comming from a sailing background wind shear shouldnt have that much effect for a windsurfer its only when u start gettin into bigger keel boats that thatd play much of a part im thinken
i dunno tell me if im wrong
have to agree with you payno. Its been used to justify twist on sails, but its not the reason twist is important. In fact Tom Chalko did some wind shear measurements recently at Sandy Pt and found it was a non-issue.
In some places though, wind shear does become noticable- when there is a flow separation from a nearby upwind object. Sailing behind a rock wall is a good example... Lots of wind up top, but nothing down low. So you have to tune your sail to get the most out of it.
hey guy how well do wave boards go with speed fins?
and how high can they point
cheers kris
Kris, wave boards can work pretty well in the right conditions. Daffy and Spotty have push their boards to 40kts. Not sure what fins their using with those boards. The seceret is to be in tune and comfortable with what your using before exploring the limit.In regards to "how well do they point with speed fins" Speed fins don,t point they just go fast off the wind.Try a freeride slalom fin first before investing in a speed fin. Hope this helps
The problem is the lift alot of slalom fins generate combined that you're feet are in the middle can give you very sore ankles, plus that there just are not too many slalom/speed fins left for US box boards. To go upwind leave back foot out of strap and over more on rail lets you push on fin a bit more and keeps the ankles from screaming.
Around here in windy conditions alot of people would probably go just as fast on a waveboard as you dont have to worry about the water state as much and they are easy to keep trimmed well. Of the 3 waveboards I have I would pit 2 of them against slalom boards anyday in 20knots+ on the bay (with slalom sail/fin). That said the 3rd is very classic sideshore board which is slow, so stick to freewaves which have a slightly straighter rocker.
For out and out speed on a speed strip I dont know, can you trust a US fin enough to be doing 40knots?
I have used the standard Drake wave fin on my 2004 Acid 74 to touch 40 knots. I thought about trying a US box speed fin a couple of times but never felt the need in the conditions. (30-35 knots+)
The first few times I cracked 40 knots I was using an old SOS G10 US box slalom fin 10 inches long. I felt that fin was hitting a wall at that speed though. After that I went to Mal Wrights alloy 20cm assy and that certainly made it easier. I have a couple of US box assy speed fins tucked away for a windy day on the old boards but all my new boards have Tuttle box.
Profoil made a nice 28 cm speed/slalom fin in US base. I had one but lost it by leaving it on the beach one day. Might still be a couple around somewhere... There was also a 27 cm if I remember rightly, in a slightly higher lift foil.
URGENT QUESTION:
I want to go and check out Hardies Run or at least somewhere on the Estuary this afternoon to get an idea of its suitability for speed kiting. Where is it? Had a quick look here and there through the speedsailing forum but didn't see, if someone could post in the next half hour or so I could get on my bike and head.
Cheers.
Best spot for speed Kiting is Estuary Beach Wannanup, East Port Canals, there are 3 runs, one straight out from car park, one to the left near channel markers, and one across at point grey.
Hardie's run is at Novara Boat ramp, but is very dangerous for kites, as there are chanell markers close to shore, boat jetty's, launching ramps, pylons and poles in the water, and trees, lining the whole foreshore, so no room for error for a kiter, great place to kill yourselves. But check it out if you don't believe me.
We have stopped speed sailing at estuary beach coz too many kites, and dangerous sailing at speed with guys jumping all over the place, and kite lines low, so we sail Novara.
the east port site is best on the nth side of cut.
Loaned my GPS to one of our local kiters who put in 66kmh runs there on his first attempt at speed sailing.
I shouldn't give this away, coz it means kiters, will destroy us speed wise, however, if we get to keep Novara for windsurfers, I'll make the sacrifice. The issue with the "ice ramp",as it has been named, is it's toooo shallow for windsurfers, but for kiters you get 1 to 2 cm chop in 30 knots... so you will destroy us
I was doing a 34.9 knot run here in 30 knots of wind, and just further accelerating, and in total control, about to shatter my record, when I shattered myself, grounding my 24" weed fin to it's hilt..... But for Kiters no problemo!!!
OK here it is Kite Speed boys..........
The fastest run on the estuary, and similar to Tilmann's run in Germany, is located at wannanup beach..... However, I'll tell you where, but you have to pm me, I won't publicly declare.
Ooh ooh, exciting! So I just got home, clocked up about 300km on the bike checking out Woodies, Safety Bay and Novara Boat Ramp (thanks to poor rellies info relay).
That pm about the ice ramp is on the way. I think we might see Perth on the international map for speed kiting soon, if it's as good as you say...!
Looking for what kind of speed fins I need for a JP Super-x 82 L (2004 model). I guess I'll need a few sizes for various sail sizes, do I need to have different fins for sqaure and broad courses ? I am thinking - Select SL7, Viper Speed or Meanline fins ?
