I have a Tabou Rocket 2012 with original Fin 44cm long.
Been using a 6.2m? NeilPryde Alpha Sail. (All equipment 2nd hand) but in very good state (also sail with 5.4 NP sail and little afraid to use a 7.7 m? Hellcat NP sail ...)
Whenever I try to plane or go planing in 15-25 knots I have the feeling of losing control of the board (nose going up and going to left and right, lots of lift from the fin and in some cases losing watercontact with the boardtail - atleast that is the feeling).
I have also difficulty with holding the board flat (I have the feeling I need to put my backfoot almost on the leeward side instead of chilling on the center-windward side to hold it flat (also in non planing)).
The fin is propably a little bit too big and my skills for holding the board flat are probably not great; but which fins would any of you recommend (best price-quality or best quality).
Thank for any advice/help, sorry for the questions (beginner here)
Too small of a fin will spin out very easily and you won't go upwind very well. Too big a fin will make the windward rail come up, which can be fast if you can control the board. 44 cm is probably too big for a 5.5 meter sail. Try a 30 cm fin, you could also try a weed fin they don't really rail up like a pointer fin and are safer if you ever hit a sandbar. Moving the universal joint forward will help keep the nose down.
What size is the board ie literage and width? That will dictate what size fin you should be using to start with. As far as make of fins go, if the rocket is a power box you are a bit more limited, but if you can get a Vector Volt in powerbox then they work well with a Rocket.
125L can be a bit big for solid knots.
Any time you're powered up and the board is a little darty, you need first apply a bit more downhaul, lower your boom height, maybe move your mast base forward.
Yes it's a good idea to go down fin size when using lower range sails. Maybe mid to high 30s for your 5s
Your 7.x sail will work perfectly with your 44cm fin.
Fin too big. Get a 30 or 32 to go with that sail. You'll be much more comfortable.
Most powerbox fins will be OK. Curved ones can be a little easier to sail, but an upright slalom fin gives a crisper experience.
If you have the standard fin it sounds like a 135 litre rocket , if it's 44 ,my 125 came with a 42 which is ok but I use a more swept back MFC fin but you are stretching its limits in 25 knots , a smaller board seem s to be in order if you are using 6,2 sails , but yes 44 is too big for those size sail , 35 sounds more like it ,and you are correct in suspecting the fin is too big .
Also suspecting way too much board..... how much do u weigh?
You can go smaller fin all you want, but it wont help a 135L feel ok if you're 70kg and in 15-25kn
Select to expand quoteThomas123456789 said..
I have a Tabou Rocket 2012 with original Fin 44cm long.
OE fin 44cm? So guess the board is the 135l/72cm wide. That 44cm fin and board are far too big for the wind and sail size you are using causing your problems. Tabou say a sail range of 6.0m to 8.5, but I've found most boards have a range of 1.5m, and the largest sail size is overstated, so 6.5 - 8.0m for an average sailor weight of 80kg. 72cm isnt that wide for large board these days, but you still wont be comfortable on it with too small a fin. The tail width will still require a decent length fin, overwise it wont produce enough lift for a small sail. I think 38cm or maybe 36cm long would be the smallest I would use on that board.
You say you are a beginner, but I think you must be better than that if sailing in up to 25 knots.
Use that board with your 7.7m in lighter winds, and get a smaller board for the 5.4 & 6.2m. Such as the Rocket 105/63cm if you like the board, and you sail somewhere not in the open ocean. On an open sea, the 3S would be better.
ps in the meantime, try moving the mastfoot forward, but thats not ideal.
Thank you for the advice all! Will look for a smaller fin trying to ease my pain :D
Spot on Mark, I weigh around 73kg (without gear) ...
I was wrong, it's the tabou rocket 125L std 69cm width from 2013(?) (with 44cm fin).
I have an JP all ride 96 (2nd hand - 2014) waiting for when I feel comfortable gybing (i can't gybe, it's enourmously bad). The Fast Tack is getting better though.
you might be surprised by this but the jp won't b be any harder to improve gybing on than the rocket imo, especially if the wind is strong, in fact because you will have more control going into the gybe, i think it would be easier. That said, I'm assuming you are water starting. (If you are out in 25 kts, then if your aren't, perfect time to learn.)
