Any Developments in Shallow water Fins?

[Hardie]

Seems to be an area where some development could allow greater windsurfing time in a greater number of areas.

Where we live there are numerous shallow water estuaries, that would require fins of 15 cm or less, and yes when it's really windy we can sail some spots with wave boards and small fins.

Is there any development ideas in this area?

[o2bnme]

Lessacher fins makes fins that are remarkably small for their intended sail range. He has some innovative designs. Roger Jackson has some of his fins.

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

[steveC]

Hi Hardie,

In a recent post that Ola H. made on another thread (I believe pertaining to thrusters on Acids), he mentioned that he used tri-fins on wave boards in the past. Maybe he can offer more about his experiences.

In the meantime, I thought I might offer something. It's my thought that the only way that you would have a chance with fins 15cms or less would be going with multiple fins in tri-fin or twin-fin configurations. They would probably be a quite a bit looser, but I'm sure that you would have enough resistance/lift to be sailable. Of course, you would need a board set up to accommodate multiple fins. While you could most likely use the center finbox in a regular board for a tri-fin configuration, you would still need to either glass on thrusters or route in the smaller finboxes and laminate with proper reenforcement. The trick to adding thrusters would be getting the proper cant and toe-in to the finboxes/fins. One of the boards that I have incorporate these canted finboxes, but they might be from a special custom mold. You could check with some surfboard manufacturers in WA to see if they could help you achieve a viable result.

[Ola_H]

As Steve points out, a thruster board design is the only solution I can think of. fow waves such boards exist, but for freeride I have not seen anything. I suppose it would be possible to design something reasonably effective, but you probably have to start from scratch to gat a board that balances well with three small fins.

[Lessacher]

Hallo Hardie! They use the Chamäleon 24 or 22cm , it are weedfins,
for speed. Look: GPS.... number 123 Dieter . He made in
Namibia top speed from 38,6 knots. Asymm. fins. 100% carbon.
The 24cm can hold my 7,6 m² Stealth. At the moment work I
20 and 18cm. They should be good for 6m² sails. Wolfgang

[Hardie]

Thanks for the replies, the weed fins sound like they are the most viable options at the moment.