FINS - THE QUEST IS YOURS

What is the optimum allround fin for a raceboard, it's not easy to answer. It would be optimal to have only one sail and one finn that work plus 90% of max. in all conditions. Since we always have centerboard down going upwind is the fines ability to sail upwind not so important, or is it ?.

The two largest manufacturers of dedicated raceboards - Starboard and Exocet, have respectively chosen the Drake R19 NR Race 48 cm and the Exocet race 52 cm as a good all-around fine on their Starboard Phantom 380 and Exocet Elite 380.

A guess on the characteristics of a good allround raceboard fin could bee following;

- Vertical or near vertical, to keep the lateral center as fare forward as possible

- Narrow core - reducing drag and for not pulling lateral center back

- Thin profile - minimize resistance

- Good downwind capabilities

- Good to keep planing

- Easy to use

We have collected data from the internet on a lot of 48 cm fins so you can start your quest for the right one.

SLIM SAILS - MARATHON SL 9.5, 8.5, 7.5 - 2011 RACEBOARD SAILS

"Marathon SL - a camber, very light sail for competitors and enthusiastic riders of longboards with a center board.

The profil of the sails is made in the whole area of the sails so that they are suitable in the weak wind, too. 

A new wide mast sleeve gives higher power to a sail and makes easier putting a mast into it during trimming. New concave cutting off the leech and foot prevents from its twisting.

Six carbon battens give the sails stability, little weight and great power in the light and middle wind conditions.

Recomended mast for the sails is Technofiber CC 490/29 IMCS (constant curve) plus steady mast extension 45 cm or 35 cm for the 9.5 m2 and 8.5 m2 sails. You can also use a 520/32 IMCS mast."

NEW HYBRID - RS:ONE - NEIL PRYDE

"One start line, one race course, one objective - victory. Victory against others, the elements and yourself in an accessible, performance one-design class.

NeilPryde presents its one design concept featuring one board and one rig from the same pedigree as the RS:X, the official gear for the 2012 Olympics. It will allow young athletes to achieve their first steps towards Olympic competition and weekend racers to compete together. See you on the start line!"

As one design class, like the Bic Hybrid OD, Bic Techno 293 OD, RS:X and Kona OD all gear is fixed.

The RS:One comes with a 7,8 m2 5 batten twin cam sail, a 460 cm. 65% carbon 2,2 kg. mast, a 200-250 cm. 30 mm. T6 alloy boom, a 48 cm power box finn and a 63 cm long centerboard, a US pin power joint and a 34 cm alloy extension (X3).

"Patrice Belbeoch the RS:One Board Designer say´s 

What is your involvement within this project? 

I wanted to work on a board which will be the natural step to the RS:X. It is a great opportunity for our sport and for our young racers as it seems that they are not satisfied with existing boards today. The one-design concept allows everyone to compete on an equal footing while encouraging and developing sportsmanship. Mr. Neil Pryde and I share the same view on this and our paths crossed.

WINDSURFER - COURSE RACE 370 - RACEBOARD

Windsurfer Course race 370 - is a new board on the market form 2010, and it is a board out of Windsurfer Japan Inc.

It look´s to be at true contender for high winds or the lighter windsurfers with its 247 l.  It is a narrow board with its 64,6 cm. and with its length of 369,8 cm. it must certainly be a worthy competitor even in light winds.

 It seems that Windsurfer has worked on keeping the weight down, with its minimal graphics, additions, and its sanded down appearance. It is build in 150 g. biaxial carbon in its full length (deck and bottom), and its weight is 12,9 kg.

It comes with a 74,8 cm. epoxy/glassfiber/ form  centerboard, with a 9,6 % profile. For the fin you find a power box with recess, and it is comes with a 37,5 cm. G-10 fin. Furthermore, it has a 76 cm. long adjustable marsttrack, and is equipped with 2 upwind and 4 downwind footstraps.

BRAND

MODEL

MODEL YEAR

Length (mm.)

Wigth (mm.)

Weigth (kg.) #1

Volume (L.)

Board martriael

Finbox type

Standard fin size (cm.)

Centerboard length (cm.)

Masttrack length (cm.)

