The Best Selling Surfboard Fins of 2019

April 30, 2020

by Cleanline Surf

"Fins are the engine of a board” as they say, and can make a big difference in how a board rides. Today, fin companies are offering a diverse variety of templates, sizes, and styles of fins. Surfers everywhere are becoming savvier as to how important fins can be and experimenting with different setups. This experimentation is noticeable more than ever, as a Quad is actually our best-selling fin of the year. We’ve looked back at 2019’s numbers to create this list of the best selling fins

For this list, we’ve generated a ranking of the best selling fins in each fin setup but first here are the overall best selling fin templates across all styles:

Top 5 Best Selling Fin Templates

Futures/FCS II Rob Machado Quad Fin - $144.95-149.95

The quad fin Rob Machado designed for his Firewire Seaside model was by far our best-selling fin. Across the board, in both the Futures and FCS versions, this unique quad was introduced halfway into the year but still managed to come out as #1. While this set was designed specifically for Machado's Seaside and Seaside & Beyond models, we've heard a lot of good feedback about these fins working in a range of similarly wide-tailed boards.

Futures John John Techflex Tri Fin - $129.95

Not too big of a surprise here, John John’s signature set has always been a best-seller since the day they first came out. However, this year, this fin was more popular than ever. This fin is a great pick for powerful waves and it's also notably one of the few fins in Future's line that is glassed with Epoxy resin instead of typical PU resin. Epoxy resin makes for a lighter fin overall and different flex characteristics that John John prefers.

Shop the Futures John John Techflex Fins Here

Futures AM Honeycomb Tri Fin - $114.95

This is the fin I think most of us at the shop would’ve guessed to be the #1 best-seller. A classic performance fin, the AM series is known for its versatility and longevity (This template was first designed in the ’80s at Rincon with Tom Curren). The secret sauce is the center fin, which is slightly smaller than the front two, creating a looser feel through turns while still having plenty of drive.

Shop the Futures AM Honeycomb Series of Fins

FCS II Performer PC - $104.95

This is FCS’s classic template and what they consider to be the most “neutral” or predictable fin in their line. If you don’t know what kind of fin to buy or have a weird board that you’re not sure what’s going to work in it, the Performer is a good pick. It's available in a wide range of different styles and constructions, but the classic thruster PC version is the most popular.

Shop the FCS II Performer Series of Fins

FCS II MR Twin + Trailer Fin Set - $114.95

If this was little league, this fin would win "most improved". Each year this fin becomes more and more popular as more surfers experiment and realize how cool this setup can be. When used with the trailer fin, this set is a great way to loosen up a wide-tailed shortboard or better control a fish. This is the most beloved twin set out there and FCS aptly has given it a cool psychedelic paint job.

Best Sellers By Category

Best Selling Thrusters

Futures John John Techflex - $129.95
Futures AM2 HC - $114.95
Futures AM1 HC - $114.95
FCS II Performer PC - $104.95
Futures John John Alpha - $74.95
Futures Jordy Smith HC - $119.95
Futures AM1 Thermotech - $41.95
FCS II Reactor PC - $104.95
Futures AM1 Blackstix - $119.95
Futures P8 Legacy - $104.95

Conclusion

Looking over the list, there are a lot of classic fins on here that have been favorites for years like the AM, 4A, Performer, and John John templates. However, there are also a lot of new favorites that came out this year like the Rob Machado Quads or the AMK Keel set. An honorable mention also goes out to the Futures TMF (The Middle Finger) fin which ended up being extremely popular as a fun way to convert a quad into a 5 fin setup.

These are just the most popular fins at the moment, so hopefully, this gives surfers a good starting point when looking for a new set of fins. There are a lot of great fins out there that didn't make the list so definitely be sure to check out our full selection of fins. Check out our updated Top Quad Fins of 2022 to find the perfect set. If you have any questions about fins or anything else surf-related, feel free to leave a comment, shoot an email to support@cleanlinesurf.com or give us a call at 1-888-546-6176.

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Cleanline Surf

Established in 1980, with locations in Seaside and Cannon Beach, Cleanline Surf is the Northwest's Original Surf Shop and remains your leader for surf, skate, and kitesurf needs..

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