The Fins on a Windsurfing Board

The fins on a windsurfing board are an important consideration of intermediate board performance in various wind and water conditions. Beginner boards have larger fins designed for ease of use through lower-drive mass. Intermediate windsurfers are much lighter on their feet and get better responsiveness from smaller fin dynamics.

Not only should you select your first windsurf board based upon maximizing length of usability but your first consideration should be determined by your body weight. This is also true as your skills progress when determining which fins will perform best for you.

Other Factors When Changing Your Windsurfing Board Fin

When learning about the different fins used on a windsurfing board you will need to determine your ultimate goal for making the fin change. You should factor in the normal wind conditions in your area. Then decide if you want improved performance during normal planing, increased speed or handling in moderate wind conditions, or all-out speed for radical blasting and over-power conditions.

Your level of competence also should help you make this decision. Don't get too far ahead of yourself. You should also factor in sail size most commonly used and your board displacement number. There is a guideline for selecting the best fins on a windsurfing board as skills advance. When using a large short board your first fin swap should be with a fin in the 34 to 38cm range. These are the fins most suitable for windsurfing off the plane.

Understanding How Fin Changes Affect Performance

It is possible to carry various fin sizes, along with your sail quiver, when you go to the water. Sometimes it is much easier to simply change your fin to one of a few centimeters larger or smaller to enhance performance in over or under powered situations. This can in many instanced solve the problem without the need to change your sail and allows you to get back out on the water much faster.

For blasting performance remember that the fins must work well with your sail size. If you change your fin to match the conditions and tune up performance, the fin size must be only be a few millimeters different from the fin that you remove. Larger fin size differences require sail changes also. Talk to more experienced sailors for advise when you have advanced enough to make more drastic fin and sail performance changes.

Board fins are a great deal smaller than those normally used on beginner boards, Many intermediate freestyle sailors make their own fins themselves either totally by hand or by grinding down a larger fin that already fits their board. There are many manufacturers who produce fins for a variety of different and specific uses.

Remember when determining fin size for planing performance purposes that when you are using a big sail, you need a bigger fin. When really blasting across the water your daggerboard is up and you are planing (skimming) on the water. Your sail is leaning back over the fin. And when everything works right, what a blast!

Resources:

http://www.boards.co.uk/equipment/finsize_calc.asphttp://www.naishafrica.com/STUFFDOWNLOADED/07WindsurfBds_Tech.pdfhttp://www.patentstorm.us/patents/6135836/description.html http://www.vims.edu