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Small fin?
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rtz



Joined: 31 Oct 2010
Posts: 296
Location: Oklahoma City

PostPosted: Tue Apr 02, 2019 11:48 pm    Post subject: Small fin? Reply with quote

Is the only example of being under finned spinning out?

My board has 3 sets of possible foot strap positions. The front ones are where I stand by default and with them there I can get into them all the time. I currently have them in the middle setting. I have never been able to get back there and get into them.

Any time I start my way back to them; the board stops planing. Would a small fin get overpowered from the weight moving on top of it from it not producing enough "lift"?
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techno900



Joined: 28 Mar 2001
Posts: 4161

PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 7:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Any time I start my way back to them; the board stops planing. Would a small fin get overpowered from the weight moving on top of it from it not producing enough "lift"?


Yes, and more so at slow speeds.

Your issue with foot straps is that you haven't progressed enough to get comfortable at "speed". In other words, go a lot faster!. More wind or more sail will make the difference. Easier said than done, that's where practice comes in, meaning TOW, or time on the water. It's not that much of an equipment thing, it's skill development which just takes time.

When novices begin planing, it seems scary fast, but fast for you may be 18-20 mph, while fast for an intermediate/advanced may be 25-30 mph.
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spennie



Joined: 13 Oct 1995
Posts: 975
Location: Thousand Oaks, CA

PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 1:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

What "Techno900" said, with an addition: Often early footstrap users will accidentally turn upwind while they're concentrating on their feet, causing them to stop planing. You may just need to multitask a bit and make sure you're going fast enough and not turning upwind.
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swchandler



Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588

PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 3:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I remember from an earlier post of yours that your footstraps were located in the bare beginner positions. That greatly limits your performance and the ability to progress. You need to push the margins and test yourself. Move the footstraps to the outboard positions ASAP. As long as you have enough wind to plane, it shouldn't take more than a couple of sessions to confidently get into those outboard straps. Also, you might want to move your harness lines further back on the booms so that's not limiting your ability to move back on the board and rake the sail back.

Lastly, I have to agree with techno900's comments. Time on the water is key to gaining the experience and confidence to pick up the pace. You can't afford to get into a rut and stunt your potential because it feels more easy and comfortable. You don't want to become a perpetual beginner.
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NOVAAN



Joined: 28 Sep 1994
Posts: 1541

PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 5:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Most of your issues are skill not fin or straps or 4cm of mast sticking out. That said a nice mid size free ride board would go a long way in your quest to improve. Water starts are a must have skill so you can venture into higher wind spots. Go to a ABK camp at a windy spot and you will vastly improve in a shorter time. The bottom line is you need wind and proper sail size to match your board and body weight in order to plane and move back into the straps.
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manuel



Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Posts: 1158

PostPosted: Thu Apr 04, 2019 9:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Let's take it backwards. Spin-outs happened because:
- Heavy back foot (move harness lines back)
- Fin is too short given rear foot position (the more outboard the longer the fin)
- Fin is damaged or too thin or just poorly designed
- Sail size is too big, etc.

A flexy fin may spin out faster but more progressively than a stiffer fin.

We use the fin to go straight and head upwind. Downwind or overpowered we need less fin. The faster we go the more traction we get from the fin.
Lower speeds require more torque from the fin.

So, we are under finned when:
- we cannot get as much angle as we'd like to head upwind
- we need more lift to plane while being underpowered

The finer we are with our footing and technique overall, the shorter fin we can use. It requires more caution as to avoid spinning out but in the end the board will be more nimble and faster (so long as we are powered).

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rtz



Joined: 31 Oct 2010
Posts: 296
Location: Oklahoma City

PostPosted: Thu Apr 04, 2019 10:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That's excellent info. But now I need the info on being over finned to complete the picture.

I hear about the board wanting to roll up on the rail from too much fin. Also concerned with too much fin slowing me down.

I was out on a 7.5m and 34cm fin and it seemed like my upwind was suffering and also the board was sliding sideways in the water just from the force of the wind against the sail.
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Thu Apr 04, 2019 10:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That's primarily technique, the primary solution to which is TOW.
BTW, how much wind was there?
And are your fins flawless and mounted rock solid in the finbox?
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manuel



Joined: 08 Oct 2007
Posts: 1158

PostPosted: Thu Apr 04, 2019 11:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

With too much fin your rear leg will burn up. The board will want to lift off of the water. It's hard to sail on a beam reach, the board will want to either head upwind or downwind.
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swchandler



Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588

PostPosted: Thu Apr 04, 2019 12:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Your board is quite wide, so you need a bigger fin, especially using a 7.5. Measure your board's width one foot off the tail. That dimension will roughly determine the size of fin needed. With a 7.5, I think that you will need a fin in the 38 to 42cm range.

In very light winds, I would not be too worried about being over-finned, even with a 42cm fin. Moreover, don't be fooled into thinking that larger fins are slow. That is not the case, especially in very light winds moving to windward.

Since you are looking at investing in additional fins, you might want to pick up both a 38 and a 42cm to establish a broad base fin quiver that you can rely on for years.
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