I spent some time looking around and have found out very little on the web about what speed fins may suite super-x / free race/ slalom boards. One supplier has recommended that I use slalom fins to get the most from my board as speed fins wont provide enough lift for the board 
I think more to the point is to chose the correct size, as a few of the manufacturers class their fins as speed/slalom or slalom for high speed. The suppliers are recommending 30 cm for a 6 m sail and 28 cm for 5 metre sail, however I was of the opinion of using a fin just large enough not to spin out, which I think may be the best approach for sailing off the wind and perhaps not a square course.
From the Martin van Meurs article " .........fin as small as possible without getting spin-outs..........."
The following fins seem to be classed as slalom or speed/slalom, so I'll probably end up with something like these
Tectonics Falcon
Meanline Bjorn Dunkerbeck
Starboard Drake SR6b
Select Viper Slam
Am I on the right track here ? Perhaps someone can put me on the right track if I am not
If you want to have a read of full on tech fin discussion then check this out, this is a bit to techo for me
www.gps-speedsurfing.com/default.aspx?mnu=forum&forum=1&val=3165
I also checked out rankings on gps-speedsurfing and the below fins were used for speeds posted above 40 knots. I realise that you need to consider the whole kit, but non the less these fins are all capable of very high speeds. Almost all boards used are Speed, but here are a few slaloms as well.
F2 Proto speed
KA McDougall Lockwood Assy
Tectonics F1 Falcon
Time Machine TM45V7
Custom KA Mcdougall lockwood
C3 X2
Deboichet Upwind
BWF 250/240 @13 #3
Custom Lockwood-McDougal
Starboard Drake Speed SR6b 230
Custom Styrotech custom G10
Time Machine TM45V6
Time Machine TM45v3
Kai Hopf ( K66 Fin ) SCL 28A
Kai Hopf Meanline Fin System
Custom selfmade
Select Lightning Speed
Deboichet Downwind
Starboard Drake SR6b
Vector Fins EX
KA McDougall Lockwood Sym Speed/Slalom
Select Lightning EVO
Lessacher B + F Speed
F2 missile s (design kai hopf)
Select Speed
hi haggar,
i've used tectonics slalom, deboichet formula, C3 formula, gsport (sr6b)slalom and formula, and torquay slalom/race. all fins are very well made and work a treat.
on the saturday we were all out together i was on a 13in torquay race fin and a 6.4m sail. that match felt really nice. i reckon any smaller fin and i would have started to spin out. you also need to take into account tail width. too samll a fin on a wide tail will not work and vice versa.
for what we are doing i think just buy any of the above fin brands and you'll be set. my fav's are the tectonics.
more rake for downwind and more upright for upwind. get high aspect too. plus if you have a wide tail board a wider tip fin will allow you to power up the tail more. our main concern is slalom control.
now for the good news.
2 of the 4 fastest guys in queensland make their own fins with angle grinders from old carbon slalom race fins. 
both have achieved 37+ knots in chop. both aren't physics experts but know a few fundermental rules.
Thanks Justin, do you need to buy the Tectonics off the web or is there a reseller in Brissie ?
It is definitely possible to go too small with a speed fin and not just because of spinout.
As I understand it, every foil has an optimum loading and angle of attack. Put simply (the only way I understand it) if you go too small you may need too much AOA to get the lift you need and therefore create too much drag, or earlier onset of drag producing cavitation. A slightly larger fin may run at a better, lower AOA and have a lower L/D ratio as a result, more margin for shock loading to prevent spinout and a higher threshold of cavitation.
Tighter courses require more lift. Broader running may require less. Therefore the angle of your course can affect the optimum size fin for you as well.
At Sandy Point it seems that for symmetrical slalom fins the optimum size in length is around 25-28cm for most people at 115-130 off the wind. There will be, and are, exceptions as length is not always a good indicator of lift. Area and foil shape come into it.
For assymetrical fins the sizes that can be effiently used tends to be shorter/smaller. They can produce a higher L/D ratio for the same area. I have used assy speed fins from 19cm to 24cm. Those extremes were mostly not ideal for me in the foils used. So far I find 20-22cm is best for me depending on the fin/foil.
Hope this helps.
quote:
Originally posted by Haggar
Thanks Justin, do you need to buy the Tectonics off the web or is there a reseller in Brissie ?
quote:
Originally posted by Gestalt
hi haggar,
now for the good news.
2 of the 4 fastest guys in queensland make their own fins with angle grinders from old carbon slalom race fins.
.
Haggar, Is that board tuttle box? I have a few you can try if you like. I have found so far I go faster on a 34 cm fin than 29 or 31 with 6.5. The 31 cm is new and sitting there not getting used as I always take out the 29 or 34. You are welcome to try it for a while and see if that size is too small. I don't care if you run aground so no worries.
Thanks Salty for the offer. I have accumulated some fins and can't wait to try them 
quote:
Originally posted by Gestaltquote:
Originally posted by Haggar
Thanks Justin, do you need to buy the Tectonics off the web or is there a reseller in Brissie ?
off the web is the go. they are relatively expensive though. i just wait until something cheaper and 2nd hand becomes available.
end of race season there should be some floating around. don't just limit yourself to the falcons though. they are all very good.
