Forums > Windsurfing Queensland

6 Reasons I love my weed fins

Reply
Created by Boombuster > 9 months ago, 8 Jun 2014
Boombuster
QLD, 583 posts
8 Jun 2014 5:59PM
Thumbs Up

I can go in shallow flat water
I can run over Crab pot ropes & not hook them.
They point well
They don't spin out
They are fast
They don't pickup weed
Since buying my Black Project 28 & 38 WS fins in Jan for my Lake George trip I have been using them at Wellington Point & loving them. I thought I wouldn't use them but am starting to use nothing else.
I have now ordered a 34 & a 42 they must be popular as I heard they are scares look on eBay plenty of slaloms, freerace & wave but no WS BP for sale.

mkseven
QLD, 2315 posts
8 Jun 2014 6:58PM
Thumbs Up

man you are going to break your neck sailing so shallow in rocky/reefy spots like wello, then you drown cause you cant swim when you paralysed- pretty ****ty thing to put your fellow sailors through if it ever happens. Pro sailors have to speedsail in a minimum depth of water for a reason, sailing shallow is the one aspect of gps I disagree with, it proves nothing if you ever decide to compare your speeds with the top sailors in the world.

I'll dispute their performance against a good slalom fin except in certain conditions & reach angles. C3's were all the rage but i dont know many that use them now except as a freerace fin. You should note for everyone that you are also using several sizes bigger than bp has listed for board & sail combo (so they can consider this when buying). The bp ws are proven quick & do seem good for our conditions when we do get weed (they arent a true weedfin, the rake is 10deg too shallow) or sailing a muddy/sandy bottom relatively shallow area like lota or vp at high tides.

pierre
QLD, 166 posts
8 Jun 2014 7:41PM
Thumbs Up

I'm with u on this mark , even at my speed spot here in Croatia I dare not to go in shallow water when the tide drops ,I have seen guys here push the limit and smack the bottom and smash there fin , boom and harness lines n I've even seen the whole tuttle box get ripped out all due to I want sail with n shallow water so I can go faster .... But lucky for these guys they were not doing over 31kts of speed !!! So imagine hitting at 43kts !!!you will be rooted ....so alot of my mates here are starting to stick to the smaller to medium chop for speed and learning the theory behind it ...alot of my mates here are always pushing me to go in shallow water because you can go faster due to very little chop or flat water and I say yeah I would probably go faster and yes I would end up in a wheelchair even more faster or dead ...no thanks ....in these kind of situation don't tempt reality!!!!

pierre
QLD, 166 posts
8 Jun 2014 8:17PM
Thumbs Up

Just clarify something ....weed fins are made for weed not for shallow water and weed fins are not faster than a slalom fin and don't forget that a weed fin will slow u down if there is weed and the only positive thing about a weed fin is that it won't catch weed for it to spinout , I would rather not sail in weedy spots if your fin catches it!!!!!
now speedweed fins only work when the wind is nuking for it to work efficiently ,so don't forget it works on a strong gust but as you are going further off wind and hit a lull it will stall,your speed big time , so in gusty conditions and big changes in gusts it is best to stick-on slalom fins ...
I'm not trying to push anyones buttons here but the only way u will find the difference is by testing ...
I know I have learnt my lesson big time in what to use and why ....
so don't get caught up into these speedweed fins ,like I said they only work efficiently in there wind range no matter what brand they are....
I have seen since I've left Queensland there are alot of newcomers in speed sailing and the only good advice I can give is keep tuning your gear to go fast out in the bay and use that your slalom setup and try various slalom fins to see what works , you will be surprised how fast u will go , not just goin off the wind but most importantly goin fast across the wind , once u establish that then off the wind will be a piece of cake.....

B rad
QLD, 44 posts
8 Jun 2014 9:31PM
Thumbs Up

That's great Glynn thanks for sharing.
I don't normally get involved in these sort of discussions but felt a reply to a few of the comments was necessary.
While it is important we don't encourage dangerous sailing i think it's also important to point out that Glynn's an experienced sailor who has studied his local spot & knows it well. With a quick search on this forum you'll find a previous thread where Glynn was evaluating the depth of the wello speed bank compared to previous years.
As for efficiency well my attitude is if you find something that you comfortable with and your happy with the performance i.e also increase enjoyment then all the better.
I'll turn the vibe of this thread around by finishing with compliments to guys like Glynn & Phil. It's great to see these guys well into their 50's with such passion & still charging hard. Great inspiration.

Before i get flamed here i think it's best i disclosed that i'm a BP team rider but iv'e never used the larger sized SW so it's great to get some feed back.

Boombuster
QLD, 583 posts
8 Jun 2014 9:45PM
Thumbs Up

Thanks Brad, yes I saw my post as a send up of the fins good for Simon & other BP sellers.
I feel a bit slapped by some comments gees.

mkseven
QLD, 2315 posts
8 Jun 2014 10:35PM
Thumbs Up

for their purpose great fins but for most sailors there are better models in bp range.

From what i've seen recently mate you are sailing far too shallow, the day ken & i were watching we thought you were going to kill yourself as you sailed into glassed water over the reef, anyone follows you they are history. Going to 15 or 19cm delta fins so you can get in super shallow isnt a good or safe thing to be displaying to sailors who look up to you & rightly there are those that do.

There is no safe way to determine water depth over the reef, never know when there is a coral bombie & it's also where the turtles tend to be.

