Photo: Inspire Courses
Every board’s design has a direct influence on a surfer’s style. From contours to entry rocker to how drastically a tail pulls in (and the list goes on), there’s no limit to a shaper’s magic showing once that board is on a wave’s face. Leah Dawson’s quiver is a testament to this idea, pulling everything from long twins to twinzers out of her shed in her Guide to Alternative Surf Craft.
“My surfing has always been about riding as many different surf crafts as I can get my hands on because I’m incredibly enthused by the different feelings I can achieve just by switching fins or by riding a friend’s board,” she says in the brand new course, analyzing what makes a handful of her favorite boards “magic.” While the boards Leah shares and analyzes in the course are all unique, one in particular really brings out her style like few others can: the downrail single fin.
The long, straight rails pulled into a pintail with a wider beaked nose at the front make downrails stand out like a sore thumb. And while longer boards seem like they’d invite a lot of footwork — something we see a lot of on mid-lengths, for example — Leah says this shape can be an exception because it’s so narrow.
Photo: Inspire Courses
“It’s not as easy to walk around as one of the terrapins would be,” she says in one of her video tutorials. “Your footwork is going to be a lot more condensed, not cross-stepping as much. There’s not really the width available,” which helps engage rail-to-rail movements on faster, bigger waves.
And of course, with only one fin, you’re not exactly throwing snaps off the lip. Leah loves this aspect of the downrail single fin because so many design elements — the long straight rails, the pintail — point toward flowing, long, drawn out lines on a larger wave face. It’s a throwback in style that looks nothing like the sharper, quicker turns today’s high-performance boards are designed to maximize.
“To me, single fins really accentuate our dance element because we really have to slow down our motion.”
From a mechanical standpoint, this can obviously be useful for strengthening the foundation of any surfer’s technique. And when you watch Leah on her downrail single fin, you definitely see how a downrail single fin can shape an entirely fresh approach to style.
“You can’t be as jagged and as quick and spontaneous. But you can be more fluid and find longer lines that you’re drawing as you approach the wave.”
Editor’s Note: You can learn more about this board and the specifics of Leah Dawson’s approach to surfing it in her Guide to Alternative Surf Craft with Inspire Courses. The 17-video lesson digital course highlights several of Leah’s favorite boards as well as insights into the techniques and mechanics that can be applied to surfing a variety of boards in any quiver. Access the course today.
