Hi,
After writing to MFC with no response yet I am hoping someone can give me some advice on what fin to get. I currently weigh 100kg 185cm. Currently carrying a few kg over the footy playing weight of about 88kg 
.
I have a Fanatic freewave 115 2012 carbon model which I bought second hand to sharpen up gybes and try a few other disciplines other than freeride e.g.light/moderate wind wave riding maybe a few freestyle moves etc. But mostly it is for bump and jump. I do have an old JP FSW 92 ? which has a 26 wave fin but I need very strong wind for this board. I am used to more slalom/freeride type of board with a big fin but I felt in marginal or gusty conditions I just needed some extra lift.
I use a 6.7 NP fusion and a 5.3 combat as target sails for the fanatic and in tricky conditions it was slow to plane, felt a bit sticky and hard to get upwind with the stock 29 freewave fin for me. It was nice once up and great with the chop and easy to turn which I wanted. I feel if I had a nice steady wind day it would be not bad but could possibly use a bit bigger.
What would be a suitable freewave fin for me for more lift without being too big??? I was thinking either MFC freewave 32, 34 or 36. Or a combination of fins eg. 32 freewave/38 K one freeride fin in the bay in lighter winds with the 6.7 and a smaller wave fin or the 29 freewave in the surf?
Does anyone recommend a fin other than the MFC freewave or are these the go? Are freeride fins a good option or are you better off sticking to the freewave fin? I thought the MFC because the right up say they have good early planing, maneuverability and great upwind ability. They also seem to be the name on nearly every PWA mens wave top 20. Prefer advice from larger sailors or those with subject knowledge.
Thanks in advance for your time.
this is what I use in my 120lt freemove board, I'm 108kg approx. when I was 100kg I could get away with the 32cm and the 6.4m but the 36 just guarantees planning now in the lighter stuff.
mfc freewave 36 with 6.4min 12knots.
mfc freewave 32 with 5.8m in 15-20
on my fish in surf.
mfc freewave 30 with 5.8m in 15-20
personally I think that mfc freewave is one of the most underrated fins around for general use. it planes well, hass good speed and goes upwind effortlessly.
with a 6.7m I'd get the 36cm for sure then get the 32 or 30 for the stronger winds.
The 29 is pretty small.
The MFC freewave 29cm is standard in 95L and 105L Goya FSW so unless your tail is quite narrow I think it is minimal for the 115L.
32 or 34 would be nice for blasting I reckon but I would not go bigger as the board will rail up big time. I suspect the 36 will get you going well but will not be long before it is too much (ie narrow range of use). I say that as I get my 105L needing lots of shin muscle when fully lit on 5.8 and the 29cm MFC.
Therefore I'd choose 2cm less fin and have to do little bearaway and pump, rather than easy planing that rapidly become too much fin
Should also add for freestyle use a small fin. 24cm or less. I use a 23cm choco freestyle fin. I also use it for blasting. It lacks the top end of the mfc freewave but is a solid fin that planes pretty early and does not let go unless you make it.
now if only i could do freestyle.
Thanks for the responses so far very helpful. I think I am leaning towards a freewave 32/34 to start with and see how that goes. Good point about the smaller freestyle fin too.
No worries. I will remember that trick but main focus is blasting and getting onto waves. I would like to learn some freestyle skills at some point.
I think the thing this forum answered for me is that the fin is a bit small for me and the mfc freewave are good for upwind ability etc. So probably a good option if I find one.
i sailed the earlier freewave with Select bump & jump (pretty much a bigger x1 evo onshore wave) fin 29 with 6.2/5.7, 27 with 5.7/5.2. I have a 31 for light days but never used it as gets a bit powerful with the 6.2 & single back strap. Go up a size on mfc (34cm) as a bit flexier than select.
I know you've had success with select fins before mk but,
I hated the select x1 so much that I used it twice and never put it back in my board. it sucks so badly. it whistles and it's got an obvious and very disappointing top end plus it does nothing for your upwind ability. I'd go as far as to say it's the worst fin I have ever used.
never again will I ever spend my money on a select fin. you use a select then use a real fin and the difference is night and day. it got so much good press on seabreeze I thought I'd give it a go.
i used mfc's before select and happy for the change (I did like the mfc wave fins), admittedly the mfc's have stiffened up since the ones I liked & I continually compare fins. Disappointing top end- 32 knots on a naish force, single inside strapped freewave board & 23cm x1 not fast enough for you... I know it's fast enough to miss time jumps & I never had problems getting back upwind even in spots with big sweep. To each their own- I know lots of people like tri's but dear god I hate my '14 freewave with it's factory tri setup in the bay, chuck a single in and I love it but that is more about the tri's than them being mfc. Try before you part with your money if you can.
" But mostly it is for bump and jump. "
You can get the Black Project Type Rs in powerbox now. They are billed as race fins, but you can stick them under your FSW and freeride boards and use them for bump and jump/rough water blasting. They are particularly good in the 37.5, 35, and 32.5 sizes. They have stacks of control in really rough, open water conditions and I have found the extra support under the tail helps smooth out your gybes a lot. Mine have significantly improved my rough water gybing - I don't use FSW fins anymore.
Select to expand quotemkseven said.. i used mfc's before select and happy for the change (I did like the mfc wave fins), admittedly the mfc's have stiffened up since the ones I liked & I continually compare fins. Disappointing top end- 32 knots on a naish force, single inside strapped freewave board & 23cm x1 not fast enough for you... I know it's fast enough to miss time jumps & I never had problems getting back upwind even in spots with big sweep. To each their own- I know lots of people like tri's but dear god I hate my '14 freewave with it's factory tri setup in the bay, chuck a single in and I love it but that is more about the tri's than them being mfc. Try before you part with your money if you can.
I'm with Mark on this one. The Select X1 is a pretty good Fin ( I have 23 and 25 ). I also have MFC freewaves 28 and 32 , MFC K-one in 34. All are pretty good fins. All are as quick as you can handle. I'm a bit lighter than the guys in this thread, but I couldn't fault any of them.
Getting Type R's exclusively is leaning toward being a speed sailor IKW777. I think my little wave sailing buddy is correct. You're crossing over :0
well to be fair to mk and others, I know a lot of guys happy with the select fins.
I'm not one. but I tried to be fair because I know mk liked his and others have done some serious speeds with the speed gear.
Dont know how to find it but Robby Naish made a video back in the 90s about fin tuning for your weight very helpfull to point you into the right direction and relevant all fins wave and slalom fins hope somebody can find it and post it on here as it has been a long time since ive seen it thanks somebody !
Select to expand quoteULF said..
Getting Type R's exclusively is leaning toward being a speed sailor IKW777. I think my little wave sailing buddy is correct. You're crossing over :0
Nooooo! it's all about the stoke...
