Blog

Get the most out of your waveboard!

Al discusses the recent advancements in Multi-fin waveboard set ups from the crew at K4 Fins with the new Graham Ezzy signature - Asymmetrical Model. We have demo sets in the store - pop in and give them a go!

"K4 started off with flexier fins designed for multi fin waveboards and for the last few months they have been offering asymmetrical side fins for quad and thruster set ups developed with Graham Ezzy. Here is an article with Steve and Graham Ezzy talking about the development process. Read it here.

I’ve been playing around with them since the start of the year and the findings have been very interesting.

I’ve nicked Steve Thorp’s (the man behind K4) explanation:

'For many years all surfboards have been supplied with asymmetric front fins, windsurfing has only just caught on, perhaps in some part due to the extra complication for manufacturers and customers (I'll make this as painless as possible!).

By creating an asymmetric foil you can increase the amount of lift generated whilst keeping the drag low, the same as an aircraft wing. Asymmetric foils are more efficient at creating lift. This means more drive, power, hold and grip when your board is turning without a drag penalty.

Where things become complicated, is that an asymmetric foil will create lift when running 'straight', ie. it will pull to one side. This 'pull' is undesired for several reasons, but mostly that it is causing drag. In order to prevent this we turn the fin in towards the nose of the board until the fin neither pulls one way nor the other. This angle is the 'toe in'. Of course the amount of 'toe in' for no lift (least drag) in a straight line varies depending on board design and how fast you're travelling!'

If you don’t know what toe in is – there is a brief explanation here.

Surfboard fins have had toe in for ever. As far I’m aware in windsurfing the JP quads had it last year, Fanatic are now marketing it on their quads, the Nude/Starboard have used it on their twin fin set ups and Simmer have also been doing it for a while.

It was only a matter of time until we started putting a bit more tech into wavesailing fins. Surf fins are offered in multiple constructions/materials, foils and outlines. I know when I go surfing I have a few sets and chuck in what ever is most suitable for the conditions. Sooo many people underestimate the difference fins make to boards!

At first glance compared to the symmetrical shark tooth fins – the Ezzys had a wider base, swept back outline – basically with overall more area.

I normally run an 8cm front, 13cm rear quad set up so played around with the 8cm 1 degree and 2 degree sides. My first impressions where ‘initially it felt a little stiffer and less 'whippy' but after a few waves I got used to them and they

seemed to give more torque back up the wave face, making it easier to go vertical. I think the stubby outline having the extra area was why they felt a bit stiffer rather than the foil/toe, as I used them more it felt like I could really put more power into turns and also they gripped in coming back down from critical smack into air turns whereas my normal set up might not have had the grip to make it.

For straight line I didn't really notice any real loss of early planing or increase of drag and it seemed like they felt more solid underfoot and really cranked upwind. After a while I swapped to the 2 degrees and instantly noticed they felt draggier. On the wave it felt as though the extra torque was gone and I actually lost speed driving back up the face.’ A few other guys also tried them out in their JPs and basically found the same thing.

Basically for my current boards I’ve settled on the 1 degree set up for all conditions, small waves, mushy onshore or when it is firing clean down the line. Turning is more of a power gouge feeling, than skatey, and they are fast and grippy. In a straight line they are probably even better than with the symmetrical fins, because of the improved upwind performance.

Recently in Mauritius I was able to try a whole heap of boards and fin set ups back to back. For the JP quads I still found the same thing, that the 2 degrees felt as though you were pushing too much water and didn’t really improve turning ability. (I think this is because of the V under the footstraps). In the new thruster though the 2 degrees were awesome, no loss in speed or upwind ability and turned a hell of a lot better than with the stock fins. Will have to measure the boxes, but I suspect the thruster boxes are straight, whereas the quads have close to 1 degree of toe.

Steve’s guideline to set up your fins.

'Most boards will perform best when the toe angle is between 2 and 3 degrees. The k4s come with a choice of +1 or +2 degrees added toe. Therefore a board which has straight boxes (zero toe) will need the +2 fins, and a board with 1 degree or more boxes will need the +1.

You can also tune your board with toe in to some degree; small wave surfboards can have over 3 degrees toe, this is to make turns easier and sharper and can do this as the top speed is less important. Big wave surfboards have less toe for more drive, higher speeds and wider turns. You still need to stay within a reasonable range of toe though, so as not to cause unnecessary drag.'

