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wannabekiter
Since 14 May 2015
269 Posts
Hood river
Obsessed
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Sun Aug 20, 17 5:54 pm Fin help |
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I finally did it, i broke one of my slingshot celeritas fins. Now the million dollar question is what to replace them with? I ride toe instead of gybing so is there a fin which will help up wind? |
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macgruber
Since 06 Dec 2011
490 Posts
SE PDX volcano
Obsessed
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Sun Aug 20, 17 7:00 pm |
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Windance has them individually for around $9 or a set for $20. I break a fair amount at the Coast and none of these cheap ones has damaged the fin box. I don't think the sizes available for Fcs really make much upwind difference. |
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eric
Since 13 Jan 2006
1831 Posts
XTreme Poster
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Mon Aug 21, 17 7:05 am |
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Yeah. I don't like the flexible plastic fins as I blow out the tail in hard turns. After that, I can't feel a difference between fancy pants $$ fins and the cheap glass singles you can get at the surf shops as replacements for my fancy set as I break those.
Eric |
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Ryan
Since 14 Jul 2005
537 Posts
Oregon
Addicted
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Mon Aug 21, 17 10:17 am fins |
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My experience suggests fins can significantly change the way a board feels. This is mostly with respect to turning and how a loose or free a board is. If your mowing the lawn then I would just get a stiff fin with a long base to give you something to push off when going upwind. I would do a bit of research. Both the FCS and Future websites have some good tools for determining which fins might suit you. size does matter! Also, talking with someone at a surf shop that does know something about fins helps.
I have been riding strapless exclusively since 2008 and have never broken a fin. How are you guys doing that? Running up onto the sand? |
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wannabekiter
Since 14 May 2015
269 Posts
Hood river
Obsessed
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Mon Aug 21, 17 7:14 pm fins |
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Not running. Just being lazy |
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Kmun
Since 05 Jul 2009
258 Posts
Obsessed
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Tue Aug 22, 17 12:02 pm Fin Replacement |
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Slingshot fin materials are either chopped fiber resin, injection/compression molded or G10 laminate. Most of the new fins I see shipped with new product are the former vs later. Early SS fins appear to be G10 glass.
G10 is not often promoted as "stock" because;
1. it it heavier to ship (shipping costs)
2. More expensive to build,
3. Additional expense adds cost to the board retail sticker shock
4. Most people never realize advanced attributes & extra cost of G10 or fine aftermarket fins.
Chopped fiber, injection molded fins perform on the flexible end of the kite fin spectrum. Due to high flex they at best behave as a stiff but smaller fin. They are satisfactory for coastal surf where on-wave "drive" is not required, their size (bow to stern) assists up-wind ability & tip flex helps snap/slide turns. They are not well suited for River Swell, up-wind performance & heavy riders. As the fins twists under light lateral pressure this will help the board turn quick by sliding the tail (sideways). However, in trade does not conserve "drive"/momentum/glide down the boards mid-line. Fin flex & twist hurts up-wind ability.
For river swell & lake riding:
Of the many people I have convinced to try a tall 4.0-4.5cm, very stiff, (not the groovy looking swept back fin shape/no big concave cut-out of trailing edge) all resulted in profound performance increase. They would never return to short or flexible fins. I would no longer waste a BIG Gorge Swell session with injection molded fins nor would I assume that a demo of a new board (with soft fins) a fair appraisal of the true attributes of the board's shape. On a coastal wave this theory may be tempered toward the flexi-tip end of the spectrum; determined by wave speed, size/radius rider body weight & rider technique (front foot vs back foot heavy turn initiation). One the extreme end of this spectrum; there are a very few, very talented freestyle surfboard riders that use the flexi SS stock fins with the trailing fin removed (riding the board as a twin fin).
For in depth fin theory read http://www.swaylocks.com/. This is a surfing web site so a kiter will have to integrate much higher lateral loads than pure down the line surf forces. In other words add another 30% to you body weight to draw conclusions. |
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