Fin Size vs Sail Size

I'm new to sailboarding and am confused by what I read regarding fin sizes. It seems most folks say that as the sail size gets smaller so does the fin size. I would have guessed that as the board speed increases the fin size decreases and that lots of combinations of sail sizes and wind strengths would be capable of a given board speed.

So am I correct that fin size would be a function of board speed rather than sail size?

Second question. Does anyone have a table that shows the appropriate sail sizes for different wind strengths?

Thanks,

http://www.windance.com/info_source/assistant/ gear_selector/fins/fin_... r.asp

and http://www.windance.com/info_source/assistant/ gear_selector/sails/sai... tor.asp

but remember, Your results may vary! Wright (not employed by Windance)

Neither the original post nor the windance tables recognize the width of the board at the tail, which has a great effect on the size of fin and sail one can carry efficiently. In a previous post, I quoted a rule of thumb for which I cannot remember the reference that states, ' width of board at tail plus 2 cm = maximum depth of fin.' In checking this against some Formula type boards, the 70 cm rule actually is smaller than many of the widths + 2cm. Given that several have experimented with fins of up to 80 and 85 cm and claim them to be superior in light winds with big sails, I suspect that for wide tailed boards the rule of thumb might be pretty close to some fundamental relationship of width to fin length.

I'll take a stab at this one.

Yep.

I would have guessed that as the board speed increases the fin size

Not necessarily. I'm not sure that many have plotted their board speed, but for me, the board speed seems (to my eye) increase in flatter water..and is not really a function of my sail or fin size.

Possibly.

Not at all. This strikes me as an incorrect correlation.

Well, this varies a lot based upon several factors, such as:

1) How good a sailor you are, 2) your weight 3) The board you are sailing. 4) The width of the board you are sailing.

So, you'd really need something that takes these things into correlation.

For me...200 lb intermediate...it's

10-15 9.5 15 steady 7.0 20 6.0 25-29 4.5

This factors in the boards I sail.

Should you choose to buy from Windance, please do not hesitate to ask them to call me for a recommendation.

They are taking more interest in fins and this is a professional operation. Chris is going to schedule some fin training for the employees soon.

The shop is a mile from our office.

Thanks to all of you for supporting our dealers, support is always available.

I have a fin chart available at the wesite or on request: email

I can also provide support via phone.

This week I am in Hatteras for the Windfest an d will be giving daily fin seminars.

Bill Kline Gorge Sport USA Curtis Performance Fins, Orca Fins, Orca Kite Fins Hood River, OR USA

ph/541 387 2649 fax/541 386 1715