windsurfing fins

[bennett]

how can a person tell if there fin is too large or small. I've been out with my new board quiet a few times now and it seems fine, but so many people say that you need to have multiple fins........................why? If anyone wants to windsurf leech lake some weekend give me a shout at wbjohnso@mtu.edu

[chanrider]

If your board/fin combo is working ok then life is good. If it starts spinning out then you might need to try a bigger fin. If it starts flying up out of the water then you might need a smaller fin. This is a chart I pulled from a catalog for freeride type fins, although smaller fins are prolly considered wave or freestyle wave fins. Weed fin lengths run proportionally longer for the same sail size by several cms I think. The area of the fin is key to offset the sail size. The shape of the fin controls how the board turns and how fast it goes.

Inches....cm.........Sail Range (M)......Optimal Sail Size
8.5.........22.........3.2........4.2.........3.7
9.5.........24.........3.7........5.0........ 4.4
10.5........26.........4.7........5.5........ 5.1
11.0........28.........4.2........5.2........ 4.7
12.5........32........ 4.8........ 5.8........ 5.3
13.5........34........ 5.5........ 6.5........ 6.0
14.5........37........ 6.3........ 7.3........ 6.8
16.0........40........ 7.0........ 8.0........ 7.5
18.0........46........ 7.5........ 9.5........ 8.5

If your board still rides like junk make sure there are no dings in your fin and if there are sand them out smooth and shapely. Or try a better aftermarket fin (FinWorks, Ames, etc.). It's kind of like putting nicer tires on a car.