Stable paddling is fast paddling.
There’s a common misconception about SUP fins that an increase in stability results in reduced speed. While that may be true for world champion paddler like Connor Baxter, Fiona Wylde or Arthur Arutkin, the vast majority of paddlers will significantly benefit from a more stable paddling experience.
Our all-new Ray v2 is the fin that ensures paddlers never have to choose between stability and speed. An ideal choice for a wide-range of paddlers and various board styles, the Ray v2 enhances the performance of your board by adding stability, tracking, glide, and adjustability.
While the original Ray v1 was our best-selling fin, settling for good enough will never be good enough for us. As subscribers to the Principle of Kaizen—the concept that you can always do things better, even if they seem to work well in a particular moment—we went back to the drawing board and completely redesigned the Ray.
Significant upgrades to the Ray v2 include our new Deep Foil Concept, Reduced Cord Concept, increased rake angle, reduced surface area, and fresh new artwork. The result is a radically improved fin that offers better stability, speed, and adjustability.
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NEW FEATURES OF THE RAY v2
Increased Rake with New Curved 45° Outline
The new outline serves several purposes. With an increased rake angle of 45 degrees, the Ray v2 (which is our biggest fin and has our thickest foil) is better at shedding sea grass, kelp, river weeds and other debris in the water—an extremely important fin feature in many paddling locations.
The curved outline also helps with foot steering, enabling the paddler to make micro tracking adjustments with just a slight change of foot position or pressure. This allows for straighter and faster paddling, a major improvement over the previous Ray model which required more aggressive railing—which often created instability and zig-zag tracking.
New Deep Foil Concept
The foil has been redesigned with our Deep Foil Concept (DFC)—leading to several benefits. Not only does it increase the stability of the board, it also allowed us to get more aggressive with other aspects of the design, such as lower surface area. The result is a fin that’s not only more stable, but faster too.
With the DFC, the fin is narrower at the base and the foil increases as you move towards the center depth, thinning out again as it moves towards the tip. With the foil deeper in the water, we are able to use the foil (and drag created by it) more efficiently by keeping it away from the turbulence of the board, while also increasing the keel stability effect. This means the Ray v2 manages to not only create less drag, but increased stability and tracking—ultimately making your paddling experience both faster and more stable.
The DFC also eliminates the foil overhang, where the bottom of the foil meets the base. This makes it much easier to fit this fin to a variety of different boards. We still have two different base options, but this makes it easier to factor in the variances between a wide-range of board brands.
Reduced Cord Concept
First introduced with the Condor, the Reduced Cord Concept (RCC) enables us to reduce the fin size while maintaining tracking. It also increases tuning options as the fin can be moved forward and aft, even in short fin boxes. For example, you would move your fin forward for more pivot and back for increased tracking. The cord of the Ray v2 is 14.5cm / 5.7” — 5mm less than the original (15cm / 5.9”).
Less Surface Area = More Speed
The combination of the DFC and the RCC enabled us to decrease the overall area by 4 cm2 (1.4%). This adjustment helps to increase speed with improved tracking, stability and handling—all round better paddling experience.
Fresh New Artwork
The Ray v2 also comes with a fresh new look—a distinctive aesthetic that will appeal to a wide-range of paddlers. We included more info and specs on each fin, making it easier for customers and retailers to identify the differences between the models. We are lucky to have added a graphic designer to our staff (Glenn), and you can expect to see gradual improvements across the collections as we become more unified and cohesive in our branding.
WHAT PADDLERS WILL BENEFIT FROM THE RAY v2?
The Ray v2 is the most-versatile fin that we offer and caters to nearly every paddler.
Intermediate Paddlers
The stability of the Ray v2 makes it a top choice for beginner and intermediate paddlers looking to improve tracking or stability on their board. The benefits are not limited to hard boards either, adding a Ray is a great upgrade for inflatable boards that notoriously come equipped with performance-robbing fins.
Experienced Paddlers
More experienced paddlers will find the Ray v2 significantly smooths the transition to narrower race boards. Additionally, all paddlers will find a significant advantage by using the Ray v2 during choppy and windy conditions.
Distance Paddlers
The Ray is also a great choice for long distance and more relaxed paddling and touring. The added tracking and glide between strokes helps you keep momentum and speed with a lower cadence.
RAY PERFORMANCE RATINGS
WHAT PADDLERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE RAY v2
What we think about the Ray v2
“Over the past couple of seasons I have used the Sonic and Condor fins for much of my paddling, however I recently started paddling on a 2022 Infinity Blackfish, which is narrower, faster and more challenging to use than my Naish Maliko. I found that with my Condor I was spending too much mental and physical energy balancing and focusing on tracking, when I changed to the Ray v2, I was able to get everything back in balance and get in tune with the new board. Over time I expect to move back to a smaller fin, but the Ray v2 is ideal for helping me to be make the transition to a very narrow board.” — Chris Freeman, Black Project SUP Founder
As a developing paddler, I try to focus on improving one aspect of my paddling during each training session. The Ray v2 provides excellent stability and tracking, making it the perfect fin when I want focus on my paddling stroke. It allows me to be more athletic on the board, without having to worry about taking a swim. Most importantly, it helps me focus on executing powerful paddle strokes with good technique. — Chris J., Black Project Staff Member and Intermediate Paddler
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RECOMMENDED FLAT WATER RACE FINS
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Condor Pre-Preg
$175.00 -
Tiger v2 Pre-Preg
$175.00 -
Ray v2 Pre-Preg
$175.00
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