As fellow outdoor enthusiasts, we know the fun of looking for ways to improve your performance while paddling on your local lake or beach. Unfortunately, sometimes there are not so many options available. Eric and the team from Eisbach Riders were facing this problem when they were searching for alternative fins for SUP boards with the quick-lock system. While there were a variety of choices for a US-Box, they were crushed thinking about the handful of out-of-the-box fins available for boards from Bluefin, Thurso or iRocker. So, they set about doing something about it.
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Sustainable US-Box Single Fin Touring€39,95 incl. VAT -
Sustainable Quick Lock SUP Touring Fin€39,95 incl. VAT
How did the fin development start?
The project kicked off in summer of 2020 with the goal to create a touring fin that allows better straight-line paddling performance. After some rapid prototyping attempts by Eric and valuable feedback from the users of the Facebook Bluefin SUP User Group, the first real paddle tests were performed all around Europe.
The first tests were made using a 3D printed fin to test the fin shape. Even with the lower quality material used just for testing, the overall performance of the touring shape was rated much better than the standard option delivered with the board.
What are the benefits of a SUP touring fin shape?
The larger surface area of the touring gives the paddler more sideways stability by drawing out the turn, making paddling in a straight line easier. This is a great fin shape for paddlers that want a super stable fin and great straight-line performance. Compared to out-of-the-box fins where you have to change the paddle side every 3-4 strokes, this touring fin shape allows you to double the number of strokes per side.
What to expect from the Eisbach Riders Touring Fin?
After the pre-launch of the Eisbach Riders Quick-Lock Touring Fin in September 2020, the team received a lot of valuable feedback. The overall performance of the touring shape was much better than the standard option delivered with the board, however, a few fins had defects and broke under normal use.
The team evaluated the design, material, and production process together with the expert engineer Eric and set up everything for the release of the Quick-Lock Touring Fin. The improved version has an optimized fin shape for even better stroke performance and is made of much stronger fiberglass-reinforced plastic for extra durability.
Using recycled waste material during the fin production
The environmental impact of this fin is important to everyone on this project. The development and production are done completely in southern Germany using the latest technologies for molding injection. And we are incredibly excited that the touring fin will be made of recycled waste material from the car industry to reduce the carbon footprint of the production. This contributes to the efforts of Eisbach Riders to protect the environment as part of the 1% for the Planet community.
