Greenough 4-A: 2+1 Combo
The 4-A as a 2+1 — a Greenough 4-A centre fin and a pair of True Ames side bites, sold as a matched set with the sizes chosen at checkout.Three fins in solid fiberglass, FCS compatible, in smoke.
The Fin
The 4-A as a 2+1 — a Greenough 4-A centre fin and a pair of True Ames side bites, sold as a matched set with the sizes chosen at checkout.
Three fins in solid fiberglass, FCS compatible, in smoke. The centre fin comes at 6.5", 7.0" or 7.5" and the side bites at 3.25" or 3.7". The 4-A is the template most single-fin boards end up with, and it carries into a 2+1 without complaint: the full base still drives off the bottom, the tapering flexible tip still releases at the top. The side bites add hold at the rail without taking the centre fin's job away from it.
How that reads
In a 2+1 the centre fin steers and the side bites hold. The 4-A is neutral enough that what you feel is the board rather than the fin's opinion of it — speed generated down the line, and enough grip to keep sitting in the pocket when the wave asks you to. Going up a centre size adds hold and lengthens the turn; the 3.7" side bites do the same thing at the rail, where the 3.25" leaves the tail freer.
Who it suits
Mid-lengths, longboards and hybrid shapes with a centre box and two side plugs, ridden across a wide range of conditions rather than tuned for one of them. The set to buy if you want a dependable, standard 2+1 and would rather not assemble it a fin at a time.
If this is not the one
Side plugs are Futures rather than FCS? The Greenough 4-A: 2+1 Combo - Futures Compatible is the same set on Futures bases.
Specifications
Full base for drive off the bottom, moderate rake, and a tapering, moderately flexible tip that holds when you load it and releases when you let go.
Buy this when you want a mid-length or log dialed for hold and predictability in punchy surf and would rather not assemble the pieces yourself — it trades a little single-fin flow for rail grip and a wider usable range. If you want pure single-fin flow instead, run the standalone Greenough 4A, and keep the center modest: over-finning the center is the classic 2+1 mistake.
This set packages the Greenough 4A center fin with matched True Ames side bites as a ready-to-ride 2+1 setup with FCS-compatible bases. The 4A center template has a full base, moderate rake, and a tapering, moderately flexible tip. The combo is sold in multiple center-and-sidebite size combinations and is intended for longboards and mid-lengths; True Ames also offers a Futures-compatible version of the same set.
Mentioned in the review — Greenough 4A · Greenough 4A Volan — not something we carry.
Why Volan?
Volan is a woven fiberglass cloth laid by hand and finished with a resin that cures to a warm amber tint. It flexes differently than solid fiberglass — more spring, more life, more feel through turns. Where solid glass is stiff and direct, volan breathes with the wave.
The hand-laid process means each fin has subtle texture and character. It's heavier, which adds momentum through flat sections. Surfers who ride volan describe it as "warmer" — the fin does more of the work, trimming and holding without demanding constant input.
Shop the Greenough 4-A: 2+1 Combo Volan ›