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Weed Fins

> 10 years ago
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General Gps & Speed Waves Foiling Gear Reviews Lost & Found WA NSW QLD SA VIC TAS
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MavericK040
MavericK040
WA
583 posts
MavericK040 MavericK040
WA, 583 posts
2 Oct 2007 5:53pm

I was just wondering if there was any disadvantages to using a weed fin ?
altho im sure the disadvantages ( if any ) wouldn't be as bad as stopping regularly and removing a huge clump of weeds from my fin, in the estuary i sail in when the tide is low the weeds are quite bad. how effective are these fins and should i buy one...
heres the ones i have been looking at.
www.gsport.com/ click on products , then weed.
oh yea the weeds in my estuary are grass like and very abundant. dont know if this makes any differnce
Cheers
elmo
elmo
WA
8894 posts
elmo elmo
WA, 8894 posts
2 Oct 2007 6:11pm
Have been using Weedies for a long time now and swear by them.

Most of the Safety bay crew have to use them because of the ribbon weed.

Use them for Speed and Wave riding.

Quite suspect about the units where they have the large protrusion at the front of the box as they can trap weed and create a problem.

Lot of people swear by the Leading edge Carbon jobbies, these seem to be getting a bit harder to get (check with 2nd wind) also Chad is clearing a bit of his accumulation of fins www.seabreeze.com.au/Members/Classifieds/Gear/2007-Leading-Edge-B4.aspx?id=0r4v&search=Ay8%2fAKHerIOmtsyKw9cHiQ%3d%3d

Myself, I prefer G10 as I tend to hit things a bit as well as wear the fins in the shallows, G10 cleans up a hell of a lot easier than Carbon (IMO) WSP have just got in a range of Choco fins and soon will have JP G10 fins which are quite well priced.

Hope this helps.
MavericK040
MavericK040
WA
583 posts
MavericK040 MavericK040
WA, 583 posts
3 Oct 2007 7:45pm

thanks mate i think i will have to go out and buy a couple now ,
is the positioning in the finbox the same as a regular fin?
elmo
elmo
WA
8894 posts
elmo elmo
WA, 8894 posts
3 Oct 2007 7:56pm
PB and TB will be stuck in the same spot.

US box you can move it forward a bit as the center of effort is further back than a standard fin.

With Weedies the general rule of thumb is to also move the mast foot a touch forward about 10-15mm.
bubs
bubs
SA
924 posts
bubs bubs
SA, 924 posts
3 Oct 2007 9:46pm
I got a weed fin for my bigger board (JP freeride 158) and it made a signifficant difference. However got it more for a depth problem than anything. Went from a 50cm freeride fin to a 33cm weed fin and worked alright.

Bubs
jord070
jord070
WA
1109 posts
jord070 jord070
WA, 1109 posts
3 Oct 2007 8:43pm
they are crap dont go there, is my first relpy. but mind you i havent ever tryed one of the newer style ones, i was sorting through some of the MFC wave weed fin, and it looked very nice, and looked like it would give some nice grip in the turns, but than the MFC weed burner just looked like any other wead fin and looked crap.
elmo
elmo
WA
8894 posts
elmo elmo
WA, 8894 posts
3 Oct 2007 9:10pm
quote:
Originally posted by jord070

they are crap dont go there, is my first relpy. but mind you i havent ever tryed one of the newer style ones, i was sorting through some of the MFC wave weed fin, and it looked very nice, and looked like it would give some nice grip in the turns, but than the MFC weed burner just looked like any other wead fin and looked crap.



Must admit there have been a few Weedies which I didn't like but you can't argue with them in a weed infested area.
decrepit
decrepit
WA
12885 posts
decrepit decrepit
WA, 12885 posts
3 Oct 2007 9:13pm
So Jords how often have you sailed in bad weed and had to clear your fin every minute or so. Don't you get sick of that???? Wouldn't it be better to use a fin that doesn't collect weed?????
And not all weedies are crap, Elmo's told his story, and I've been there when he's got high 30kns with one, in fact he does it quite regularly
jord070
jord070
WA
1109 posts
jord070 jord070
WA, 1109 posts
3 Oct 2007 11:18pm
quote:
Originally posted by decrepit

