the sputnik has no rocker so i'd leave it be for the conditions you are talking about.

the axis though are pretty fast wave boards. lots of guys i know use them for bump and jump.

if you want to hit those bits of chop at 40 knots, it may be a good idea.

for bump and jump and 6m sail i'd use a 28-30 cm fin up to 20 knots. but i am a fatty.

it helps to have some extra size to get upwind.

for the stronger winds and 5.5 and smaller sails i'd use a 25cm or even 24cm.
by the time you get on the 4.5 you could even be on a 21cm wave fin.

guys,

i am in a similar boat to jp. only sounds like we are at different levels of progression.

i have a 144L Go and am ready to move down a few litres. the only other board i have is a 86L naish wave. too big a jump i found out last weekend.

i tried a 115L kinetic gladiator, this felt much more managable. i think between 105-115L would be good, so i have the volume in mind, i just need some help to choose the right shape.

i am aiming to try to get out in the sea more, so the board must be able to cope with chop, but still be fairly user friendly and i need to use this board to learn to gybe / tack properly. does this board exist?

suggestions so far are kinetic gladiator 115, jp supercross 104, i dont know enough about pros n cons of these boards though. any other advice would be greatly appreciated.

thanks in advance for your help.

grandfromage said...

guys,

i am in a similar boat to jp. only sounds like we are at different levels of progression.

i have a 144L Go and am ready to move down a few litres. the only other board i have is a 86L naish wave. too big a jump i found out last weekend.

i tried a 115L kinetic gladiator, this felt much more managable. i think between 105-115L would be good, so i have the volume in mind, i just need some help to choose the right shape.

i am aiming to try to get out in the sea more, so the board must be able to cope with chop, but still be fairly user friendly and i need to use this board to learn to gybe / tack properly. does this board exist?

suggestions so far are kinetic gladiator 115, jp supercross 104, i dont know enough about pros n cons of these boards though. any other advice would be greatly appreciated.

thanks in advance for your help.

I absolutely love my 100L Gladiator
Depending on your sailing conditions, your weight and sail size, think both Kinetic & JP would be OK, your call on volume
Both are supercross, so would handle chop and be user friendly (my gladdy eats chop).

Gestalt said...

jp747 said...

man that's really short wow but i guess the width compensates for the length on wave fins and thicker

yeah the area is part of the deal for sure. i also try and steer away from wave fins that have small soft tips. my 30cm fin is an mfc freewave, although it's a soft fin it has a fairly broad tip and a more upright plan shape.

my smaller fin, is a 25cm torquay slot wave fin. (yes i like it )

wave fins are typically thicker foiled which really helps with the lift and allows higher angles of attack before stalling. this does also contribute to making them slower.

from what i've seen from his fin dumpster(dealer friend) are really old fins of various sizes and shapes with nicks and all and i don't mind..during the monsoon season the chops and swells are like a meter apart so going fast on a wave board doesn't really apply unless you'd like to have your teeth falling offbut once in a while there'd be a flat spot to gain momentum and do bump and jump..since the board is an oldie any fin he throws in for free i'll accept as long as the length is what you had mentioned earlier..