Author: don

Welcome to “Fin Talks” – a series of interviews with the most talented and respected surfer/shapers in our industry. In these interviews, we will explore a wide range of topics related to fin design, performance, and history. We hope you enjoy this series and the insight each discussion brings.

For our first edition, who better to sit down with than True Ames Owner and legendary craftsman, Chuck Ames. Beginning in 1979, Chuck has been fine tuning surf fins for the world’s best surfers across all disciplines. From classic noserider single fins to performance thrusters, each fin is precision foiled for optimal performance.

In our discussion with Chuck, we covered the importance of flex and how it plays a role in performance surfing. We also learned about the evolution of materials from the first fins Chuck foiled, to what is used today to create the industry’s best fins. Lastly, we looked at the history of the L-Flex and the collaboration between Greg Liddle and Chuck in designing the template.

Lets get into it…

TA: Why is flex important in fin design?

CA: Simply stated: flex allows one to make smooth transitions while in a turn. Flex allows the board to release and transition to the rail while maintaining speed and control…and even acceleration! A rigid fin can “spin out” when loaded up in a turn and will not have a smooth transition. Conversely and overly flexible fin will lose drive in the turn and will not produce the power needed to set up for the next turn.

Proper flex is dictated by the particular fin design. Many fins can benefit from flex!

George Greenough at Honolua Bay. Shot by John Witzig, 1967 – retrieved from icecreamheadaches.nyc

TA: What type of fins benefit the most from more/less flex?

CA: The fins that benefit the most from flex are in the area of performance surfing! There are many shapes and sizes of fins from single fins to multi fin surfboards.

One of the most popular fins that benefit from flex (and a proper foil) is the Greenough 4A. This design originates with inspiration from a Tuna fish. These fish travel at high speeds and can make rapid direction changes. It is very evident that their fins flex from the mid-section to the tip. So we attempt to emulate this with our fins and especially with the 4A!

Narrow, high aspect ratio, fins must have just the right flex characteristics if they are to perform at a high level. These kinds of fins certainly benefit the most from “proper” flex.

A fuller area, pivot style fin, such as a Yater spoon does not depend on flex for it to perform well. Mostly because the kind of surfing typically done is not rail to rail.

TA: What about the L-flex? Can you elaborate on some of the history of that fin? How did you and Greg Liddle initially team up?

CA: A “Liddle ” about the L-Flex. The origin of the L-Flex is certainly with Greg Liddle and his “hull design” surf craft. But to go back a bit further one could point to the defining moment when Nat young won the world contest in 1966. Magic Sam was the name of his modified/shortened self shaped pig. The fin was not working too well, and just before the contest George Greenough actually took a bunch of area out of Nat’s fin and gave it “proper” flex. He went on to win that contest and some say that was the beginning of the shortboard revolution. The important takeaway is that Nat was riding a “hull” style board and a narrow fin with flex made this board come alive

Fast forward to 1979 when I first started to foil fins for Greg Liddle: Greg was one of my first customers and showed me how to properly foil one of his L-flex designs using heavy Volan fiberglass material. The fins were crude (by today’s standards) but the foil/flex/design were the driving factors to make his hull design surfboards come alive! There were so many templates! Each board design dictated a specific fin. These fins have become a timeless staple that most surfers have benefited from.

TA: Volan fins are known to be the highest quality fins on the market, how does Volan impact flex and performance characteristics?

CA: Volan fiberglass has been the material of choice for pure flex fins from the late 60’s . It is basically an industrial boat fabric. For some reason, (that has never been fully explained to me ), Volan exhibits great flex properties when used to make a fin using polyester resin (*). Volan fins flex further down into the body of the fin making for a nice evenly distributed flex. This is probably the most notable characteristic of the Volan fiberglass when used to make a flex fin. We also try to strategically “orient” the fiberglass weave to optimize flex/twist as well.

*fins made with common surfboard “E” glass tend to be stiffer in the middle of the body. They only have tip flex.

What’s in a name?  Well, if the name is Campbell and we are talking surfboards, then half a century of design theory, innovation, and style.  Malcolm and Duncan Campbell have spent the last 50 years developing, riding, and refining some of the most uniquely functional surf craft ever made.