So Jords how often have you sailed in bad weed and had to clear your fin every minute or so. Don't you get sick of that???? Wouldn't it be better to use a fin that doesn't collect weed?????
And not all weedies are crap, Elmo's told his story, and I've been there when he's got high 30kns with one, in fact he does it quite regularly



i did say that the newer wave ones look good, so i was admitting to thinking some of them could be good, but my fin i use for heavy weed is a wave fin wich has a good amount of rake on it, no where near a weed, but for a wave fin its got a fair amount, and i just get a little chop and it slides rite off. but i must also admit i wouldnt try go out with out having a weed on the river somtimes, and maby the beggining of winter in the ocean, but i prefer the more strait cut style,

and about elmo getting high speed i have seen that too, down at saftey bay and even grazy waves but you than see the guys on they'r free wave boards with they'r free wave fins, and they just shoot past.
WINDY MILLER
WINDY MILLER
WA
3183 posts
WINDY MILLER WINDY MILLER
WA, 3183 posts
3 Oct 2007 11:28pm
weedys are a waste of money,,,just do a quick forward to eliminate any weed...easy peasy lemon squeezy.
decrepit
decrepit
WA
12885 posts
decrepit decrepit
WA, 12885 posts
4 Oct 2007 8:00pm
Hard to do a forward when you're sliding sideways. Or just bogged down
elmo
elmo
WA
8894 posts
elmo elmo
WA, 8894 posts
4 Oct 2007 8:04pm
quote:
Originally posted by decrepit

Hard to do a forward when you're sliding sideways.


Not really, doing the forward is quite easy when going sideways.

It's taking the gear with you when you do it which is tricky
jord070
jord070
WA
1109 posts
jord070 jord070
WA, 1109 posts
5 Oct 2007 12:04am
quote:
Originally posted by elmo

quote:
Originally posted by decrepit

Hard to do a forward when you're sliding sideways.


Not really, doing the forward is quite easy when going sideways.

It's taking the gear with you when you do it which is tricky


jord070
jord070
WA
1109 posts
jord070 jord070
WA, 1109 posts
5 Oct 2007 12:06am
quote:
Originally posted by elmo

quote:
Originally posted by decrepit

Hard to do a forward when you're sliding sideways.


Not really, doing the forward is quite easy when going sideways.

It's taking the gear with you when you do it which is tricky


kato
kato
VIC
3530 posts
kato kato
VIC, 3530 posts
5 Oct 2007 8:22pm
Foxey and Tonys weedies have both done 40+.Don,t write them off,good ones work well.
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by decrepit

Hard to do a forward when you're sliding sideways.


Also at 40kts
gh
gh
NSW
156 posts
gh gh
NSW, 156 posts
5 Oct 2007 10:02pm
The thing that puzzles me is what size weed fin equates to a 34 slalom fin. Is there a simple formula to convert what size I would normally use to an equalable weed fin?
mineral1
mineral1
WA
4564 posts
mineral1 mineral1
WA, 4564 posts
5 Oct 2007 8:56pm
quote:
Originally posted by gh

The thing that puzzles me is what size weed fin equates to a 34 slalom fin. Is there a simple formula to convert what size I would normally use to an equalable weed fin?


me too? any such gauge ?
Wineman
Wineman
NSW
1412 posts
Wineman Wineman
NSW, 1412 posts
6 Oct 2007 12:03am
quote:
Originally posted by mineral1
me too? any such gauge ?


12 Gauge
mineral1
mineral1
WA
4564 posts
mineral1 mineral1
WA, 4564 posts
5 Oct 2007 10:11pm
quote:
Originally posted by Wineman

quote:
Originally posted by mineral1
me too? any such gauge ?


12 Gauge


Oh, for a while there I thought it would have been double 'O' gauge
decrepit
decrepit
WA
12885 posts
decrepit decrepit
WA, 12885 posts
5 Oct 2007 10:14pm
I'm far from an expert on weedies, but in the last few months I've been looking into speed weedies.
It appears to me that a lot of weedies are just standard upright fins, mounted at an angle. This makes them less powerful because the water flow line becomes longer but thickness doesn't increase. So a bigger fin has to be used, which increases drag, also raking the standard foil backwards makes the angle of entry finer, so that stalling occurs at a smaller angle of attack.
However there are some weedies around, where the foil is designed for the rake angle, so those foils should have similar power to an equivalent upright fin with the same area and "water flow length"/thickness ratio.
Apparently there are other losses associated with raking a fin back, but I haven't clewed up on them yet, but I don't think they are as large as the thickness thing.