To measure the fin set up in your board

'Difference in span between the ends of your front boxes in ‘mm’ and the angle of toe your boxes have (taking a 10cm box length)

DIFF 0, TOE 0
DIFF 1.75, TOE 0.5
DIFF 3.5, TOE 1.0
DIFF 5.25, TOE 1.5
DIFF 7.5, TOE 2.0'

Here is a guideline of boards we have measured and the recommended fins taking into account a turning bias. For a balance of speed and increased turning power over symmetrical fins choose slightly less toe.

JP Quad 2012 82, zero toe. Requires +2

JP Quad 2012 92, zero toe. Requires +2

JP Quad 2013, 0.9 degrees, requires +1 – based off my experience

JP Thruster 2012 92, zero toe. Requires +2

JP Thruster 2013 99, zero toe. Requires +2

JP Thruster 2014 73, 0.6 degrees. Requires +2

Tabou Pocket 2012 (Thruster) 80 – zero toe. Requires +2.

Tabou Pocket 2013 (Thruster) 85 – zero toe. Requires +2.

Fanatic 93 Quad, 2011, 1 degree. (+1 for speed bias, +2 for turn bias)

Quatro 76 KT, close to zero toe. Requires +2.

Simmer Fly 2012, 1.3 degrees, requires +1.

Starboard quad 2012, 1.7 degrees, requires +1.

STUPID Snow Sale @ SHQ

Any Snowboard $199

Any Snowboard Bindings $99

Any Snowboard Boots $69

All outerwear and snow accessories 30-70% off already reduced prices.

1st Item: 30% Off*.

2nd Item: 50% Off*.

3rd Item: 70% Off*.

*Only on one transaction. Discounts given in decreasing order of price. First come, first serve. Only while stocks last. No lay-bys. Only in September..

New 2014 JP X-Cite Ride Plus & Magic Ride Reviewed!

JP-Australia makes us happy with their new 2014 boards. Even 2 new lines shall stir up the important freeride market. We could already test the brand-new Magic Ride and the pimped X-Cite Ride.

“PLUS is worth nothing”, that’s what the ADAC (German automobile club) currently writes about exclusive fuels available at the gasoline pumps. This is different for JP. You immediately can feel the PLUS. The PLUS is like a fresh-cut chili on noodles or like an extra shot of rum into your Coke – it’s just that little bit more cheeky. The new shape just feels faster, more direct and can be pushed in the turn with a pleasantly lively feel. Even on Lake Neusiedl the board can jibe between two waves, at a wave distance where a kite board barely fits in between. Everybody who grew with his X-Cite Ride over the past few years now gets served the next course of riding fun.

The new lines complement each other magnificently. While the PLUS became sportier, the new Magic Ride adds to the range for the comfort-oriented rider, who prefers to does safe, fluid and quick planing jibes. The now wider X-Cite Ride remains controllable, but feels more lively and with a bit more outline curve in the tail the board can be jibed even sportier. You probably have to drive the board a bit more through the turn but in return can cave all radii possible in this board class. According to our impression, you clearly need less foot pressure for very tight turns compared to its predecessor.

SURF-SUMMARY

The X-Cite Ride offers more sporty riding fun and rapid jibing characteristics. The Magic Ride has the best comfort and an outermost easy jibing nature.

Cabrinha 2014!

Cabrinha 2014 is coming very soon...

Cabrinha 2014 Teaser from Cabrinha Kites on Vimeo.

Windsurfing the Great Barrier Reef

 

SHQ's Tasmanian Team Rider Izaak Perkins was up in Cairns, QLD for the Australian Slalom Nationals. In the lead up to the event he teamed up with Al to explore a remote outer reef that only a handful have ever sailed. They scored crystal blue, flat water stretching to the horizon. 

Have a read of Al's article on the session.

“As winter rolls in the south, holiday makers escape the cold and head north to the tourist town of Cairns – the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. This year with the Australian Slalom and Freestyle Titles being held at Green Island a good chunk of the windsurfing population did the same.

Locky and I were lucky enough to grow up in Cairns and both learned to windsurf on Green Island, which is the area’s windsurfing hotspot. I decided to sneak home for a few days between my university exams and have a bit of a ‘study break’.

