Freestyle
 

Please don't confuse me with the pro, Robby Swift. We share the same name, but little else. I have been fooling around with light wind freestyle using a 6.9 duke on a 160 liter modern board. I usually use a 44 cm weed fin and am wondering if I can do better with a 34 cm fin. Now, I'm not doing any of those fancy sliding or jumping moves. Recently I cut a few successful duck gybes. Futhermore, I'm thinking about rigging a beginner sail that's smaller with half battens. However, I don't want to waste the time of rigging and entering the water to find that I can't move at all with such a small sail. I welcome any comments that might help me with this.

shorter fin = easier to turn in non planing winds. My upwind 360's and heli tacks improved when I got a really small fin. Easier to push with backfoot and get the board rotating into the wind and through the wind.

I think with a small sail you will still move. Depends on what size board though. I typically learn new freestyle on a 5.0 or 5.8 with a 99L board. I only weigh 150 pounds so it isn't too challenging or sinky (I can uphaul etc).

Hope this helps...

Thomas

It does help. It's the way I have been thinking, but I don't have anyone who knows something about it with which to talk. A pro freestyler used live nearby, but being young he has flown the coop.