Windsurf fins

Buying guide for windsurf fins

A windsurf fin is perhaps the most important part of your set. When you screw the right fin under your board you experience the optimum between control and limitation of the resistance.

The fact is, the right fin is essential. On the one hand, a fin is quite pricey, but on the other it is the smartest investment to gain a return. It is also the cheapest way to increase the betting range of your gear.

Correct fin length

Buying the right fin is difficult, because you make the choice based on various data. To. type of board, width of your board, size of your sail, type of water and rider weight are some of the details that determine the outcome. Apart from these factual information, personal sailing style and preference also play a major role.

Below you will find some information with which you can make your choice.

• Type of board: make board and tick choice reasonably match. You can combine a slalom board with a slalom fin, a freeride board with a freeride fin, etc.
• Width board: a wider board needs a longer fin, so that the board comes out of the water sufficiently. The longer fin gives more lift and is easy to control due to the width of the board.
  Sail size: a larger sail needs a larger fin. The speed in light conditions is lower, so you need more lift from the surface.
• Rider weight: A heavier person can control a larger fin and also needs it to loosen enough for maximum speed.

You can feel relatively easily whether a fin is too big or too small. If the fin is too big, you lose control. This is at the expense of your speed. With a fin that is too small you get the feeling that your board is constantly slowing down. It looks like your board is sticking to the water.

Material windsurf fins

There are roughly three materials for fins. 1: carbon, 2: G-10 3: polyester

1: Carbon: The advantage is that the designer can play perfectly with types of fiber and the directions in which he places these fibers. This influences the stiffness, flex and twist of the fins. The designer can also easily determine the thickness of the profile.

2: G.-10: The designer uses a CNC machine to make the desired fin from a special epoxy plate. He mainly determines the amount of flex and twist by the thickness in the profiles. This makes it more limited than a design with carbon. The advantage of G-10 is that the fin is much more durable than carbon. With a little damage you can easily sand the fin and the wear is limited when you walk with the fin on the ground.

3) Polyester: this is the cheapest version, so that's an advantage. However, the fins are limited in stiffness and less wear resistant. Often the production process is less accurate compared to the other materials