F147 standard fin

[MennoB]

Hi Sukhdev,

Since you're one of the first persons to have actually sailed the F147, I hope you can answer my question.

I read that the fin that comes with the F147 was developed especially for that board.
I also read it should be quite an improvement over the stock fin on the X186. I really hope that this is the case.

Feedback from most team riders on the ideal fin is:
-Both X186 and F147 need a hard fin
-The F147 seems to get away with less fin than the X186

So, how does the standard fin on the F147 compare to the well-known R13 fin regarding:
-Hardness (comparable to R13 hard?)
-Foil thickness
-Foil width

Also posted here:
http://www.star-board.com/askteam/read.asp?ID=1597

[sukhdev]

Hi Menno,

Yes both of the impressions you mention are correct - needs a hard fin and needs less fin.

I'll do some measurements of the new starboard fin, the R13 as well as the hurricane and compare them..give me a few days & I'll post it on our website.

regards

[MennoB]

Hi,

I'm very interested in performance of the Hurricane fins too!

I've seen their website, but haven't spoken yet to someone who uses them in competition.
Apparently finishing is top-notch, and user reports I read thus far very positive, but none of them from competitors.
So how to tell how they measure up against the "big" names???

[<Kris>]

Menno,
Have a look at this page (haven´t found it in English) http://www.lorch-boards.de/deutsch/Windsurfboards/Race_2002/Racefinnen/racefinnen.html

Kris

[MennoB]

Thx for the link.
I also speak and read german BTW, so no problem for me.

This FRB4 is new to me, and not mentioned on the Hurricane website yet!

[MennoB]

Hi Sukhdev,

Any new experiences with the standard fin and the Hurricanes?

[sukhdev]

Hi Menno,

Did some testing on the BIC FW1.4 with the hurricane, comparing it to  DebR13H. The hurricane I tested is medium, grips well but feels soft to me at my 85kg. I only brought in the mediums as they suit the weight of most of the sailors here. My "in law" Eddy who is much lighter loves the feel of the hurricane & seems to be quite a bit faster than when he uses the board with the R13H, the H being too lifty for him.

The standard fin feels ok, grips well, feels better than the old curtis.

I'm planning to test the R13H 70 this week as well as the 66cm. I've also got a 77 R13 that I'll try out, work and lack of real wind has hampered testing so far. Hopefully the C3 I have ordered will arrive soon, so that will give some interesting tests to do.

I havent had a chance to test the 147 in really strong winds (20+), hopefully the monsoon winds will kick in over the next few weeks but at the moment El Nino seems to be playing funny games with our weather.

[MennoB]

What Hurricane fin is that?
The FRB2 or the FRB3?

From what I've read and heard, the X186 needs a harder and, most importantly, more "lifty" fin than the standard Curtis. That would mean FRB3 (more lift at expense of topspeed) is better with the X186 than the FRB2 (faster but less lift).

For the F147 it would be the other way around, right? The F147 has higher speed, higher apparent wind, so to leverage that you need a low-drag fin.

So I would think, the best-suited Hurricane fin on the F147 is the FRB2, not the FRB3.

Since I'm 86 kgs (ie about same weight as you), I now know I need the hard layup for the Hurricane, as you said the medium layup felt too soft.