Side Bites

Side bites are small fins (typically 2" to 4") mounted in side boxes flanking a center single fin. They engage when the board is put on rail, creating additional drive and hold without fundamentally changing the single-fin character. When riding flat, only the center fin is doing meaningful work.

Two main styles: traditional side bites sit alongside or slightly forward of the center fin, angled inward (toed in), adding rail hold and drive. Canard fins (like the Lovelace FM Canard) mount further forward, based on the twinzer principle — the lead fin cleans up water flow for the main fin, preventing cavitation. As one shaper explains: "the canard prevents ventilation which would lead to cavitation and the failure of the fin to hold."

Side bite size matters. General rule: sides should be roughly 40–50% the height of the center fin. Bigger sides make the board feel more like a thruster. Smaller sides keep the single-fin feel while adding just enough bite for steeper waves. As one Swaylocks veteran advises: "boxes are better, purely so you can play around" — use removable systems for experimentation.