River Fins

There's three major forms of paddle boarding. Surf and open water with waves, flat water lakes and various types of rivers to explore. Paddling on rivers can include rapids, rocks, sandbars, logs and numerous hidden hazards. Here in the mid-west we have a number of small rivers to explore along with larger rivers like the Missouri and Mississippi. Smaller or faster flowing rivers will have more hidden hazards to cause a loss of balance and also damage your fin. 

The best way to avoid hitting your fin on an underwater object is to not have a fin. But that won't be a very efficient way to travel. The next best option is to minimize the depth of your fin. There's several points to consider when trying to determine how small of a fin you can tolerate, but that's another topic for another cold winter day.

The latest option I've found is a retractable fin that retracts when in contact with an underwater object and springs back in place on it's own. This sounds like a very reasonable option but I would like to try it before giving a full recommendation. You'll maintain a fin deep in the water that provides lateral torque resistance without the extra bulk of a traditional dolphin shaped fin. With the extra mass near the fin box I would guess there to be increased drag, but a small price to pay for a deep fin that won't knock you off your board when you glide over that underwater log.

Check out Frog Fish Fins for more info about the features and benefits of this design!