ANTOINE ALBEAU
There are many brands of fins and many brands of boards. You need to find the right fin that will fit your board. Every year boards are changing, so you need to have fins from all the brands and test them. Even the conditions can make a difference and different fins perform better in various locations. Some fins work better in flat or choppy water, that is why we travel with a lot of fins. I use all the brands of fins, Carpenter, Z fins, ERD, Tectonics and Kashy. I think I once spent 800 euro on a Kashy fin in the time of Formula racing. I know guys who spent way more! On the Asian tour I took twenty fins. On a race day we automatically know which fins to use because we test all through the off-season. You know more or less which fin will work when the wind changes. When it is gusty you cannot put a fin in that will make your board fly too much. If a gust hits and you are already on the edge you can go out of the water. You need to use a fin with more control. This will make your board ride a little bit lower in the water. That is the main thing. If a normal guy wants a Carpenter fin he will have to wait a long time. If you order only one fin, you will be behind all the PWA racers. I make sure my fins do not touch the sand and that they are always in a fin bag. I protect them as much as I can. They are like the tyres on a race car. I don’t train with my best fins. I don’t want to put so many hours on those ones. On a race day I use my best fins and once the day is over I take them from my board and put them back in the cover. All our equipment is fragile and it needs to be looked after.