So in answer to your question, my answer is "it depends".
To counteract the thickness loss, you can go bigger area, or you can go thicker or narrower, and have a similar area.

Remember I've only been looking at this for a few months, and these are just my thoughts, I could be miles out!! Until I build and try a few more fins out, I won't know for sure.
mineral1
mineral1
WA
4564 posts
mineral1 mineral1
WA, 4564 posts
5 Oct 2007 10:19pm
decrepit,
Until I build and try a few more fins out, I won't know for sure.

What material are you using to make them? Metal, Fibreglass, plastic or timber?
Mineral
decrepit
decrepit
WA
12885 posts
decrepit decrepit
WA, 12885 posts
5 Oct 2007 11:50pm
At the moment I'm trying western red cedar and carbon-fiber with epoxy resin.
They come out very light.
Wouldn't use these materials for a US box thou, the base is too thin and shallow, much too much strain at the base. Might be OK with the tuttle style thou, but I've also developed my own base, it's 11mm thick and goes the whole way thru the board, means less stress at the base.
nebbian
nebbian
WA
6277 posts
nebbian nebbian
WA, 6277 posts
6 Oct 2007 12:03am
Hey Decrepit,

Have you done any powerbox bases? I'm still toying with the idea of an asymmetrical that works on both tacks (much like battens in a sail).

Is it hard for a DIY-numpty to achieve?
Haggar
Haggar
QLD
1670 posts
Haggar Haggar
QLD, 1670 posts
6 Oct 2007 9:41am
Nebs, I've thought of that too, how would you do it ?
decrepit
decrepit
WA
12885 posts
decrepit decrepit
WA, 12885 posts
6 Oct 2007 6:37pm
quote:
Originally posted by nebbian

Hey Decrepit,

Have you done any powerbox bases? I'm still toying with the idea of an asymmetrical that works on both tacks (much like battens in a sail).

Is it hard for a DIY-numpty to achieve?

No I've made a weedy to fit a tuttle, guess that's close. The best way is to make a mold for the base, but I don't seem to get round to making a proper mold, I've just used make shift dams to hold the bog roughly where I want it, then use a process of sand and fill to get it right. Very time consuming, must build that mold!!!!!!

Rotating assym is a great idea, but I think you'll have heaps of trouble getting it right, any slight imperfection can cause turbulence, drag and spinout. I have had some success with a rotating canard, worked so well it snapped the fin on the first run! Mind you it was an experimental balsa fin in a US base.
Before it broke, it felt like a much bigger fin, railing me up like a fin twice it's size.
nebbian
nebbian
WA
6277 posts
nebbian nebbian
WA, 6277 posts
6 Oct 2007 8:01pm
So a canard is sort of like a slat on an aeroplane wing, right? A small extra fin at the front that directs the air over the main foil? Like a genoa on a boat?

I'm utterly convinced that we're still in the dark ages with regard to fin design, and can't understand why, with our current technology, we can't make some trick fins that have a bit more smarts in them than the current approach (which seems to be just mold a good symmetrical foil and forget about it).
decrepit
decrepit
WA
12885 posts
decrepit decrepit
WA, 12885 posts
6 Oct 2007 8:23pm
Yep, I tried a few different variations, a very small foil with a flexi arm mounted in front of fin, trouble was getting it to flex without bending over, but did have a small effect. So then I mounted a support a 3rd the way up the fin and used it to pivot a small foil a few mm in front of the main fin, the finbox acted as a stop to it's rotation.
Not sure now why I didn't have another go, may be it was too much trouble.

And not all fins are symmetrical both timemachine and slowboat are using asym fins.
My next project is an asym for hardies run.
Hardy has some strange German weedies, that have half the fin asym one way, the other half asym the other way.
MavericK040
MavericK040
WA
583 posts
MavericK040 MavericK040
WA, 583 posts
7 Oct 2007 8:23pm
quote:
Originally posted by nebbian

So a canard is sort of like a slat on an aeroplane wing, right? A small extra fin at the front that directs the air over the main foil? Like a genoa on a boat?



a canard on a plane is a small lift surface on the front of the fuselage , it can be used for attitude control but usually just helps with lift.www.cozygirrrl.com/canard_mystique.htm
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