It started with an idea in 1970, and it has grown into a global movement that is hard to explain to those uninitiated to the Bonzer tribe. The Campbell Bros. and True Ames have worked together since the early days, so we thought it fitting to talk fins with Malcolm Campbell, and pick his brain as to how and why the Bonzer board and fin set up has worked so well for so long.

TA: For those who might not know, when did you begin collaborating with True Ames to manufacture Bonzer runners and center fins for your boards?

MC: We have been working with True Ames fins for over 4 decades. Beginning in the days when Chuck Ames was a solo act, to now – as one of the top fin companies on the planet. Chuck has always been an integral part of the Campbell Brothers Bonzer Experience.

TA: What was the catalyst that inspired the Bonzer design? What would you attribute its longevity to?

MC: The catalyst for our development of the Bonzer design was the Shortboard Revolution of the late 1960’s. Board lengths dropped drastically over a short period of time. Duncan and I were heavily influenced by what was going on in Australia at the time. Many of the boards were in the low six foot range and below. We were totally on board with the small boards, but were finding that their range of versatility was lacking. We were interested in riding very short boards but realized that the boards needed more drive and stability than what the existing twin and single fins provided. Long story short; in 1970 – Duncan, my father, and I did some brainstorming and came up with the 3 Fin Bonzer in December of that year. It incorporated two long keel shaped side fins placed forward of an eight inch center fin. The deep center fin was due to the wide tail of this template. The initial testing proved to be a revelation and our mission had begun.

TA: How do the performance aspects of a Bonzer 5 and Bonzer 3 differ? On the other hand, are there important similarities that cross-over between them?

MC: There are different performance characteristics between the 3 and 5 fin Bonzer fin systems, but it is not a simple case of one being superior to the other. The hydrodynamic principal is the same for each. Therefor the speed, drive, edge control, rail to rail transition and maneuverability are present in both the 3 and 5 fin setups. The differences present themselves in various ways depending on what template they are utilized on. It is a bit tedious to go through, but basically the five fin employs more fin area closer to the rail further up on the board. This provides a bit more hold and edge control in deep critical areas of the wave. Depending on the width of the tail this aspect will be more or less apparent. To be honest we haven’t done a one to one comparison on each of our models. A couple of years ago I shaped Taylor Knox identical (as much as possible) 5’11’’ Wi 5 models, one 3 fin and one 5 fin version. Taylor has been riding Bonzer 5’s periodically for 23 years. He knows them well. This was his first experience riding a Bonzer 3 shaped the same as his Bonzer 5’s. He really enjoyed giving the 3 fin a go. The two things he liked most were the high lines he could draw through critical sections backside and the drive he could initiate coming down the face after carving off the top. This was the case both frontside and backside. In final analysis though, he said that if he were to ride one in a contest he would choose the 5 fin. The Bonzer 5 is a bit quicker off the mark and just suits the modern shortboard style of surfing for this type of template shape. Over the years we have created a general pairing of the 3 and 5 fin systems with particular shapes in our range of boards, but this does not preclude mixing and matching according to a customer’s wish.

TA: Do you have a formula for people to use when sizing a center fin for their Bonzer?

MC: As a general rule we recommend larger fins for wider tailed and longer boards. ‘General’ is the operative word though; because the size of the person as well as their personal preference also has a barring on center fin size. Sometimes a bit of experimentation is in order to arrive at the optimum combination.

TA: We are all huge fans of your curated music selection. Is there any specific genre that gets you excited to shape and surf? What other forms of art are you inspired by?

MC: The curated music within the Bonzer online universe is provided by my son Jacob. He has a deep awareness of musical roots and he keeps dear ole dad and uncle Duncan up to date as to what shines these days. Jacob has also picked up the Bonzer shaping mantel and is keeping us on our toes there as well. Visual art, photography, film, literature, philosophy and music have all played a part in making us who we are. Music was the predominant driving force for us in the early Bonzer years. The Kinks, Capitan Beefheart, Lou Reed, David Bowie, John Cale, Brian Eno and Roxy Music, to name a few, gave us energy
and inspiration to push ahead as outsiders in the surfboard design world.
We have been asked what we attribute the Bonzer’s longevity too? Plain and simple, they work really freaking well. Bonzer is Australian slang for extra ordinary or unique. Our 52 year Bonzer Experience has been nothing short of that.