Watcha think - RRD board, twin fin or single fin?

[swchandler]

You might want to seriously check out Wolfgang Lessacher's Carbon Duo Weed line. Wolfgang's fins are asymmetrically foiled, and I think they're some of the most trick weedfins out there. They track extremely well, without the spinout problems usually inherent in weed fin designs, and they're super light too. Although Wolfgang lives in Germany, the leadtime for manufacture is less than 4 weeks. All fins are made to order.

http://www.cameraid.com/Lessacher/index.html

[antonius]

Hi Nick,

I would also be concerned a weed wave fin would impact the character of the board too much. As with any fin purchase, the exact length I would suggest depends on the size sails you'd use most off course. If you use the board more towards the upper end of the sail range you could still get away with two of the smallest Weed Burners but if you plan on sailing the board with smaller sails as well that would be a lot of fin.
The True Ames fin would be a good alternative but with two fins especially a heavier fin is not great off course.
I'm looking in to an alternative from a European company that makes a weed fin that would work well for this board. I'll let you know if I'd be able to bring those in.

Tony

www.a-o-sports.com
wwww.robertoriccidesigns.com

[NickB]

Thanks Tony, I'll send you my contact info at your a-o email address. Just ordered the board today, stoked!

[antonius]

So I'm able to get some 24cm weed fins designed by Lessacher (not his brand though) and believe those will work really well for this board. They also have 28s that would work well for the 155 so I'll get some of those as well.

I'll look for your email and will let you know how you can get your hands on some of those fins if you want to go that route.

Tony

www.a-o-sports.com
www.robertoriccidesigns.com

[boardsurfr]

I've sailed a variety of twin fins in Bonaire, and own a Techno 293 with twin fins that I also have sailed a lot. In flat water like Bonaire or Fogland at low tide, twin fins are tons better than single fins, especially in marginal conditions. That even extends to freestyle board - the best freestyle board at Jibe city is a HiFly twinser, not the JP single fins (although those are great, too).

Besides the obvious advantage in flat water, twin fins tend to behave much better in spinouts, compared to single-fin setups with similar planing power. Spinout on twin fins tend to be soft and easy to recover from; I guess it's because one of the two fins keeps a more laminar flow when the spinout starts. Spinout recoveries are generally easier the shorter the fins are, so it's easier on a twinser.

As for planing power and speed, I don't think there will be a lot of difference (assuming that the twin fins are longer then half of the single fin). I used to be one of the earliest planers on my twin Techno 293, until formula-size setups became more common. For improving your jibes, twin fins may also help you since they can be more forgiving.

A disadvantage of more fins is the added weight from the fin boxes and fins. That's not too bad for twins, but when I rented a Starboard Quad recently, the board was a lot heavier than a single-fin board of similar volume so much so that I thought I'd punctured it and soaked up a lot of water, but the staff at Big Winds assured me that they are always a lot heavier.

[dirt]

Thanks all - I'll take the plunge into the non-weed twin fin model and see how it goes!

[NickB]

Hope you like it. I took the plunge too and got the board last week, it's perfect for my spot. Fast and forgiving, stable and light, no spin outs, early planing and good upwind ability. Should you end up needing weed fins, read my experience below:

Weeds are an issue for me, so although the fins that come with the board are great, I had to get weed fins right away. Tony (distributor) helped me acquire a pair of amazing fins from Europe. They are Lessacher-designed (also recommended by schwandler below) but made by another company. The two 24cm fins are perfect.

Got the fins Monday, and it was just in time for a great low-tide session with floating eel-grass outside and weed forests inside. I just flew through all this crap like it was not there, much unlike my last 4 sessions with the standard fins. It felt good

Loved the fins. I was first surprised by the build quality and their design is visually stunning. Moreover, they look right on the board, proportion-wise and they barely stick out the back. And they're not heavy.

I was mostly overpowered (155lb on KA Koyote 6.6 with 25mph gusts), and the WSW wind brought us some nasty voodoo chop, yet I didn't even spin out once.

Upwind ability was good (at least in planing condition, I didn't get to shlog) and I was able to point up as well as the standard fins. Speed was great too, in any reach. I clocked an easy 26.1 mph and I'm not completely dialed on the board yet. I'm eager to find out how the fins will behave in marginal wind with my 7.7, but I'm not worried and am sure they'll allow for early planing.

[NickB]

another picture to give an idea of the proportions

[U2U2U2]

that whole rig looks really SWEET

are you still over the moon with the fins ?

[NickB]

thx. yes after one month and 12 sessions I still love these fins, they really excel in the thick eelgrass we have here. and I can also sail pretty low tides now. all good