Wild Things Fitz Side Bite 2.44 Fins

Kye Fitzgerald's smaller side bite — 2.44" of Volan with an 80/20 foil, drawn to sit beside a 7.25" to 8" single fin.

2.44" (62mm) tall, Volan, on a single tab base for Futures boxes, with an 80/20 foil. The brief behind it is narrow enough to explain the size: pair it with 7.25" to 8" single fins in boards from 6'6" to 8'0", small enough that single-fin glide stays where it is, with just enough area to hold the tail in on the critical part of the wave. Late drops and pulling into the barrel are the moments this fin exists for, not the rest of the ride.

How that reads

An 80/20 foil puts most of the curve on the outside face and leaves the inside nearly flat, which is how a side bite grips without generating much lift of its own. At 2.44" there is not enough fin there to overrule the single fin behind it, so the board trims and glides the way it always did. What changes is the bottom of the arc — the tail stops sliding out under load when the wave goes vertical.

Who it suits

Single-fin boards between 6'6" and 8'0" that already run a 7.25" to 8" centre fin and have the side plugs to fill: mid-lengths and eggs ridden in surf with enough size to make them let go. Pick this over a taller side bite when the glide is the reason you ride the board.