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i have started racing for the last couple of months and really want to get into it. i have realized that fins are very important and also realized i dont know much about them. for instance;
what is G10 all about?
what are the different types of finboxes?
where can fins be purchased?
also i am riding the monaro V2, it is already outdated, but i will make due with it for the upcoming summer. i would like to try different fins on it though, perhaps some straight and longer ones.
does anybody know if it is possible to get these for this board?
is the finbox on the V2 a mini tuttle?
riding in western canada all summer so something close to there would be ideal.......thanks in advance

G10 is the material the fin is made out of. It's a specification for fiberglass. Used to be the standard for printed circuit boards but now they mostly use the FR-4 flame retardant spec. You can buy it in sheets and use a milling machine to carve a fin out of it.

You have tuttle boxes and deep tuttle. That's two screws per box with the deep tuttle box for extra long windsurfing fins with more mounting depth. Not used in any production kiteboards I can think of. The mini tuttle is a single screw tuttle and smaller depth. Used in the North production boards up to this year. I think they switched to full tuttle for bigger fins. The first gen boards from north where some what thinner and had smaller fins so needed a smaller box to fit and didn't need the extra support. Other then that I think the only other box in wide production use is the powerbox. It's a large base with a single screw.

I don't know where you can buy new fins but if you have some old wind surfing fins you can pot them with high density poly urethane plastic. I'm waiting for warmer weather before the PU comes out of the basement. Needs good ventilation.

Check out www.gasfins.it
im sure they can send to Canada

vincent55 wrote: riding in western canada all summer so something close to there would be ideal.......thanks in advance

then be sure to check out the summer race series + event in Squamish, BC.

vincent55 wrote:i would like to try different fins on it though, perhaps some straight and longer ones.

you should be able to find different fins. www.tarifafincompany.com is one that should make alternatives. what you have to watch for is that the newest kite-racing boards have quite large fins and mini-tuttle fin box that you have in your board may not be able to withstand forces generated by larger fins. the last thing you want is ripping a fin box from the board. write to guys at tarifa or GAS, they should be able to advise you properly which way to go, what you gain/loose by going with particular fin design. i believe the fins are where a lots of progress will be made in kite-racing in the near future (like formula windsurfing). unfortunately this will be quite expensive at 3 or 4 fins per board

ktouhey wrote:

vincent55 wrote: riding in western canada all summer so something close to there would be ideal.......thanks in advance

then be sure to check out the summer race series + event in Squamish, BC.

yes thanks kyle, squamish is my home so will join the series at the spit this summer. saw your calendar of events for north america on this website, great idea. just finished up racin in pkra and kta thailand, it's a blast. see u at the races soon.

thanks guys, got a better handle on it now. looks like the gas fins r1 evolution will be my best bet. gonna push it and go for the 30 cm 0 degree cant. these are about the only ones i can find that use the mini tuttle box. i think just 2 of them in the front fin position, hopefully it will help to flatten the board out and point a little more upwind. good advice Borist about not ripping out the boxes. every V2 i have seen has had them repaired just from the stock 22 cm fins. mine also screwed up very quickly, but fortunately i was able to get them all fixed bomber at the factory in cobra shop in thailand. anyways the 30 cm fins should be a good test.
definately when i buy my next board, type of fins and box strength will be a huge part of my decision.
also saw successful new boardshape at first pkra event. they all massive volume now

you may want to check out Rista fins too...

yup. rista fins. I used to race one of his boards and it was sweet. I know he's not making boards anymore but he has some faaaaaaaast fins.

goggle Paolo Rista and you can see what he's done for racing so far.

ktouhey wrote:yup. rista fins. I used to race one of his boards and it was sweet. I know he's not making boards anymore but he has some faaaaaaaast fins.

goggle Paolo Rista and you can see what he's done for racing so far.

Rista develops boards and fins for / with Naish. Last time I met him on the beach he said they were working on a new set of fins. The ones I have on the Venturi board, is a very nice starting set. Easy to get up on, and not too harsh on the body. I did try a board with some longer fins on, the the upwind drive was insane. Personally I don't know too much about fins...but I do feel a difference when riding them...

I am hoping they will be launched soon