Hydrodynamic Analysis of Surfboard Fin Performance

Hewitt, Brent

Publication

Hydrodynamic Analysis of Surfboard Fin Performance

Hewitt, Brent

Date

2022

Additional date(s)

5/19/2022

Abstract

Hydrodynamic Analysis of Surfboard Fin Performance set out to analyze how the outline of a surfboard fin can impact performance. Performance analysis involved running images from the manufacturers' websites through a MATLAB code that would process the image and determine an appropriate numerical method based on fluid dynamics to explain categorical differences between fins. After testing for differences between categories for the following performance metrics: the vertical line of action the horizontal line of action, the ratio between the tip area and the rest of the fin, and the resulting angle created by comparing the vertical and horizontal lines of action, the angle was found to be the most statistically significant factor for determining fin categories. Moving forward, users can input an image, along with fin dimensions, to determine the performance characteristics of a fin without having to purchase a fin. This paper explains the underlying equations that are utilized, the fundamental assumptions that are made, how the results are generated, and how users can interpret the results.