hi guys. just wondering if you could maybe give me advice on wha sort of fin i should be looking at.
i have a limited amount of equipment but i was looking to get a new fin to help me crack the 30knot barrier.
my gear:
62cm wide ahd diamond slalom board
x6 460mast
rs6 6.7 sail
the current fin on the board looks more like a free ride fin and its 36cm long (curved and raked)

could anyone shed some light on the science of choosing the right fin?
i still need upwind ability (at the moment it goes upwind like a yacht, i wouldn't mind a little less height) but i want some more speeeeed.

any help is much appreciated

b

Hi,

What sort of fin box does your board have?

Hi Bryce,

David here, we met the other day down at Sandringham. To hit top speeds you have to bear off the wind more than you would think. Most fast runs are done at around 120 off the wind. Any good slalom fin around 34cm-36cm would be good for that board and sail combo. Most slalom fins come in tuttle box which is what your board has. Fin size is related to board tail width and sail size.

Hope this helps.

Cheers
David

adding to katapult's comments, your weight is also a factor. At 70kgs I use a smaller fin than my heavier mates do in the same size gear.
For my 65cm board and 6.0 sail, I use a 31cm weedy for lighter winds and a 28cm for stronger winds. And have just got it over 30.
Wind picks up any more and I change down to my 53cm board

Select to expand quote

Katapult said...

Hi Bryce,

David here, we met the other day down at Sandringham. To hit top speeds you have to bear off the wind more than you would think. Most fast runs are done at around 120 off the wind. Any good slalom fin around 34cm-36cm would be good for that board and sail combo. Most slalom fins come in tuttle box which is what your board has. Fin size is related to board tail width and sail size.

Hope this helps.

Cheers
David

Hi David thanks so much for your help on the week end. It made the biggest difference imaginable. (I'm fairly sure if I had remembered to charge my gps I would have been impressed by the difference)
I think Ive almost been going too square and not pushing hard enough on the breeze to get the apparent going first before bearing away. As a consequence I feel like its taking me too long to wind up the speed. So I'll keep the 120 in mind for next time.
Is there any particular brands to keep an eye on? Is the fin size I choose directly related to the amount of lift it generates or is this going to be a design thing? Ideally I'd like something with enough lift to go upwind and small enough for me to crack 30 off the breeze (Shame drag is a bi-product of lift huh!)
Is it worth experimenting with second hand fins or is this something only worth buying new?

Thanks heaps for your help guys it's much appreciated!
I'd love to come along and meet some more people at the next races

Bryce