Your videos are great and I found them by accident. I come from Germany and we live not so far away from the North Sea. I surf a CJ Nelson Neo Classic 10.0 myself and the Fins from CJ are amazing. I would say; now you have the perfect setup for all conditions. I‘m looking forward every week for a new video, great job and many thanks for the spirit😁🤙

I have that CJ Nelson fin, my first session with it was amazing! Best purchase ever! I can't nose ride yet but your videos are a great learning tool, hopefully I can get there soon!

The fin(s) is 50% of how a finned surfboard relates to the wave and rider. CJ is one of my very most favorite surfers both to watch and to share the water with. His nose rider fin is based on the classic Donald Takayama Nose Rider. CJ added a little bit of rake and beefed up the area. The Alex fin is based the old Greenough Stage IV. It is a flex fin compared to stiffness of the broader fin. It will let the board flow with the twists in wave face and project a nice carving bottom turn, while its long base keeps any direction change gradual enough to allow walking and nose riding. There was a period of time when I would go to Rincon with a twin fin, a semi gun, and a longboard in the truck. I'd start with the little board in the morning, take a break and fuel and go to the next bigger board and so on. There was a milk crate in the truck full of fins so I could tune my boards to the conditions and my moods. I had a lot of fun. If you are into high performance nose riding fins, you owe it to yourself to try Guy Takayama's Orca, which bears kinship to Greenough's windsurfing fin designs. Guy's Manta is really good too, but the Orca hits the sweet spot with me. You can go to the beach with one board and three fin set ups and have three distinctly different rides to choose from.

Awesome video mate. I'm surfing already 10 years on a regular short board and latley Iv'e decided that I want to move to a Longboard. Your videos give me alot of inspiration to make this shift happen. BTW, I really like your editing skills, your videos make me feel much more calm and relaxed. Peace and Love from Israel (yeah we got some waves in here and not only conflicts)

Nice narratives and footage combo. Good efforts

I agree, fins make a massive difference. Personally I too am preferring a 10’ hatchet fin, though mine is similar to your normal FCS click-in. And no I don’t find it harder to turn either, just different as you said. Great Vlog Bro🤙😎

Great video idea man! Awesome stuff as always

Awesome videos!! Cool to see the difference between the fins. For a break with such a short ride like that, you may like foiling.

Hey Brian, loved the video and I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! I had a quick question, what fin would you recommend for a 9'6 Hobie Uncle Buck? I typically surf at a beach break (Bolsa Chica, CA); with the winter swell slowly making its way in, the sets roll in much faster and more snappy. P.S. I don't have money for a new board. I currently have a Tyler Warren Pivot fin (seafoam), a 9.75, and a friend's 8.5 pivot fin.

Thanks for this one! Kind of inspired to try that Knost fin. Today though I moved mine up in the box, as you did a few Vlogs ago. I concur, at least with a larger pivot fin, that it seems to not sacrifice very much stability and maybe loosened things up a bit too! It felt good. Awesome vlog as always!

Great video Brian, thanks!!

I have that same exact alex knost fin, and love it, but i did also enjoy the 10 inch hatchet i had

so helpful! That noserider fin looks sweet - you had some sick slides with that. I've been thinking of a new fin for my 9'2'' log, might check it out! thanks!

GREAT video. As someone who does performance turns I've always liked the 2+1 (with True Ames cutaway fin) because you can turn well on the rail like a shortboard. But I may buy that CJ nelson for small days I want to try nose riding.

If only there were waves like this on the beaches of Auckland's West Coast in NZ 😭 Awesome videos, Thanks for the stoke 🤙

Cool video I just got some new fins for my fish about a month ago and I didn’t think I would be able to feel the difference but I could definitely have much faster I was going. 🤙🏽

closeout floaters are the best because all that buoyancy makes them pretty easy to make, plus the fun of throwing all that board up there and the acceleration afterward

Looking good! I've been debating buying the CJ Nelson noserider fin. I think this video sold me on it. I might try to go with the 9.5" noserider fin.

Check out the Skvarrna equalizer from flying diamonds, it's like this perfect combination of a flex fix with a pivot fin. It's based off the DT Flex with some improvements that Kevin made for his surfing. I've tried a dozen fins and it's the first one that feels easy to turn, but still locked in for nose rides. I've had a couple friends try it and really like how it feels. I'm not sure I want to surf anything else now :) Thanks for the video!

Hi there! I was hoping you could tell me the best spots to long board in new jersey. I live in california, but am an NJ native, so would love to hit up some spots the next time I visit. Love your videos!

I surf Florida and my squirrel cutaway fin is my fav. I dont use side bites. My friends tell me its too loose for their taste but I love it.

I've got a CJ noserider fin, best fin I've used in my log. Used to be a 4A guy, but the nose riding capabilities of the CJ fin is next level. Just wait till you get it on a lined up point break!

Interesting, I'm new to longboarding after short boarding for years and bought that Alex Knost fin with my first longboard. I was surprised at how easily the board turns but have been struggling with cross stepping so might be time to try a bigger fin.

I hope CJ is giving you a kickback, ‘cause you’re seriously moving some product! Been toying with the idea of a pivot fin for my 9’6”, and this vid made me think why not? Just clicked buy.