Running shallow on the bank isnt too bad, I lost one of my favourite fins there but you tend to crash into deeper water. But that just goes to show you can sail a spot everyday but something like bad weather can expose something which wasnt like that a few days before.

We arent attacking you mate, we just dont want to see you (or others) hurt. You are one of the fastest sailors in qld & we've been saying chasing super shallow water to find more speed isnt a good direction to take at wello over the reef.

vando
QLD, 3418 posts
8 Jun 2014 11:06PM
Thumbs Up

Each to there own I suppose, each type of fin has its place and will have it over the another in certain conditions.
If Glynn enjoys using them that's great.
For me I stick to my Slalom and Speed fins, the only weed around here is the stuff people smoke





pierre
QLD, 166 posts
8 Jun 2014 11:41PM
Thumbs Up

Well guys dont get me wrong no one is saying anything against BP fins or any other brand and also no one here is mentioning what brand to jump onto , so i dont know where that is coming from and i dont understand what is there to flame up about!!!!!!!!!!
All i know logic has been written here for saftey and no one is getting blamed or made look like an idiot for it !!!!!!
Just dont forget there are alot of newbies and new sailors out there and it is not wise to teach them to sail in shallow water to make them think they will go faster " Nobody in Brisbane knows there water depths " and how safe it is to run!!! So you do have a choice and give the right advice !!!
There is not even a handfull of guys in brisi who are willing to teach and show the newbies how to sail , tune and to recognize there equipment because it got so competitive .... and the worst thing about this from this high competitiveness you get nothing out of it !!!

as for effeciantcy!!! my way of thinking of effeciantcy is not just one aspect for example , i have been showing and teaching some windsurfers here on effeciantcy and the result from that they are one of the quickest sailors in Croatia , hitting above 40kts all on slalom gear ....
i teach them how a sail should look and work like on the water , how your batterns work , and most important mast stifness,,,, also with board shape and how a fin should work ..
But most important with the gear that they have got how to make it work to its best advantage , not everyone can go out and spend X amount of $s on gear !!!!
I hope this explains a bit better whats it all about and no one is getting dicked around or mocking other brands!!!!!

pierre
QLD, 166 posts
8 Jun 2014 11:51PM
Thumbs Up

Ha HA vando , you got some weed , ill be right over

mkseven
QLD, 2315 posts
9 Jun 2014 12:16AM
Thumbs Up

Now I know how you guys go so fast... get high makes everything go in slow motion huh

B rad
QLD, 44 posts
9 Jun 2014 12:12PM
Thumbs Up

There is not even a handfull of guys in brisi who are willing to teach and show the newbies how to sail , tune and to recognize there equipment because it got so competitive .... and the worst thing about this from this high competitiveness you get nothing out of it !!!

I find this to be ann extremely inflammatory accusation! Perhaps instead of continuing the explanation of your comments you could contribute positively & write an article on the above. I know Id be keen to read it.

Boombuster
QLD, 583 posts
9 Jun 2014 2:01PM
Thumbs Up

Pierre how would you know you live over there.
Iv been giving the youngsters tips & encouragement on speed since you left again.
The youngsters have gone onto get 40s & 41s this was not achieved by any of your tips.
The team is is one of the top GPSC teams in Australia top that.

pierre
QLD, 166 posts
9 Jun 2014 5:01PM
Thumbs Up

For your info there is an artical I've done , actually 2 !!!!!!
Where's yours !!!!
Glynn knows about this artical im surprised he never mentioned it here as a back up to your saying ...
And soon i will be writing a 3rd artical....
And glynn u would be surprised who i am still incontact with , your way out of line mate ....

Richiefish
QLD, 5610 posts
9 Jun 2014 5:42PM
Thumbs Up

Interesting to hear about all you guys using speed and weed fins. Me, these days, I'll stick to good ol' beer fins.

boardboy
QLD, 554 posts
9 Jun 2014 7:08PM
Thumbs Up

I have made the mistake of following more experienced sailors into shallow waters chasing speed. I don't blame the sailors i followed. I made assumptions on fin lengths, presuming them to be on similar to me, I was wrong.

My mistake was painful and costly - and was so close to being a whole lot worse. And I have honestly lost a lot of love for the sport from it.

remo81
QLD, 678 posts
9 Jun 2014 8:30PM
Thumbs Up

Glynn is right. He has been teaching the youngsters how to go fast. Shallow flat water is the way!!!




This is my solution to not becoming a quadriplegic when the SEers start up again.

Watch out fast guys!!!! Shallow water is now an option.

Just got to find my old MX gear bag in the shed.

Haircut
QLD, 6491 posts
9 Jun 2014 8:41PM
Thumbs Up

once you discover it's joys, you'll wonder why you ever had this chat



mkseven
QLD, 2315 posts
9 Jun 2014 8:47PM
Thumbs Up

Haircut what size have you settled on? Could be deceptive but it looks like Gollito using slightly longer but bit more raked fins now?

Haircut
QLD, 6491 posts
9 Jun 2014 8:51PM
Thumbs Up

the one that comes with the 2013 board is what i'm using. i think after all the scrapings and chips on rocks, and filing it back smooth again, it's probably 19cm now

i bought a freeride fin off vando years ago that i cut to 18, i think that was the best one i've ever used, but i've lost it somewhere



Subscribe
Reply

Forums > Windsurfing Queensland


"6 Reasons I love my weed fins" started by Boombuster