Selecting right fin size/shape

[ljenning]

I just bought my first wave board, 99' Fanatic Bee 85L, and I'm having troubles finding the right fin for it. I sail at Lake Champlain with winds rangeing from 5k to 25k during the summer, I have a massive 255L board for the extreme light conditions. But I would like to try Fanatic bee with winds at 20+ with a 7.5 freeride sail (4.9 when the wind is blowing) . I weigh around 150lbs and as in right now I just want to freeride and learn to gybe with smaller boards. Mostly somewhat choppy conditions and not too big of swells. Plenty of weeds in the lake as well (Is that the purpose of weed fins?).

Lance

[Jrobb]

A 7.5 on an85l wave board is a pretty big strech. I have used successfully up to 7.3 on 103/97l slalom boards (F2 Axxis) and that works fine. I tried my 7.3 on my 80l Mistral Stinger and that was just too much sail for it. It did not plane up any faster...actually it planed up slower than my 5.4 and the same board. Once up it wasn't too bad, but the reason you slap a bigger sail on is to gain a lower planing threashold. With the combo you are trying, I don't think you'll gain anything...maybe top speed and glide through the lulls but getting there is the hard part.

The rig seems to generate too much MFP in non planing mode combined with the weight, to sink the board instead of propelling it forwards. On 85l, I'd go up to 6.4 maybe 6.6, but after that I don't think you'll get much.

What's your weight and what type of finbox. I use a 34cm freeride for my 7.3 with no spinout issues but on wave board, you'll want a different style...shorter span (length) with wider chord (width of fin base looking from side). Weed issues? Get a Freeweed, or weed wave type. Or just a regular weed fin that fits your box.

Give it a shot though, I have been proven wrong on occasion.

J

[ljenning]

To answer your question I weigh around 150lbs and the finbox is trim base. I agree about the 7.5 being to big of a sail, but I try to work with what I have. Hopefully someone around the area is selling a sail around that size. Thanks for the reply.

Lance