglass.
In the 1960s came "high aspect" fins like the one favoured by George Greenough.
Nowadays the fins are smaller, but there are more of them on each board.
Here's a short, illustrated account for those who are interested.