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rainer412
Joined: 26 Apr 2010 Posts: 13
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Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2022 10:20 am Post subject: Buying carbon fins |
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Hi all,
I am a passionate slalom/freerace windsurfer in the SF Bay, and my carbon slalom fin needs a replacement.
Is there any place in the US or Canada which has a reasonable selection of carbon slalom fins? As a European immigrant, so far I imported them from Europe.
But hey, there has to be somebody in the country/state where windsurfing was invented who sells carbon fins...
Any hint appreciated!
Cheers
Rainer
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combs
Joined: 01 Apr 1997 Posts: 130
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Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2022 10:41 am Post subject: |
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I get my carbon fins from Vector. Great quality, but they aint cheap:
https://www.vectorfins.com/
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NOVAAN
Joined: 28 Sep 1994 Posts: 1555
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Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2022 12:17 pm Post subject: |
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Black Project Fins.
I use their free-ride and weed fins and they work really good.
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WNDZRFR
Joined: 28 Mar 2000 Posts: 124 Location: Greater East Bay Area
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dllee
Joined: 03 Jul 2009 Posts: 5329 Location: East Bay
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Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2022 1:23 pm Post subject: |
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I am not a fin expert.
Are those carbon fins better than Tectonics Phoenix, Mirage, and Gold Wings?
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loopless
Joined: 30 Jun 1997 Posts: 426
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Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2022 1:41 pm Post subject: |
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Yes, massive improvement in performance using fins from
https://www.select-hydrofoils.com/en/
vs the stock fin.
You can actually order from Europe but Isthmus reps them here.
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swchandler
Joined: 08 Nov 1993 Posts: 10588
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Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2022 2:24 pm Post subject: |
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I have to admit that to being a dedicated Tectonics fin guy, but as far as I'm aware, Dennis Parton's fins are CNC generated from G10. While I've been more than happy with Tectonics' slalom and course slalom fins over the years, and they've never failed me, some folks feel that they lose their magic in a relatively short period of time.
One has to remember that the material used in fin manufacture is only one facet of many in fin design. I think that G10 is an incredibly durable material that can take abuse and damage very well. Molded carbon fins on the other hand can be much more susceptible to damage, and they are more of a challenge to repair.
I have to say that over the years I've had a number of carbon fins, particularly ones made from solid carbon laminate much like G10. Carbon laminate can be very stiff material, so it's a bit tricky to get the kind of flex properties needed to perform well. My absolute favorite was the "Wedge" manufactured by Chuck Ames of True Ames Fins out of a more unusual IW90 carbon layup. The fin was originally designed in 1993 in collaboration with George Greenough. I still have two Wedge fins, a 15" and an 18".
As an aside, I also have a number of molded asymmetric carbon fins, which were designed and manufactured by Wolfgang Lesscher. His weedfin designs are very unique, and in my view, the best out there. Super light, and incredibly stiff with zero flex properties. Totally out of the box ideas that shouldn't work, but unbelievably they perform exceptionally well. However, they are made in Europe, which puts them outside the desired zone of interest.
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jpf18
Joined: 13 Aug 2000 Posts: 349 Location: San Francisco
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Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2022 12:53 am Post subject: Re: Buying carbon fins |
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rainer412 wrote: |
Any hint appreciated!
| http://www.kashyfins.com Formula and slalom carbon fins. They come out of the East Coast / Midatlantic. Not that I ever got one. If the lead times are anything like in the past you may have to wait a few month and probably cost more than the options here. For reference, I was told a full Formula fin went for a grand, and that's 15 years ago, so brace yourself.
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WNDZRFR
Joined: 28 Mar 2000 Posts: 124 Location: Greater East Bay Area
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Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2022 3:31 pm Post subject: |
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Here is a good tutorial on fins by Nico which is also a fan of carbon fins for slalom and race.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEZrY4FpNmk&t=24s
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shreddbob
Joined: 31 Mar 1987 Posts: 361 Location: Hawaii
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Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2022 3:07 pm Post subject: |
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FYI: I have some pristine race/freerace fins that I would sell. These have been sitting unused for the past 15 years. PM me for better pictures and prices if interested.
Techtonics Mirage 52cm G-10 Deep Tuttle
GSport/Curtis CR10 44cm Carbon Tuttle
GSport/Curtis CR12 55cm G-10/Carbon Deep Tuttle
GSport/Curtis CR12 61cm Carbon Deep Tuttle
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