I have a 10' Starboard Longboard with its standard fin set up. The rear fin is just under 7" sidebites 4-5". I have not been out in the surf on it yet but I am wondering if I should put on a longer rear fin as I would like to try nose riding and moving up and back on the board. It's 123 litre and I'm 70 kg if that helps.
I would think you would be ok with the stock setup, maybe if you really want to extend the range of waves you can be toes over a specialized fin might be in order but that should be a fair amount of surface area back there.
A deeper fin will certainly add stability, and help keep the rear of the board from coming loose, but so does just being a 10' SUP. My longboards are 10'x28"x127L, and 9'x27"x105L, and I weigh 85kg. I use Futures F6's at 4.5" in all three slots, and have no problem getting to the nose.
I find that the long center fin slows down rail to rail response, and that you have to be farther back on the board to really turn it hard. So more of a pivot turn, and a loss of momentum vs. being able to turn the board hard with just toe (heel) pressure while standing well forward, maintaining speed. The traditional longboard camp likes this, but I like to ride a longboard like a shortboard 
Select to expand quoteLizardman said..
I have a 10' Starboard Longboard with its standard fin set up. The rear fin is just under 7" sidebites 4-5". I have not been out in the surf on it yet but I am wondering if I should put on a longer rear fin as I would like to try nose riding and moving up and back on the board. It's 123 litre and I'm 70 kg if that helps.
Definitively, get a bigger fin, something in the 10" range. It will help for:
- noseriding: it will avoid the tail sliding out when on the nose and slowing down
- walking on the board, cross-stepping, drop-knee turns: it will stabilize the board and be a great help for l;earning to walk on the board. If the board does not feel stable underfoot, it will be hard for your body to be confident enough to obey your orders
I would also keep only the center fin. Sidebites tend to just slow down the board and mess with the feel if you are going retro style. They are only useful for modern (rail carving) turns.
One your technique is honed, you can get away with a smaller center fin because you will know to keep your speed high enough to not slide out, and have your "salt legs".
I have this board as well and its an awesome longboard but due its relative high noserocker it is not really a true nose rider.
If you want to spend a lot of time on the nose, get an Jimmy Lewis Black&Blue (owned that one before). That doesn't mean you can,t noseride the Starboard, even with my 96kg it does that okay, but is a bit harder to prevent slipping out compared to the Jimmy. I played with plenty of fins and the stock set up is actually pretty good. Putting a big centre ads a bit more straight line stability, but not that much because the rocker will keep it a bit out of the water anyway and it doesn't do justice to the rest of its capabilities because you can turn it pretty tight.
My tip: don't rely on a big fin but learn to use the big V in the bottom and thin rails.
Thanks guys for the input. I will hopefully be taking it out in the surf in the coming weeks and attempt some noticing.
Pretty sure you gonna love it!Unless you want Noserides only its an awesome very well rounded longboard shape.
