Hi All. I just purchased a Starboard Kode 86 single fin. Conditions has been all over the show last few weeks so I have not managed to conclude too much as far as what sail I want to keep to use with this board. The advertises sail range is 4-6. My 6m is a free race 3 cam sail. I tried it on with about 18kts of wind flat water and it felt ok, but was spinning out a bit more than I like. I was just getting use to the board as well so could be me being awkward. I am considering getting a bigger fin than the 26cm that it came with and I can still push the mast fwd to help with that. No one seems to think there is much sense with using cambered sail on a Freewave board for flat water sailing. Is there a particular reason why? Is there anyone doing just that and find it work well? I appreciate feedback before I change anything! cheers

I have a Kode 86 which I use for flat water/ B&J with sails 4.5 up to 6.2 on the stock fin. I use a single rear strap and don't suffer severe spin out.
Tried using double straps but the single is better for me

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Mr Milk said..
I have a Kode 86 which I use for flat water/ B&J with sails 4.5 up to 6.2 on the stock fin. I use a single rear strap and don't suffer severe spin out.
Tried using double straps but the single is better for me

, I am using both foot straps at the back, but I am considering taking one off. What's your front strap setup? Cheers

when using a cammed sail it'll drive through the board more and won't lift as much as a freeway style sail, therefore using a cammed sail you should have a bigger fin so you can push against it harder.

Cammed sails, been there done that.
Unless used in a specialized zone, I find no use for them.

since you have the sail , this becomes a mute point. Sail it, I don't see that it's the main reason for your adapting to a new board.

If going fast is the goal look to the fin and keep the straps outboard.

If maneuvering is the goal then look to the sail. A 5.5 RAF sail from the last 5 years might rig on your mast and not cost significantly more than the fin. Move the straps inboard.

I too have an older Kode 86, single fin.

The Kode freewave is a crossover board with two sets of footstrap positions - and, yes, the outboard ones and double back strap are meant for use when blasting with bigger sails.

Can you then use a cam'd sail when blasting? - Yes of course you can, but these rigs tend to be heavier and more cumbersome so they detract from the turning attributes of this board. The Kode is not a proper slalom board but blasts around at a good speed. I prefer mine with rotational sails.

Do cam'd sails cause spinout? No they don't and a bigger fin is not the answer to spinout. Shift your harness lines back on the boom a bit, and perhaps set the front foot straps further forwards to get a more upright stance on the board.

Cool. Thanks for all the input. I think my best bet would be to start with making a few ajustements to my sail and harness to correct my position and avoid spin out. Then try to go fast and see what happen. The main reason I would like to keep the cam sail is I can also use it on my 125l Freeride board when the wind is around 15-18kts and shift board if the wind or conditions pick. If the wind pick proper then I have wave sails for that Freewave board too, 4m and 4.5. From what I get there is no right or wrong. It still appear that no one favour cam sail on Freewave board. I shall experiment further . cheers

The starboard fsw is probably the best candidate for speed runs! A little larger in feel than others, a bit faster, great freeride machine.

Your spinout may be because you have too much weight on your back foot. You cant get away with that like a bigger board & fin.
Dont move the front footstrap forward unless you have control issues. All it will do is increase the waterline and make the board more sticky. You want to be riding the board off the fin. For flat water freeride, straps at the back, mast track a bit further forward than for wave sailing. I think Starboard now have this marked in different colours on their Kode Freewaves.

If you do get a bigger fin, dont get a wave/freewave fin. Too much area and drag. A narrower more upright slalom type fin would be better. Does your board have a US box or powerbox? A US box will greatly reduce the options available, especially secondhand.

I used 5.6m & 6.5m 3 cam freerace sails (Naish Redline) on my Exocet Cross 90l. I think that board is more freeride than your Starboard FSW, its doesnt have any tail rocker. Does the Kode have much tail rocker? I think you need tail width and thicker sharper rails for cammed sails, look at the back of a small slalom board.
With the 5.6m sail I used 25cm and Select 28cm OE fin (similar to the 29cm Select Edge). The 25cm Select was a bit small, but it was very cheap at the time.
With the 6.5m a 32cm F-Hot Blade or the 28cm. The F-Hot was very narrow compared to a modern F-Hot.

For my current Cross 94l, with a 6.5m 2 cam Ezzy Lion I use the 29cm Select Edge on flat water and the OE Exocet 30cm fin when on the sea. I'm 78-80kg. I dropped the 3 cam sails as they were hard work. To make having them worthwhile you have to be well powered up all the time. I was on the 5.6m when I would have used my 4.7m wave sail, or 6.5m when I would have used a 5.2m.

TBH, I think you would be better off with a 5.5m 5 or 6 batten non cammed sail with your Starboard Kode. For flat water, more of a freeride than wave sail.

