Kombat 97, max sail

[griff]

Hi,

I have seen the test on the website about the K97, they said it was good up to 6.2 easily but how about a 6.5 ? Does anybody has experience with that and what about the fin size in that setup ?

Thanks!

[Phill104]

I use mine with a 6.5 tbird (I'm 85kg ish). It works suprisingly well with that combo. I use the stock fin for the 6.5 and either a select x1 26.5 or a drake 23 with the smaller sails. A great board with a suprisingly large range.

[Ola_H]

Whats your weight, griff?

[Screamer]

Griff
It'll work well unless you are very heavy (over 90 or so). My lightweight mates used my Kombat86 with a 6.5 no problem.
You'll need a bit bigger fin than the stock (around 30-32) for lighter wind performance.

[griff]

my weight is 82Kg's


For wave conditions i have an Evo 74,83 2006

For bump and jump i am looking for a Kombat 97 (sail sizes 6.5 / 5.7).

[Ola_H]

Griff,
Like Screamer et al indicates it will work well with 6.5 - even at 82 kilos. For max light wind performance with that sail you might need a slightly larger fin like Screamer says.

What happens when you use bigger sails on a board is that it will take more and more technique to get any additional performance out of it until you reach a point when adding more area will no longer return earlier planing, just worse handling. But again, 6.5 is probably on the safe side on a K97 for you.

[Screamer]

Just some observations re. Kombat fins.
'06 models were supplied with small wave fin and larger freeride one. This suited K's convertible use very well, but I've found that I use my K86 mostly with Select freestylewave 27 cm fin. Drake is too flexy unless you actually ride waves (but good in some b/j situations) and freeride is for the lightest winds only.
So, while '07 models come with only one fin (and this is a loss in a way), I think it's the right one with regard to board's sweet spot & range (confirmed this after a session on '07 Kombat).

[Ola_H]

Good observation regarding the fins. Both 06 fins did the K's justice, but the 07 Crossover fin is a better match for overall performance and suits what most people tend to do on their Kombats. However, for any sort of wave sailing a Drake Natural will be a huge boost to the Kombats performance.