Z7 Review

[chris carter]

Eric,

I just mounted a carbon fin on the a 65 Z7, then broke my ankle a few weeks ago, missed lots of good fall skiing but.....should be back in a couple of weeks, ..........anyone tried one of Horton's fins on the Z?.... for set up the ski seems to be balanced with a bit back on bindings, 1/2 a hole for me.  I have been all over the map and pretty close to the new stock fin settings., 2.85, 6.87, .735 flat, 7 deg wing.  That is what I have now with the carbon fin, a med flex fin I think, but dont have much time on it as per the ankle injury. Does the carbon fin work on this type of ski?

[jdarwin]

Chris - I think the CBR fins work very well on D3's for light skiers - the flex seems to allow the ski to finish better.  My daughter has run a CBR fin for 6 seasons - first on an X5, then an RC and now the Z7.  She not too sensitive to fin setup but does notice the difference from aluminum to carbon.  I run her fin basically stock - a bit shorter on length and a bit deeper.   Her fin is model 88.  I have a 106 that I intend to try on my Z7.  I liked it on the RC but not so much on the RCX.  JTH can explain the differences between the 88 and 106 but I assume the 106 is stiffer.  Skidawg's wife just went to a D3 and is running a CBR 88 also.  As stated, it makes the ski more responsive for lighter skiers.  I would highly recommend trying it at your current settings.  You may find you can go a bit deeper due to the flex of the fin - which is not a bad thing.

[MrJones]

Is this the longest thread ever?

[MattP]

are there certain skies that you should (or better to)/should not use a carbon fin on?

[jdarwin]

"Is this the longest thread ever? "  Probably - and for good reason - the Z7 is a REALLY good ski that did not have the proper fin numbers from D3 initially.  They have updated their fin recommendations 3 times since June.  Once we all figured out the fin, the ski came alive.

Matt - I've been using CBR fins since John started making them.  I found they didn't work well on Goode's (except the 9600) but found success on HO's and D3's.

[MrJones]

Anybody have a height and weight for Nate Smith? Saw him on a 67" at Nats.

[jdarwin]

in order to perputuate the thread that will never die.....

Tried one of Horton's fins on my Z7 for the last 4 sets.  WOW!  The ski has come alive at the back end of the turns.  Went a bit deeper than my aluminum fin and the ski carries out just as well and tracks nicely side to side.  The big difference is at the completion of the turn;  it flows very quickly out of the ball and with great angle - maintains fantastic speed also.  I did not like this fin (106) on my RCX but it fits the Z7 very well.

John - I know the economics weren't there to sustain production but I could sell 4-5 CBR fins for D3's today (a little late, I know!).

[chris carter]

why did you not like the carbon fin on the RCX? ...I have mounted one on the Z7 at the same settings I had, but water is cold and it is hard to tell a difference. might find some warm weather soon and experiment.

[jdarwin]

Chris - I can't remember exactly why I didn't like the CBR fin on the RCX but it could be that I had been on the ski for a couple of months and had it dialed in w/ the aluminum fin.  Not sure.  But the CBR fin tones down the off-side turn on the Z7 - it still comes around quickly but much smoother. 

[skibug]

Not sure how the RCX compared to the RC; but, I tried a carbon fin and a schnitz speed slot fin on my 2007 RC and niether of them worked as well as the stock Aluminum fin.  The carbon fin seemed to make the ski sluggish out of the ball....IMHO

[icewebdan]

I am 178 pounds skiing at 55 kmh at 22 - 28 and 32 off. It seems I am at the limit for a 66 inch and 67 inch

Any advise on which size I should get? 66 or 67?

[clemsondave]

I'm 175# and the 66" felt good. It was more than fast enough. If you decide on the 66", mine's for sale if you are interested.

[Horton]

I would say 67