I like the old Mistral 25cm fin, its got a bit of curve and rake, low area, for blasting around with 4.5/5.2m. I damaged the tip so bought the Black Project 26cm when I changed boards. I've since repaired the tip as its a good fin. The 29cm Select Edge for 6m & 6.5m on flat water. The wider 30cm, 26cm and 24cm are nice and forgiving on the sea as they have more area, but the others are better for flat water and sailing faster. Changing fins can alter the feel of the board a lot. Just buy secondhand or new ones when they are on sale.

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PhilUK said..
Your spinout may be because you have too much weight on your back foot. You cant get away with that like a bigger board & fin.
Dont move the front footstrap forward unless you have control issues. All it will do is increase the waterline and make the board more sticky. You want to be riding the board off the fin. For flat water freeride, straps at the back, mast track a bit further forward than for wave sailing. I think Starboard now have this marked in different colours on their Kode Freewaves.

If you do get a bigger fin, dont get a wave/freewave fin. Too much area and drag. A narrower more upright slalom type fin would be better. Does your board have a US box or powerbox? A US box will greatly reduce the options available, especially secondhand.

I used 5.6m & 6.5m 3 cam freerace sails (Naish Redline) on my Exocet Cross 90l. I think that board is more freeride than your Starboard FSW, its doesnt have any tail rocker. Does the Kode have much tail rocker? I think you need tail width and thicker sharper rails for cammed sails, look at the back of a small slalom board.
With the 5.6m sail I used 25cm and Select 28cm OE fin (similar to the 29cm Select Edge). The 25cm Select was a bit small, but it was very cheap at the time.
With the 6.5m a 32cm F-Hot Blade or the 28cm. The F-Hot was very narrow compared to a modern F-Hot.

For my current Cross 94l, with a 6.5m 2 cam Ezzy Lion I use the 29cm Select Edge on flat water and the OE Exocet 30cm fin when on the sea. I'm 78-80kg. I dropped the 3 cam sails as they were hard work. To make having them worthwhile you have to be well powered up all the time. I was on the 5.6m when I would have used my 4.7m wave sail, or 6.5m when I would have used a 5.2m.

TBH, I think you would be better off with a 5.5m 5 or 6 batten non cammed sail with your Starboard Kode. For flat water, more of a freeride than wave sail.

I like the old Mistral 25cm fin, its got a bit of curve and rake, low area, for blasting around with 4.5/5.2m. I damaged the tip so bought the Black Project 26cm when I changed boards. I've since repaired the tip as its a good fin. The 29cm Select Edge for 6m & 6.5m on flat water. The wider 30cm, 26cm and 24cm are nice and forgiving on the sea as they have more area, but the others are better for flat water and sailing faster. Changing fins can alter the feel of the board a lot. Just buy secondhand or new ones when they are on sale.

Hi,
I really appreciate your feedback. That somewhat summarize what I felt when I rode my kode with my 6m 3 cams sail. It only really worked when fully powered up and bogging quickly as the wind dropped. I agree with you that the cam sail are considerably more work to use. I still like to wear an impact vest when I use that sail just to help me floating when waterstarting it. It stick to the water hard that one and to be fair is generally heavy. Based on the feedback I got so far, I am tempted to sell my cam sail and commit to a quiver that I would solely use on that board and make it my main board. I have a 370 and a 430 masts. I have a 4m combat, 4.5m combat and then would do a big jump to find a sail that rig on my 430. I am guessing that it would be min 5.5m. My fin box is us box, so yeah a bit harder to find a freeride fin but they are out there. I am thinking that my 26cm would be fine with a 5.5m and shouldn't spin out if everything is setup right.

My question now, what size sail would get me up to speed on flat water in 15-18kts on my 86l, 59cm wide board...? I am 65kgs... Any idea?
cheers

have the Kode 94 2013 single fin. For the cammed sails I found it essential to move the footstraps outboard (and double at the back is better). 6.2 is the biggest I go with 28 freewave fin, I tried 6.6 but it felt underfinned. I am a bit worried to use a bigger fin, having a4 box .

Move your harness lines back, it'll transfer more weight onto your front foot and lighten up fin pressure. Were you having problems mostly on one tack?

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Manuel7 said..
Move your harness lines back, it'll transfer more weight onto your front foot and lighten up fin pressure. Were you having problems mostly on one tack?

I have moved my harness lines back and moved the mast track fwd 1cm. No more issue. Thanks

This week, I had a pretty good go at sailing my Kode 86 with my 6m 3 cams Sail and I don't think I would crave that feeling much. I felt like the sail demanded my to sit in the harness and lean back where the board wanted my to sail more upright and forward. It was a bit over 20kts and the bumps were asking for some jumps and I felt awkward with my heavy rig. It wasn't even that fast as the whole setup felt unbalanced. I didn't spin out except when landing some jumps and that's fine. I just need to learn to land better. I would have loved to have a 5.5 wave sail. So except on very flat water, I really don't see the point of a cambered sail and even the outboard/double back straps. I am adjusting my quiver at the moment and will keep that board with 3 foot straps and use wave or crossover sails and keep a bigger (95 to 105l) board for the days where I want to use my bigger cambered sail. That should feel all more comfortable. Thanks for everyone comments.