I haven't really given my 'new' Tabou Pocket 78 litre waveboard a decent go yet but I'm having trouble getting upwind.It has a 21 cm wavefin on it that has been crunched & sanded back so it s a dodgy 20cm one.I was wondering if a more freeride fin would help me get upwind? Can you get freeride fins that small?
It has a tuttlebox ( ?) setup but it is a narrow fin box. My other tuttlebox fins are too wide to fit in.It also uses an alum key to tighten the screw into the small plate that's in the finbox.
What you describe is known as a "US box" and is only really used for wave and freestyle boards these days. If you search around a few fin websites you should be able to find something a bit more freeridey or freestyle wave but pickings will be slim compared to Power Box or Tuttle. A more upright fin may make the board feel a bit uncomfortable, like you have to push sideways on the tail to counter the extra lift. A larger wave fin would probably be a better choice, and would be much easier to find. The extra area will help.
I had the same sort of problem with my old Starboard Kombat. I wanted a more freeride style fin as I rode it in a mainly freeride set up.
I was difficult to find a freeride fin to fit a US box.
I settled on this and was very comfortable on it. worked well Up wind. http://www.mauifin.com/fins/freewave/freewave/
I got it from windshack, www.windshack.com/ but with the Aussie dollar the way it is you might be better off looking of shore for it.
Thanks.
I called it a powerbox setup then realised I was wrong & tried tuttle..oh well at least I know what it is now.
I'll chase that up.Looks like thats the one that is in it..except a new one would be + 1cm and a better shape!
Sue,
secondhand US box wave fins around 23-24cm grow on trees
Whatever shop is closest to you will have one
Or have a search on here, somebody had an assortment of fins not long ago for $20 - $30 each
Bear in mind it is much harder to get a waveboard upwind anyway
The factory supplied size on waveboards is usually on the small side so they are nice and loose (ie: the fin is pro sized not normal person sized in many cases)
I'd use 21 in that if it was nuking windy, up to 24 for lighter winds.
A 23 that has not got chunks out of it will transform it
Oh yeah and fin right back for getting upwind.
There is but don't worry about it
19 - 24cm range for that board, but 19cm pretty much only for lightweight people wavesailing on it in strong winds and have had lots of practice getting a waveboard upwind
Try leaning on the windward rail a bit more.
I've got a 16cm fin in my freestyle board and you can't really use any backfoot pressure.
I lean in the rail heaps to get upwind and it works well. I can cut upwind suprisingly hard with next to no backfoot pressure.
^^^ no, it will just be too big in waves when it is 30kn 
Will be tops for your flat (ish) water spot
The fin box is only 9-10mm wide? Is that normal? I had one manufacturer quoting me on fins and they were 15mm wide so they won't fit.
Are u sure you didn't ask for Powerbox again? Powerbox is the tapered base like a Tuttle but only has one bolt thru from the deck. They are 15mm (tapering down to about 8.5)
Yours is definitely US box like 99.9% of waveboards - and that is 9mm.
They are talking about box length as some boards do have shorter boxes
MFC freewave 21 would be ideal as they are a nice upright fin and go upwind like mad compared to a cross-shore wave fin
I agree, yes, try a bigger fin.
The stock fin in my old F2 MAui Project made for some very disappointing initlal sails, bhe as soon as I swapped it for a bigger fin, it transformed the set-up.
Old US box wave fins are pretty easy to come by, as has been noted, so see if you can score a few, and experiment.
I used to have really nice free-ride fin in a US box, but I'm buggered if I can remember the brand. It was grey in polyester. Someone here will know what it was.
I have a few wave fins which are similar in length, but some them have a very deep profile near the base, so a much bigger surface area and they provide very good drive. One of them is an older MFC, which is the deep one, compared to a Select fin I have which probably has about 20% less surface area in the same size.
I would not not be in a hurry to get anything bigger than a proper 21cm wave fin for that board (which sound like you already have), that should be more than big enough. I don't own anything bigger than that for either my 100 freestyle or 76 wave board (when I use it as a single fin) and I weight 74kg at the moment. At your weight you could even go smaller when your comfortable on the one you already have!
Instead concentrate on using the forward rails more and keeping the board moving fast, and you will truck upwind. My point is that it can be done, and once you get it worked out you won't look back. If you're having trouble by all means get something longer until you feel comfortable but it can be done very easily at your weight, perhaps for the heaver guys its a different story, I would not know.
BTW I did have trouble initially getting upwind on my wave board, but once I figured it out, it is no problem, and its worth the effort to learn, rather than buy something you don't necessarily need.
it's quick, planes early, tracks to windward (with correct technique) and is carvey. only downside is it is easy to wear down the glass material when you run into sand banks.
it's quick, planes early, tracks to windward (with correct technique) and is carvey. only downside is it is easy to wear down the glass material when you run into sand banks.i find the mfc fins are exactly as described on their website and their sail/fin size charts are on the money. I always beachstart and often hit a reef as I do..
Is there something in the physics that means a kiteboard can get upwind with no fins (or just those tiny ones they have), and a windsurf needs a fin?
I remember sailing a longboard backwards standing on the nose,
can't remember if it went upwind (i think sinking the nose to get tail up and fin out of water meant no chance of sinking the windward rail)
Another plug for the MFC freewave. I have one on my RRD FSW ( powerbox though) and it cranks up wind.
I suspect it will stiffen the board up a little over a true wave fin but will give you better upwind performance.
I'm considering a 24 cm MFC freewave but I'm a cheapskate so I'll look at some 2nd hand fins first..I'll probably only use the board half a dozen times a year.If it was for the board I used all the time I'd spend more..
