NSW
2 posts
Hi all,
Just picked up an new (well second hand, but new to me) board and I'm looking at putting a weed fin on due to the area I sail in.
The board is about 9'6" and 120L, I normally sail either a 5.5M or 6.5M (I don't really like going out in light winds)and I'm about 100Kg, what size weed fin should I be looking at ?
I have a 38cm race fin, so I thought something similar in depth for the weed fin.
Any advise would be appreciated.
Thx,
Curry
WA
18 posts
Hi Curry,
We are using the Select Weed fins here to good effect. We are mainly on 30cm but you could go a 32 but no bigger. They are not the best nor fastest weed fin around but we have found them the most effective for shedding the type of weed we have here. They have a lot of flex which slows them up but when they do spin out the board only slips around 30 degrees not the normal 90 and is easy to correct on the run.
NSW
2 posts
Hi Crem,
Thanks for the advice. Curry.
WA
28 posts
Hi Curry,
I weigh around 83kg, sailing at Safety Bay. We get that ribbon weed here which can be sticky stuff if you aren't going fast enough. I've had best results with Leading Edge weed fins. Very easy to recover from spinout but they don't let go often. I use a 32cm high aspect fin with a 6.0 GTX and 55cm wide slalom board, and a 34cm lower aspect ratio with a 7.0 Simmer ProRace on a 60cm wide slalom board. Other fins I've used, and how I rate them against the LE fins:
- finworks, the old grey ones: too stiff, difficult to pull in from spinout. nice and tough for grinding into the bottom though :)
- select weed eliminator 32cm: rubbish. too soft, poor finish, spun out so much was almost unusable. That was a couple of years ago, maybe they've changed...
- kinetic: not too bad, way better than the select I had.
- flying objects G10 weedster 26cm: quite good. I think the cost is similar to select. Would be my choice for a less expensive fin.
It's been my experience that the fin is the last place you want to compromise. Good luck finding the right one!
Mike
WA
18 posts
Hi Mike72,
Nah not a lot has changed with the selects, as I said they are not the best but for our spot they have 2 things going for them over the kinetic and the flying objects. The first is the power/tuttle adapter head on the fin which is a great sacrificial unit if there are a few banjo sharks around. $16.50 is a heck of a lot better than $160 for a new fin or a box repair. The second advantage is the extra 10 degrees rake. Patches that pull up the FO fins seem not to trouble the selects (or at least won't put you over the handlebars)but then again we do get it pretty thick here so this doesn't apply everywhere.
The Leading Edge fins are ones I haven't tried. Do you know the rake angle? I would be interested in trying one out.
WA
395 posts
The best weedie that we have come across is from Leading Edge.
They have a relatively narrow chord & are fast & extremely controlable .
Hopefully we will have our new web page up with more info on all the Leading Edge fins soon.
In the meantime, you can call us at 0893172916.
Cheers.
Jez
20 posts
WEED KILLER
Go to Bunnings, buy a big bottle of weed killer. Go down to ur beach and mix to the recommended ratio. Spray evenly over your windsurfing area.
WA
28 posts
crem,
don't know the exact angle of the LE weedies, but they are a bit more upright than others. If you slog through a patch of weed you'll need to go tail first to get it off. Once you're planing they keep it off.
Mike
