I've almost got all of the stuff together to get into the water - I'm just beginning, did I say that? Just waiting for a daughter to bring a mast extension back from Perth for me. I'm well over weight, unfit and nearly 60, so I have a hyoooooj beginners' board - a JP Funster 205 (Nimitz class!) which I got 2nd hand in really good condition. It came with 3 fins - a JP Ride 42, a JP Seaweed Wave 26 and a Flying Objects 320 Weedster. Which one should I use, at least to begin with? There's no real weed problem here. No use suggesting any other fins as I won't be buying anything else for a while yet. I need to get started with what I have.

the fin goes with the sail
no weeds - don't bother with the weed fin
you are not gonna be wave sailing nor sliding the back of the board in jibes

personally i would go with the supplied JP 42 fin
this s/b good up to 8.x if necessary
also, if wind is good - raise the keel and fly :-)

just my 2 cents/ make sense ??

joewindsurfer.com

Good morning, Dinsdale,

I presume that because you are learning, your sail will be relatively small, say in the range of 4.5 - 6.0m. For these, the Flying Objects 320 fin would be more than adequate.

I think that Joe's suggestion of the JP 42 may be off the ball a little: the 42 will inhibit you trying to do beach starts, where you need less depth of water to get up on the board and, if you do get some speed up when coming back to shore, the 42 would tend to find sandbanks faster then the 320.

Hope this helps.

WindmanV:

i presumed larger sail due to "heavyweight"
i started with 7.0 and now my most used sail is 8.5

i like to go fast, plane early and head upwind
for me as a heavyweight , bigger is better

I'd go the 42, big boards need big fins especially if your getting planing without the centreboard.

Assuming your going to go out more than once , there's no harm trying all of them anyway

Select to expand quote

WindmanV said...

Good morning, Dinsdale,

I presume that because you are learning, your sail will be relatively small, say in the range of 4.5 - 6.0m. For these, the Flying Objects 320 fin would be more than adequate.

I think that Joe's suggestion of the JP 42 may be off the ball a little: the 42 will inhibit you trying to do beach starts, where you need less depth of water to get up on the board and, if you do get some speed up when coming back to shore, the 42 would tend to find sandbanks faster then the 320.

Hope this helps.

Do agree with WindmanV that the FO 320 Weedster would be the fin best suited to learning on the Funster with smallish sails.

Dinsdale,

With respect to advice of others, you may be getting a 'bum steer' from some considering JP specs for the board and std fin fitted which I believe would be closest recommendation to follow:

Funster range 2007-2010: JP Freestyle 28cm fin + daggerboard
Funster range 2011: JP Ride 34cm fin + daggerboard
(both fins appear to have roughly the same surface area)

Ref: http://www.jp-australia.com/2011/index.php?id=587

Out of the three fins you have, the 320 Weedster would be the closest in surface area and relative performance to either of the std fins but would probably sail a bit different to the others. This may not be a problem though, if anything I think the weedie would make learning easier as weed fins usually soften the ride and handling a bit compared to more upright fins like the JP Ride, though this may be at the expense of upwind performance. Once you've mastered the basics and start planing faster using larger sails in light-moderate winds then the JP Ride 42 would be worth trying.

Another thing, if you're planning to learn to sail on Princess Royal Harbour at Albany which is probably the most popular spot for learning, be aware that weed can be a problem in warmer weather particularly near the shore (usually Jan-Mar). I sail on the Harbour occasionally but mostly in the ocean off Middleton Beach and found that the weed last summer in both areas was the worst I have experienced for many years! (bought my first ever weed fin in Dec last year and came in handy a number of times).

Many thanx for the advice/views,

I went out yesterday for a 1st foray. I did use the 42 and the centre board, and I now realize that it probably won't make any difference to me at first. Yesterday was wall to wall sunshine but only a slight breeze - maybe 3-5 kts. No harness and no foot straps. It was good for me to just get used to balancing on the board, trimming the sail and steering the thing. I had the entire harbour (Princess Royal Harbour - Albany) to myself and spent about 3 hrs going all over the place. Having been a small boat sailor in a past life I was at least able to sail where I wanted to go, albeit slowly. Next time I want about 7-10 kts. The humongous board floats me high and dry, but that's good. The complicating factor is that over the last year I've had 3 quite major surgeries on my spine (lots of metal and bone grafts in there) so I need to feel my way fairly gently for now. However, I will get there, eventually! Any'ow, thanx again, and I will have more questions as I progress.