Below is a photo of all was left of my K4 Fang 30 after today's sailing. The fin just broke at the base. I was very powered up an ACX 6.0 and RRD FSW 90 but I did not hit anything. The board just started to slide and then I was in the water ... and eventually had to call the coast guard. Funny thing is that just a few minutes before the fin broke I was thinking: "this is a lot of stress for a plastic fin".

A sample of one does not mean much, maybe it is just a fluke, but I think I am going back to G10 for my slalom-ish RRD FSW set up! Tectonics Falcon here I come!

A plastic fin ? i would not trust one where i sail ..I don't even trust a moulded fin ,broke a few of those just sailing overpowered .

yes ..G10 all the way Duzzi ride safe its a long swim back ..

I had a similar issue with a stock G10 tabou pocket wave fin back in the day. Thank God I had the two 10cm tiny side fins plugged in. Somehow I managed the board upwind and got back safe. Good to have more than one fin underneath, G10 is no guarantee.

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sprayblaze said..
I had a similar issue with a stock G10 tabou pocket wave fin back in the day. Thank God I had the two 10cm tiny side fins plugged in. Somehow I managed the board upwind and got back safe. Good to have more than one fin underneath, G10 is no guarantee..

I think I am going to start to carry a small fin in my back pack There is room and why not ... although this is the first fin I broke in 40 years of sailing ...

Second time I use my new VHF radio in a few months. It is a Standard Horizon HX890. First time for a friend of mine who was disconnected from his wing board. Thank you small 5 liter dry pack with the radio packed inside!

Well that's discouraging. I was about to pull the trigger on a pair of 28cm 3SW for a Sealion Wings. I wonder if the more wave-oriented curved shape would put less load on the head (less lift) or more (more twist). Obviously the twin-fin setup does spread the load around, and I'm unlikely to ever put the kind of lateral load on a strapless board like the Sealion than you can put on a powered up FSW.

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Awalkspoiled said..
Well that's discouraging. I was about to pull the trigger on a pair of 28cm 3SW for a Sealion Wings. I wonder if the more wave-oriented curved shape would put less load on the head (less lift) or more (more twist). Obviously the twin-fin setup does spread the load around, and I'm unlikely to ever put the kind of lateral load on a strapless board like the Sealion than you can put on a powered up FSW.

I would not do too much of the episode. It is a sample of one, and fins brake. For me it would be hard to get another fang, psychologically, and I wanted something faster anyway, but I doubt there is a problem with the material they use.

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Awalkspoiled said..
Well that's discouraging. I was about to pull the trigger on a pair of 28cm 3SW for a Sealion Wings. I wonder if the more wave-oriented curved shape would put less load on the head (less lift) or more (more twist). Obviously the twin-fin setup does spread the load around, and I'm unlikely to ever put the kind of lateral load on a strapless board like the Sealion than you can put on a powered up FSW.

Look at the bigger Scorchers, they go up to 23cm and would work well. You don't need a bunch of fin if you aren't planing.

US box fins breaking was a pretty common thing back in the 80s. It was common enough that the standard remedy to get back in to the beach was to strap your harness to the back footstraps and body drag back in. The harness provides just enough water drag to keep the board from slipping away from you while you body drag.

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segler said..
US box fins breaking was a pretty common thing back in the 80s. It was common enough that the standard remedy to get back in to the beach was to strap your harness to the back footstraps and body drag back in. The harness provides just enough water drag to keep the board from slipping away from you while you body drag.

yes, we all know that. But I doubt it would work in 20 knots off shore winds, with a seriously oversized sail, and getting close to drift downwind the last piece of land. Upwind in those conditions with just a piece of harness for a fin? I'll experiment but I doubt it.

Tilting the board and keeping a wide stance unhooked actually worked, and had the advantage of not wasting time taking off the harness and putting in the back. You drift fast in a offshore and any time saved is important. But it was very fatiguing and I was still loosing ground. Maybe I would have made it, but maybe not and then I would have been calling the coast guard while exhausted, and with the next stop 6 miles away across the San Francisco Bay. Better safe than sorry, especially when at sea.

For anyone else reading this.......key is DO NOT PLANE !
Slogging allows you to dig the windward rail in, sailing across the wind.
Upwind is hopeless.
Downwill will result in multiple spinout crashes.
Hook in, spread feet, sheetout, and enjoy a slow cruise across the wind.