No. Of straps

WINDSURFER JAPAN

Course Race 370

2010

3698

646

12,9

247

150g biaxiel Carbon sandwich

Power box

37,5

74,8

76

6/8

To see centerboard click HERE   To se more photos look in the photo gallery   To se videos click HERE    For more information click HERE

DEMON SAILS - VG5 10.5, 9.5, 8.5 AND 7.5 - RACEBOARD SAILS

"Demon Design Sails range is large and diverse, as well as the production sails listed to the left we have all manor of prototypes and development sails on the go the whole time, not to mention a back catalogue going back to 1984, all available should you choose. In light of this dont hesitate to give us a call for some advice, we are more than happy to discuss your requirements and get you using the best sail for the job.

Materials
The sails are built with the best fabrics on the market, which usually means Bainbridge U.S. Laminates. The leech panels utilise HMT45, a High Modulus Twaron aramid. These fabrics are extremely low stretch for a very low weight.

The rest of your sail is made of polyester and Pentex laminates. In 20 years of building we have found the lightweight, high-tech sail cloths to be very durable and very reliable in performance, often giving a sail life of ten years!

THE SPREADER BAR

A spreader bar is presumably a spreder bar, or is it ?

Ideally you want the spreader bar to spread the load to the back of your harness, and not move up and down. On top of that there are some details that can help you get the most out of your time on the water.

Do you want to rotate, or do you trim your sail by sliding on the harness hook ?

BLACK PROJECT - R TYPE FINS

"Black project fins - Tom Hammerton is the owner and designer of Black Project Fins. He officially launched Black Project in 2010 after spending several years working to develop them with the simple goal: To make the best fins possible.

Black Project Fins is something that has grown and evolved over the last few years. It all started because I simply was not happy with the quality of fins available. I had tried all kinds of brands and it just seemed I was not getting the performance I should. Being a sail designer and having studied aerodynamics in college I thought I could do better.

The very first fin I made had the exact performance predicted and exceeded my expectations for control – it was an excellent start. Encouraged by this I dove into some serious research and started using Computational Fluid Dynamics software to test various stock foils ( I have a library of over 1000!). Most foils are in fact designed for aircraft and were never intended to be used as windsurfing fins in water. So I developed my own foils that are specific to water and the correct scale.

LEFEBVRE SAILS - RACE PRO 9.5, 8.5 AND 7.5 - 2011 RACEBOARD SAIL SERIE

"Competitive performance is it your priority? - Lefebvre's Race Pro is a sail designed for racing with longboard or hybrid boards.

Its hollow and constant profile allows upwind at an optimum. The closed leech contributes to efficient pumping and early planing. With its 7 carbon battens, it is a nervous sail in the lightwind and medium conditions. Its very stable profile ensures a wide operating usage.

Race Pro is equipped with 4 roller cams that facilitate the transition from one tack to another. All cams are positioned 90 degrees to the mast. The rotation is mastered and the transition is smooth.

Race Pro is lightweight (5.5 kg for the 9.5) which facilitates pumping and maneuver. Reinforcements have been optimized to be sturdy and durable. When all these issues under control, success on the water is guaranteed. That's what makes the Pro Race a racing sail reference."

BARRACOUTA SAILS- CUSTOM RACEBOARD SAILS

"Barracouta Sails - started building sailboard sails in 1980 with the first Australian titles won in 1988 and many races won since then.

Barracouta Sails custom makes these sails bearing in mind the sailors weight, board type, mast and boom. Colours can be custom ordered.

The sails have been designed with weight in mind, with the use of lightweight Kevlars in the body of the sail and stiff Kevlar laminates in the leech area.

The sails are supplied with two sets of battens. A soft set for light airs and a stiff set for windier conditions.

With 4 cambers in the sail, this will give pumping ability and upwind performance, while keeping the draft stable."

Brand

Model

Year

Size (m2)

Max. Luff (cm.)

Max. Boom (cm.)

No. Of Cams

No. Of Battes

Weight (kg.)

Marst type

Ideal mast legth/IMCS

Barracouta	Raceboard	2011	10.5	560	255	4	?	?	SDM	550/37
Barracouta	Raceboard	2011	9.5	545	250	4	?	?	SDM	520/33
Barracouta	Raceboard	2011	8.5	525	245	4	?	?	SDM	520/33
Barracouta	Raceboard	2011	7.5	510	230	4	?	?	SDM	490/29

TO GO TO BARRACOUTA SAILS CLICK HERE

NEW RACEBOARD FINS FROM IFJU FINS

"IFJU FINS - have been producing high quality formula and slalom fins since 2007 . Our mission is to delivery the best possible windsurfing racing fins to the market .. Our continue development will ensurance quality and performance . All fins are built by customer’s requirements to suite their needs and style…. All fins are hand built in the USA."

