F4 Slalom Fins

Some of you might have noticed that I last year started to use F4‘s slalom fins in my setup. I wanted to share my experiences, but the usual time thing came in between, so here we go.

F4 is based in San Francisco and make formula fins besides slalom fins. The company is based around Ben Bamer, their products are top, the information and guidance is very goood and helpfull when deciding upon choosing your fins.

Click on a picture for details.

The slalom fins are based around 2 types, the D2 and the E3. Basically the D2 is suited for upwind and downwind particularly in flat water and high wind. The E3 is fast pinching and footing upwind, and provides fantastic control deep downwind particularly in rough water. My setup primarily consists of D2’s for the “heavy stuff” and the E3 types for lighter conditions.

The D2 is by far my favorite type of fin, I really like its characteristics very slippery, but allows you to stay in perfect control at speed. The D2 chord is shorter and the foil is thinner, and despite the size it feels like “flyting the fin”. You just feel how it likes to be powered up and it gets better as it gets faster and pushed harder, the more the easier the fin is. It’s an awesome feeling, this fin makes it a secure and good ride. D2 or E3 ? If you can keep the fin powered up then the D2 is the way to go, but if you want more glide because there are holes, the pressure isn’t always there, you need to work to get planing then the E3 is the better choice.

The E3 is based on a different foil and also delivers good upwind and downwind speed, is fast pinching and footing upwind, and is typically used in rougher water conditions than the D2. When comparing identical fin sizes, i.e. an E3 46, then it should have the same power as a 48-49cm D2.  So the E3 in the same size would be like stepping up in power by one size.

In my setup I’ve chosen to go for the D2 for the smaller sizes in XS. In the larger sizes it can be a harder choice as it depends a lot upon conditions where it’s to be used in, weight, board type, personal preferences etc etc. A new option which I’m considering is to just go for a D2 XS with 4cm cut from the tip.  This should work well for more punch and better upwind than a normal D2, and they are still nice and fast and very easy to control. I.e. it takes a D2 52-4 to make a 48cm, tip is finished off nicely so they are very slippery. If however upwind is the most important factor on the bigger fins, then I’d go with the E3 over the cut D2.

The F4 slalom fins have seen some changes when comparing to last years editions. They have new bases, cleaner drilling, more refined flex, and are lighter weight with the same durability. All in all a step in the right direction.

I’m not a Pro nor am I a team sailor, but I do like to use good stuff, and so far I’ve been more than satisifed, therefore I have no doubt in recommending them, they are worthy.

For additional information and price contact Ben Bamer via the F4 Fin Company website.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 13th, 2010 at 08:56. It is filed under Tips and tagged with F4 D2, F4 E3, Slalom. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.