Question: What does placing the fins closer to the centre of the wakeboard do?
About the article "Wakeboarding", section "Fins and placement".

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The closer the fins are placed towards the centre of the wakeboard, the quicker and better the wakeboard releases from the wake.
The farther out towards the tip and tail they are placed, the longer the wakeboard will stay hooked into the wake and it won’t release as well.
Long based finsTheir effect is almost the same as a short fin with a long base because they have a similar amount of surface area.
Long-based fins release better, give the wakeboard a loose, snowboard-like feel when riding flat through the water, and they hold up better on rails and ramps.
Moulded finsThese are just big channels in the board that act like fins and hold up on rails and ramps.
Moulded fins are slippery, but most boards have a removable centre fin.
Multi-finned set-upsThese capture the maximum edge hold and aggressiveness into the wake and through the wake.
Canted side finsThese are fins that lean out on an angle.
These fins are not as active when the wakeboard is riding flat through the water, but the more the rider leans on edge, the more the wakeboard hooks up.
The inside fin digs while the outside lifts, creating leverage to help the wakeboard edge hard.
Great for 50-50 grinds, nose presses and tail presses.
Cupped side finsThey have the same effect as canted fins but add more of a push-pull effect.
The cupped fin allows for the use of a smaller fin but still gets the hold of a bigger fin due to the increased surface area of the cupped side of the fin.
These fins are very deceiving – they look small and loose but really aren’t.
No FinsSome riders prefer to ride finless, as some boards are specifically designed for cable parks or other uses, some uses of which can benefit from a finless design.
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There are many different bottom designs in wakeboards – it is a feature wakeboard shapers use to express their own style.
On the bottom of the wakeboard can be seen concaves, channels or maybe nothing at all.
Each performs a different function, fine-tuning how the wakeboard rides through the water according to its width from tip to tail, fin setup, rocker and tip and tail shape.
Concaves create lift and make the wakeboard sit higher in the water.
Ever so simply, concaves in different areas of the wakeboard create lift in different areas of the wakeboard.
For instance, a double concave in the middle and a single concave in the tip and tail keep the wakeboard riding higher in the water overall.
But the double concave in the middle will always sit higher than the single concave.
Channels act like long fins and offer something for the water to run into and along to help the wakeboard edge harder.
If there are channels through the middle of the wakeboard and not at the tip or tail, it will be a hard-edging wakeboard but will still release well through the wake, depending on the fin setup.
On a wakeboard with channels running through the tip and tail, the fins will hook better and the wakeboard will not release as well through the wake.
Finally, a featureless wakeboard bottom basically lets the tip and tail shape, and the width throughout the rocker and the fins determine the nature of the board. 
A wakeboard tower is usually one of the specific characteristics of a wakeboard boat.
It elevates the pulling position of the rope allowing the rider to launch and stay into the air longer reducing the pull downwards.
Wakeboard Racks and Bimini tops can be attached to the tower, getting equipment up and out of the boat and harm's way. 
The Order of Merit is awarded at the discretion of the Executive Board of the International Waterski and Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) to individuals who have made meaningful contributions to the sport of water skiing which do not fall within the guidelines for the Hall of Fame.