IFJU RACE BOARD FINS
Sizes (cm.): 44, 46, 48 and 50
Rake options: 0, 1, 2 , 3 
Flex options: soft, extra soft, extra extra soft
Fin box: Tuttle box

TO SEE MORE ON THE IFJU FINS CLICK  HERE

STEPHANE MOCHER TELLS ABOUT THE ELITE - S10 XL AND THE S11 RACE

"The Select Elite S10 XL Slam is a pure slalom fin dedicated for race and slalom racing this design is the most versatile in term of lift and speed for rider up to 85 kg.

The Select Elite S11 Race is a powerful fin, made for early planning for big riders from 88 till 110 kg. The profile is similar to a Formula fin. The tip is flexible but the twist is blocked to goal is to reduce the wetted surface by a powerful lift with minimum of drag.

The flex and twist diagram for the Select Elite S11 Race and the Select Elite S10 XL Slam are very similar. We consider the Select Elite S11 RACE to be 12% more powerful than the Select Elite S10 XL Slam."

SEVERNE SAILS - RACEBOARD 8.5 AND 9.5 - 2011 RACEBOARD SAILS

"Severne Raceboard sails are dominant in light air and controllable in planing conditions, the Severne Raceboard sail mixes a deep powerful profile incorporating three cams with a progressive tight leech and a durable laminate construction.

Designed by Ben Severne and developed by Remi Vila; the rider is able to effortlessly pump the sail due to the lightweight e2 laminate construction, lifting the board onto the rail for upwind performance and powering the board flat for acceleration off the wind.

Remi Vila - 2 TIMES RACE BOARD WORLD CHAMPION - "The SEVERNE Raceboard sail is lightweight, powerful and stable. To increase the performance and wind range, the sail is optimized for use with an adjustable outhaul and downhaul"

LINK TO SEVERNE RACEBOARD SAIL HERE  - TO SEE MORE PHOTOS ON FACEBOOK CLICK HERE

Serverne	Raceboard	2011	9.5	541	245	3	6	5.4	SDM	530/32	490-530-540	32-34	Australia
Serverne	Raceboard	2011	8.5	496	244	3	6	?	SDM	490/29	460/25	25-29	Australia

LOFT SAILS - BLADE RB 9.5 - 2011 RACEBOARD SAIL

"The Loft Blade RB… course racing made easy

Courseboard racing (longboards with centerboards) need specific designs that drive upwind in displacement mode, then blast downwind in full planing mode- with the mastfoot moved to the rear of the mast track.

Spindler raceboard designs are extremely well established in the competitive longboard racing scene. The Loft Blade RB (Race Board) is dedicated to raceboard competition… full curves push in low-end power, trim reactivity allows the RB to streamline for upper-end ease. The Loft Blade RB is course racing made easy.

Features

- Internal Kevlar strip applications that define shape profile and maintain shape stability
- Vertical and horizontal (at cams) orientation

- Blade mast pocket construction: mast panel AND pocket sides (3 elements) tensioned directly; equalized loading- firm, clean, easy-rotating leading edge

- Alternate side batten pocket applications with xply pockets (centered battens)
-Stepped x-ply construction (5mil lower sections, 4mil upper sections and mast pocket)
- Sensitip head batten system 

- Neoprene closure at the boomhole with dual spiral zips
-RDM & SDM compatibility
- Metallic cam interfaces
-3 Teckams- simple, functional, light, adjustable, durable"

AHD - TACTIK SAILBOARD

“Back to a lost future in search of that forgotten wind-range

Concept, development and shape: Bruno André /Pascal Gerber

Target - Fill the 0-15 knots / less than 8 m/s, days with the super-glide (and excitement) of a sailboard and later, who knows, create a simple and all-round class.

Customers - The summer-holidays sailors who already know how to windsurf, those who want to sail on lakes, and lovers of course-racing.

Why does not this already exist - Very technical sailboards have already existed 20 years ago, and they were shining in light air.

EXOCET WARP-X 380 TEST BY WINDSURFING MAGAZIN

This article is from 2006, but it might be nice to read. Photos and videos are not from the test.


Test Date: 9/18 2006
Location: Merritt Island, Florida
Wind: 5-12 mph. / 4-10 knots
Water conditions: Mild wind chop
Tester: Josh Sampiero (managing editor of WindSurfing magazine)
Level: Advanced
Weight: 220 lbs. / 99 kg.
Sail: 9.5 Aerotech Dagger