The only time I saw Duzzi in the water that day was when his fin broke. You can see him as a spec at the very beginning of this video and towards the end. He makes a nice gybe at the end so he definitely took the trophy



Things can deteriorate quickly for us geezers in the bay, better to be safe than sorry I reckon. The only thing that would make me hesitate calling the SFPD in the future is their apparent disregard for how expensive our kit is.

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thedoor said..
The only time I saw Duzzi in the water that day was when his fin broke. You can see him as a spec at the very beginning of this video and towards the end. He makes a nice gybe at the end so he definitely took the trophy

Things can deteriorate quickly for us geezers in the bay, better to be safe than sorry I reckon. The only thing that would make me hesitate calling the SFPD in the future is their apparent disregard for how expensive our kit is.

Forgot to mention you, The Door! (I am afraid I do not know your "real" name.) Thank you so much for staying with me while I was wondering what to do without a fin!

Hard to keep up against the Goya Bolt with the RRD 90 FSW! It needs to be VERY powered up. In the video I am an upwind leg, and it is loosing ground quick when the wind lets go a bit and I have to point even more upwind to avoid another sailor. But I am still surprised at the pace it can keep on a broad reach. The Tectonics Falcon 30 is in the mail and it might gain a few fractions of a knot ...

Tough road trying to make a FSW stay with a Fast Freeride in flat water. Sheer length of flat helps a lot, and RRD FSW is not known to have any.
.

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LeeD said..
Tough road trying to make a FSW stay with a Fast Freeride in flat water. Sheer length of flat helps a lot, and RRD FSW is not known to have any.
.

Yeah but he was doing a pretty good job of it. Pretty certain I would not have caught him if we were on the same angle of sailing. I was probably 20 deg off the wind at least and he looked to be on a beam reach or higher.

Well, Dave might be a phenominal windsurfer.
I would feel very sad if any of my freeride boards, any 8, could not easily catch up to and walk past any fsw board, regardless of rider.

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LeeD said..
Well, Dave might be a phenominal windsurfer.
I would feel very sad if any of my freeride boards, any 8, could not easily catch up to and walk past any fsw board, regardless of rider.

Very far from being a phenomenal rider. The RRD FSW 90 can keep up with a slalom board in a narrow window of sailing conditions. Very overpowered with a freerace 6.0 sail, on a broad reach. In variable winds, or just powered up or on a beam reach, or upwind, it cannot.

But put her in that spot and she goes, with impressive speed and control. A lot of fast fun. It is a FSW, but it has a lot of flat in the back and a fast fin and sail do wonders. Still, in the same, or even harder conditions. I have seen sailors more capable than me hitting in excess of 31 knots 5x10", with Isonic 93 and severne race sail 6.3. I don't think the RRD/6.0 could get there, and I do not have GPS numbers for her 5x10" speed.

I am also sure I am below my top speeds with a slalom board by a bunch of knots. Although my 32-36 knots (seen on a Lycosys GT-11) are all in tamer conditions: 6.5/7.0, no swell, very little chop with slalom boards such as Carbon art 58/52, or Patrik 100.

Good analysis.
I often sail with a guy who has reached 36 on GPS. this season,, Pt Isabelle. Goya Volar and Maui Sails twin cams, usually 6.5 in winds of 17-25 mph. He's one of the fastest in East Bay.
He just added an Isonic 96 to his quiver.
I'm often on 2004 fsw and 5.2 wave sails. Can't say who is faster.

The beautiful Tectonics Falcon that takes the place of the broken K4 Fang. Let's see where it takes the board!

Just wanted to mention that K4 is warranting the fin and sending a replacement, I could have asked for a Fang, a different fin, or a refund. I opted for a small 16 cm to carry with me in case of an emergency. Excellent costumer service.

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duzzi said..
The beautiful Tectonics Falcon that takes the place of the broken K4 Fang. Let's see where it takes the board!

Twice out with the Falcon 30 and Point-7 ACX 6.0, once properly overpowered.

This is a Ferrari! Lovely fin, does everything right. Good uptake, fast acceleration, incredibly slippery, no trace of spin out even when I treat it as a B&J and play on the swell. Compared to the Fang 30 it seems to have a slightly higher lift, I had to move the mast track 1 cm forward, and feels a bit more nervous and reactive. Hard to judge the speed without hard GPS data, but the board goes. Very stable on the fin, I did some wonderful runs solidly planted with just the tail in the water. It feels like a much better fin ... at more than twice the cost!

The fin is a classic, it has been on the Tectonics catalogue for more than a decade, and I can see why. I should get my AV Modena 88 next spring and I'll be curious to put a Falcon on it!