The Southeasterly trades blow consistently between 15-25 knots this time of year and turn what is normally the domain of scuba divers and fishermen into an enormous windsurfing playground. Up there a bit of local knowledge goes a long way, and is the key to the untapped expanses of the outer Great Barrier Reef.

In the days leading up to the event we commandeered the family boat and headed out to explore with two of Australia’s fastest young windsurfers – Izaak Perkins and Locky McDermott, both of whom had just escaped the freezing Tasmania winter and were frothing to get some sailing."

 

Izaak:

“Coming from Tasmania's freezing weather and 5/4mm wetsuits. I arrived in Cairns to a welcoming 27 degrees, crystal clear water and boardies. All ready, for the following week of the Australian Slalom Nationals.

After a session on Green Island, local guru Cam McLeod offered to take me to a spot that only about half a dozen people have ever windsurfed, another 20km out to sea.

When we arrived the scene was amazing with about 15km of flat water along the edge of the reef, a little white sand cay and the most crystal blue water I’ve ever seen! It was exactly like those shots you would see in a magazine - so remote and tropical, a serious culture shock from Tassie!"

 

Locky:

“After picking up Izaak from Green Island, we arrived at the spot. With a solid 20 knots + and incredible blue water over a white sandy bottom, the rigging lines were quickly thrown overboard. It was challenging rigging our 6.4 EVO V’s in the water to say the least! But soon enough were out blasting on our JP Slalom boards.

I was initially apprehensive of the water depths and kept an eye out for any stray coral but quickly I realised there was absolutely nothing in my way. The powerful sail picked me up and sent me flying up along the reef.

On and on it went. I couldn’t believe that this spot has been in my back yard and I had only now just been able to jump on some gear and have THE longest run of my life!

About 15 minutes later and still on the same tack I reach the end of the reef, greeted by another smaller sand cay (later I’m told it has only formed in the last 12 months). I jibe, and start to head back only to realise the larger cay I had started from and the boat where Al had been snapping photos were totally out of sight!

Surprisingly un-phased by this fact I stick to margin of the reef and follow it like a never ending runway! Soon I can see Izaak’s mast, the boat and our starting point.”

 

Alastair added: "It was great to the see the potential of this place and Izaak and Locky loving the conditions. Occasionally it was a bit frustrating though as they sped off totally out of sight making it difficult to get any photos!

After a few hours we moved down inside of the sand cay where there was a section of mirror flat water, where locals like Cam have done some very fast speeds. Unfortunately though the clouds came over a ruined any chances of getting some awesome photos, so we decided to call it quits and head back in.

You sort of forget how far out in the ocean you are until you start the journey home. As you leave the protection of the reef, and are greeted with vicious, tightly spaced chop mixed in with a running swell – then you remember. The fact that these reefs are so far out and hard to get to are probably why the windsurfing potential has gone totally under the radar for so long. Arriving back into shore is always a relief especially when the conversations are along the lines of “that is the wettest I’ve ever been in a boat!”

 

Thanks to Cam for getting us out there – I know he wished he could have been sailing as well but was out of action due to an encounter with a stingray a few days earlier…"

Sailors: Izaak Perkins, Locky McDermott

Photos: Al McLeod | wavesnwind.com | www.facebook.com/WavesnWindcom

For the rest of the pictures and the feature article check it out here.

Updated Kite & Windsurf Clearance Specials!

Wavesailing Info Night - May 17th

There has been a lot of interest lately in getting out wavesailing which is great to see! We have decided to run a casual Wavesailing info night on Friday May 17th. 

Beers & Pizza from 6.30pm before getting into the important stuff at 7. It will be held in the shop - 81 Beach Rd, Sandringham.

We will have Al and Hudson going through a number of topics including:

Local Spot Guide - learn what spots work and when they work.

Understand the forecasts - sometimes you have to read between the lines to know which spot will be best!

Technique - tips that will get you out and catching more waves with confidence.

Rigging tips & Wave etiquette

If you have been thinking about getting out in the waves or are starting to do so come on down - you will learn a lot! 

In the mean time check out Al's latest video to see some of our local awesome conditions.

VIC from Alastair McLeod on Vimeo.