Hi, very interesting video as usual :-) which size of fin (single fin) do you recommend for a 9,1 log. I actually have a 9. I am a beginner in cross steping and nose riding so obviously I am looking for stability :-) Many thanks and continue. all the best from France !

good choice of two fins to try out. I personally ride the 10.75" CJ california pivot as my primary pivot fin. I am noticing much improvement on your overall flow and confidence walking the board. It may have been wave choice/ time of day/ or just happenstance, but it looked like the Knost fin was working better for you. the 4A style template may have allowed for more maneuvering to get in the pocket for tighter noserides. Take it with a grain of salt. I ride both styles in a variety of surf conditions. It helps to change it up, and get a new perspective. That is how we grow as surfers

Nice video, makes me miss surfing NJ :)

Good stuff man! On those reentry floaters I've found it super helpful to get low with the knees and really lean back to get the nose up. We have a lot of those here in Hawaii of you want a longer ride at some of the breaks (looking at you White Plains...). I'm not nearly where you are with the nose riding but the floaters I got down quick out of necessity. Plus it's always fun to drop in on a section that folks wouldn't assume you can on a big board.

Very timely. After 40 years I recently bought my first nose rider and it wobbles about when on the nose because the rails are so soft. Some of the better nose riders use hatchet fins so I will definitely get one this week. Thanks for this, all of my other longboards have hard rails near the tail and are set up for performance.

Cool music in this episode!

I have 4 CJ Nelson boards 3 10’0 and 1 11’6 for those small days they are all Pearson Arrows, incredible boards and they all have a 10”CJ fin the stability is awesome, you will master the turning, I’d suggest watching old CJ Nelson videos to see his style, he’s an old friend from Santa Cruz I’ve surfed with him a bunch. I copied his style. He’s a goofyfoot too. 🤙♥️

Please do a test with the Greenough stage 6. It's the coolest looking fin out there. But is it also good? Some swear by it...

Alex knost fin is crazy I made a performance longboard a,d were looking for a fin. I decided to get it and its really good turns are awesome.

great video 🤙

How would you say the CJ nelson fin is compared to your FCS Hatchet (if you use one more than the other)? What are your thoughts on the Rainbow Pivot fin?

Man so funny. Did same thing recently on an 11ft cruiser I ride in small clean stuff. The Greenough cut away fin so easy to turn then the fat hatchet made it a virtually un-turnable tracking monster!

Cool video !!!! Hey where in NJ is that beach located ?

Check out the G&S Speed fin. A fantastic blend of speed, drive and turning ability on a lonboard

I've got both those fins, nice choices!

really enjoy your videos! can you make an episode about how to find decently priced longboards? they are so hard to fiiiiind ;(

Hey I surf spring lake. But I’m in Costa Rica right now and I got a 9’6’’ bing with a cj Nelson style fin and it is so slow to paddle. When you said that fin is heavier when paddling do you mean it is slower? And by how much?

🤦🏾it was cold at ocean city last Sunday and I wasn’t ready for it 🥲 time to throw this wet suit on 😭 nice video as always ✨

You should try the CJ Nelson classic pivot from flying diamonds. It has more rake and let’s you turn, trim and flow better than most pivot fins. It’s a happy middle between Alex’s and the CJ fin.

Do you think that the CJ Nelson Noserider 10.0 will work with my 9 ft Firewire Special T? I'm 5'6 145 lbs. Or do you think I should go smaller?

I have the same FSC than you. (same color board, same bag, same fin, same beard...??? I"m a big fan? ahahah), Ihave never tried other fin, but the CJ model is interesting, is it realy so difficult to turn with? Thanks for your videos.

love it

Try also the captain fin tyler warren 10.25! I think it is a good compromise between these two type of fins

interesting video, like always, what are the measure of cj fin? i dont find , it look masive

Where was this surf shop in NJ? Thanks 🤙🏼

What about a 10 inch hatchet center with side bites? Too much?

Depends if you’re on a nose rider, glider, mid length, etc..

You are a very good surfer

Maybe in your next video you can look at a thruster/high performance long board. ?

Customizing my fins on all my boards since the 80s, make my own longboard fin design that is faster than anything I've surfed. Many half decent boards rip w the right fin.

All fins are to thin. What how can that be? They are made to fit in a fin box. Not for maximum efficiency, It is simple hydrodynamics. A thin fin will cavitate much earlier than a thick fin. Cavitation causes the fin to lose it grip in the water. The proper ratio of in thickness to length is 1/8th inch of thickness for each inch if length. A 10inch long fin will be 1 1/4 inches thick at the base tapering up to the tip. This allows your board to ride up at the steep top of the wave with out the fin losing grip with the water. The other benefit is that because the fin work much better it can be place further forward from the tail making the board looser.

Brian were you still selling you continental longboard? Thanks man

Wow, Steve Buscemi can surf!

Greenough 4A 10”. U won’t regret it…

Most of the time I got to the NJ shore its a windy mess.......

How long is your board for the 10" fin?

I have a Joel Tudor 10.125" on my 9'6" pressed all the way to the back of the fin box.... Brah.. The waves pick up and take me with them before I've had a real chance to paddle for them.

I noseride my 11" CJ Nelson, and use my 10' board as the fin.

fin game is crazy

Those hatchet fins make you feel like your dragging a body behind you. I prefer the smaller rakes. Alex Knost has a very side-to-side style when he surfs

What size board do you surf ?

How wide is the base?

Is this Long Beach

I sent you an idea via Facebook messenger.

I like the way CJ Nelson surfs much, much better than Alex Knost. I also like CJ Nelson's down to earth personality. Alex Knost worries about his hair and looking cool. Typical Newport Beach guy. He came down to Cardiff Reef years back and Devon Howard, Joel Tudor and Ryan Burch were out surfing, they were such better surfers than Knost.