The George Greenough Power Blade Project

We are pleased to announce the release of our ongoing single fin project in collaboration with George Greenough dubbed the Power Blade. This next-gen fin design is possible due to the diligent work of Greenough, Chuck Ames, Marc Andreini and a number of dedicated surfers like Andrew Kidman and Ellis Ericson.

Power Blade is a paddle-style fin, meaning it has a narrow-based leg and a stiff "head" which allows minimal drag and a connection with the "cleaner" depths of the wave face. What makes this particular fin special is the material being used.

(photo by Alex Swanson)

"In working closely with George Greenough on the Power blade project, we have identified the proper materials to handle the load demands placed on this fin design. He submitted some prototypes that were working quite well within his surf circle. We, in turn, worked on a system so we could reproduce his functioning prototypes. We identified some very unique fiberglass/epoxy material that could with stand prolonged flex and twist demands under high loads, and most importantly, this material has not shown signs of stress fatigue!" (Chuck Ames)

(Marc Andreini and Chuck Ames with prototype fins)

The combination of fin design and unique material give this fin the special characteristics needed to properly and efficiently marry the performance capabilities of the modern thruster and single-fin surfboards.

"First off, a conventional Single Fin board design uses a flat tail rocker to make the board run across the wave during trim, so most of your speed comes from trimming along on the straighter or flattened out bottom rocker...  Also the flat rocker keeps the board going across the wave and draws less vertical lines. This is the single fin approach basically.

By contrast, the Thruster has shallow fins, which release water quicker along with a lot of tail rocker or lift to compensate for the center fin being on the tail (anchor fin).  This gives quick thrusting style turns that are more vertical now that you have tail lift.  So no trimming.  You must keep turning to keep the speed up.

The Power Blade solves the problem by having such a narrow base on a straight-bottomed board.  You can run in flat out trim or pull the board straight up the face with the drive of a Thruster during a hard turn if you wish or simply hold your line and draw a long bottom turn with plenty of drive." (Marc Andreini)

(Fin by True Ames and Greenough-made original)

We've been excited to see the fin in action, mainly under the feet of Ellis Ericson in his and Kidman's new film "On The Edge of A Dream", and more recently in use by fellow-Australian Beau Foster. The reports have been hugely positive by professionals and non-professionals alike, saying that it completely changes the maneuverability and feel of their single fin boards and we can't wait to learn more and improve on this ongoing project.

Click the link here to read more about the fin from Marc Andreini and below you can find video evidence of the Power Blade in action.