That reminds me of a funny story around 10 or so years back.
A young 19 year old or thereabouts Norwegian came down to Melville with his latest formula set up.
He was obviously a very talented sailor.
He came up to a group of us at the car park and asked if there's any shallow spots on the river - to which Norm the jumbo pilot replied - YES there's a very shallow spot only a few feet high around 400 metres out that extends for around a few hundred metres.
15 minutes later after rigging up he went full speed straight for the sand bar with his 70 or so centimetre fin.
We thought he might slow down or stop but no he continued at full speed and went straight in to a few feet of water.
After hitting the bank he stopped immediately and did a forward catapult over the front of his board.
Luckily he was not injured and his gear survived too. But you just never know.
That reminds me of a funny story around 10 or so years back.
A young 19 year old or thereabouts Norwegian came down to Melville with his latest formula set up.
He was obviously a very talented sailor.
He came up to a group of us at the car park and asked if there's any shallow spots on the river - to which Norm the jumbo pilot replied - YES there's a very shallow spot only a few feet high around 400 metres out that extends for around a few hundred metres.
15 minutes later after rigging up he went full speed straight for the sand bar with his 70 or so centimetre fin.
We thought he might slow down or stop but no he continued at full speed and went straight in to a few feet of water.
After hitting the bank he stopped immediately and did a forward catapult over the front of his board.
Luckily he was not injured and his gear survived too. But you just never know.
I did that at Burrum 2 years ago on slalom gear with a 38cm fin. Hit the sandbar in a spot I knew I was pushing into dangerous territory doing 30 knots, trying to get that top 2 sec speed. Catapulted over the front harnessed in landing on my back and stood up in literally ankle deep water. Came away intact body and gear but thought I dodged a bullet that day. Scared the crap out of me. Thats why I made that previous comment in the post.
There was some advice about changing the trailing edge so the next shipment of fins will have the gap at the back of the fin so if you do hit really hard it wont impact on the fin box .
Also the fins will size down to 10cm for any keen sailors to go that shallow , i have 12cm coming for the little speed boards will post results as soon as we get a chance to try them .
Really have a good think about sailing in shallow water and decide if the danger is really worth it just to get a number, would like to sail with you guys again.
Good point Jimbob. One catapult in ankle deep water and you could be permanently in a wheelchair or worse......
Would it really make much difference catapulting in 12cm of water compared to 18cm? I don't like to dwell on things too much. So far I've been lucky and the times I have gone I've been unhooked and cartwheeled/ skipped along the surface about 3 x..
The only difference Sue is you hit the bottom quicker
Says someone who knows..
*Disclaimer here is that I paid retail price so please, this is nothing else than an honest review.
Picked up the 18cm version of this fin off Mark last week.
Managed to use it on Monday up at Budgewoi in a moderate to (slightly) fresh southerly breeze. Initially launched on the 87 litre (57 wide) Patrik slalom board and a 6.2 Mach 1 sail. Whilst the breeze really didn't support this combo, I was optimistic that it would fill and I'd be fine. The first few runs I was really under-cooked and limped back to re-think. Anyway after a bit of pressure came through I though to give it another go and found it bloody perfect. Even in the relative chop of the deeper parts of the lake the fin gripped and gave me plenty of lift to get upwind. Downwind I felt super comfortable too.
After another break I decided to use the 100 litre (64.5) Patrik with the same fin and sail. This combo wasn't as efficient to windward, however everything else proved to be more than workable. Even in the larger chop, I was really suprised on how well it held.
Pros include good amount of lift, nice all round stability, limited spin-out (with a super easy flick to get back on track) and arguably most important, no hassles sailing through the weed-bergs. Despite avoiding them, I was forced to hit a few and whilst I felt a mild deceleration, that was about it.
I guess the only con is that the fin is quite fragile - especially the trailing edge so be really careful when you drop your board in the water around rocks(nothing that won't blend out).
Overall however, I think it's money well spent if you want a performance fin for shallow / weed-bed sailing that will give you a good level of confidence with.
In other words:
With regards to the possible issue of rear fin overhang and clearance, The Tribal SPEED version of this design does not extend behind the box.
AFAIK, there are none of these in the wild yet. I am eagerly waiting on one.
The speed version will have a shorter chord though, so will have to be sailed a bit deeper for the same lift. Not that I expect that to be an issue in a speed board as for me it will still be quite a shallow length at 14cm.
sneak preview of rear outline (blue is speed, red is slalom):
Second shipment of fins have arrived , the 12cm is on to of the 20cm for a comparison , just need some wind
Second shipment of fins have arrived , the 12cm is on to of the 20cm for a comparison , just need some wind
I thought that they were going to have a little bit off the trailing edge to help save the boards on a firm contact?
there is a slight angle on the trailing edge , its not that hard to put a bit more on the fin if you wanted too , i think it will be fine
there is a slight angle on the trailing edge , its not that hard to put a bit more on the fin if you wanted too , i think it will be fine
Is there a size chart for these available (same as the other Tribal fins have) cos for me its just guessing what i need.
Compare Delta sizes vs WeedSpeeds.
my testing so far
12cm hasnt been tested yet but should be great on the 50 -60 litre speed board range
14cm good for speed boards up to 80 litres if water is flat and shallow
16cm good for speed boards from 60 - 80 litres if over 75kgs and water is a little rougher
18cm good for slalom boards up to 95 litre
20cm good for slalom boards up to 90- 115 litres
20cm and up , i havnt sold any or stocked any yet
havn't used anything bigger as probably dont sail in shallow weedy water on bigger than 115 litres , if its that light sail in deeper water i guess with a normal weed fin .
