Like many of Hawaii’s progressive surf designs, the Vektor Fin system found its start in the Waialua Sugar Mill. Ryan was foiling and cutting fins for other shapers, and started playing around with his own templates—just to do something different, with a focus on drive. Once the fins were developed, he started testing them on the North Shore, refining the templates and foils after each surf. The fins started out pretty big, but after a lot of hands-on R&D, the were shrunk down a bit to their current size. When you first look at Vektor Fins, you immediately notice that they are different than your standard fin—or even the Nubster, which Ryan also developed. The design is focused on creating bite and drive—with a longer base length—but also the ability for release, which comes from the tapered rake. This creates a smoother, faster, more powerful ride without compromising performance. Lately the Vektor team has been experimenting with a five-fin setup in heavier, hollower surf, adding Vektor’s a trailing side-bites in the rear quad boxes to supplement the standard thruster setup. This gives barrel riders the best of both worlds—the stability off the bottom provided by a thruster, but also...