My 18cm is proving to be my #1 fin for my 87 litre Patrik. I'm 80kg and with the 6.2 or 5.7, it is simply superb.
Last Sunday in the harsh chop it stuck like glue and gave me a 37 2-sec and a nice 27 nautical mile on a broad reach. Never once did it let go.
gpsteamchallenge.com.au/sailor_session/show?date=2018-11-04&team=34
Great fin!
Just took out the 20cm at Primbee in 20-40knots on my vintage ISonic 87 - went a bit bigger as I'm 90+kg, and only an occasional speed sailor these days so help in lulls more important to me than outright top speed
ROCK solid, not even a hint of spinout regardless of angle, speed or my trim mistakes
WAY better than my original shape Maui Ultra Delta
WOW, Chris is a wizard
Got a 16cm tribal last week and the first use was on a 70ltre board I'd only used a couple of times. It was in very overpowering winds ( gusting 25-30kts +) ..I was a tad nervous as it was a choppy bearaway to start..eek
It was brilliant!
5m - 70ltre patrick speedboard..
Never let go and cut through the weed , powered through the chop coming back.
My 2 sec was my 3rd best ( 2nd best for non LG)
5x 10 was 2nd best ( 1st for non LG)...
I must admit I also got a GW60 and was using it for the first time.
Having the feedback pushed me to do more runs hence the 5 x 10..
I had tried the tribal once before but it was only for 15mins in a very patchy 20kts with a 6.6m - 80ltre - 16cm combo...I knew this was pushing things with the large sail , small fin. It spun out a few times but was very easy to get back in except for once on the bearway where I fell in ( I had been out for 3hrs so I was tired and I wasn't sailing very well.)
So although I still love my FF.. I now have a small performance fin for those big days , one that allows me to access all the shallows of Budgy without worrying about hitting bottom..
Which reminds me I actually hit 4 logs / objects .. They were pretty big thuds and I thought it would damage something.. No damage.
The board also just rose over the objects and kept going..
It did jam the fin in very hard and it looked like the trailing edge was embedded in the tail... But no- it came out clean and there was no damage .... A1!
Of course they are more fragile than the FF's .I dropped it on the cement and it got a few nicks but it was all easily repaired. FF's have made me a bit careless with fin care...
Thanks Mark Jordan at Jordans Boating for both purchases..
Update on 20 using retro ISonic 87 - now had it out with 6.2, same result ROCK solid - and built tough, inevitable Primbee stones/shells have left virtually zero damage
I had a session on the 18 last Sunday but unfortunately my choice of board was wrong, too wide (JPSS 125 76cm & NP RSX 7.0)
i felt great going through the weed at Fangyland, in fact I didn't feel any of it at all. I struggled up wind taking 1or 2 extra tacks but that no fault of the fin what so ever. Heading off the wind it was absolutely great in the flat. I did have a few spin out but hey were always very easy to correct. It was a borrowed fin and I'll be getting a 20or 22 to suit my boards. Thanks to Zuls for not sailing then. Lol.
Water is optional. All you need is wet grass!
Yeehaaa!
Flood the village football field on the next good wind forecast!
Just got my Lake George 'late season' thick weed weapons.
Nice!! What sizes Andrew?
Also any more reviews people? I'm keen to hear your thoughts
In particular jibing at speed? How do they track/feel?
I'm deciding on two sizes-
One for 45cm wide board with 5.2/5.6m sails.
And another for 56cm wide board with 5.6/6.4m.
I had a session on the 18 last Sunday but unfortunately my choice of board was wrong, too wide (JPSS 125 76cm & NP RSX 7.0)
i felt great going through the weed at Fangyland, in fact I didn't feel any of it at all. I struggled up wind taking 1or 2 extra tacks but that no fault of the fin what so ever. Heading off the wind it was absolutely great in the flat. I did have a few spin out but hey were always very easy to correct. It was a borrowed fin and I'll be getting a 20or 22 to suit my boards. Thanks to Zuls for not sailing then. Lol.
I should have posted this a few days ago, Tribal Deltas go straight through the weed without any resistance where as a more upright fin stops you dead in your tracks and makes you hurt. This was a forearm impact on boom rolling from elbow to wrist. 1 week later still numb below wrist but full movement. Totally my bad!!
Nb- Fangy mowed soon after this accident in his new pair of sandles.
There was some advice about changing the trailing edge so the next shipment of fins will have the gap at the back of the fin so if you do hit really hard it wont impact on the fin box .
Also the fins will size down to 10cm for any keen sailors to go that shallow , i have 12cm coming for the little speed boards will post results as soon as we get a chance to try them .
Really have a good think about sailing in shallow water and decide if the danger is really worth it just to get a number, would like to sail with you guys again.
Good point Jimbob. One catapult in ankle deep water and you could be permanently in a wheelchair or worse......
Would it really make much difference catapulting in 12cm of water compared to 18cm? I don't like to dwell on things too much. So far I've been lucky and the times I have gone I've been unhooked and cartwheeled/ skipped along the surface about 3 x..
We've been known to catapult in 3m of water here in WA, not hitting the bottom...
I tried the 14 on Patrik 48 speedboard with 5.2 Koncept today at LG. Went very well over the weeds and also in the chop, enough also to go upwind well. Wind was around 25 knts.
Thanks Mark for the good advice !
Brilliant that's all I've got to say!
Yep, it's the only fin I've been tempted to buy, instead of making my own.
Sue, you have more gear than most people have had hot dinners . Not too mention you change it so often it takes a novel for you to list it on GPSTC .