wing placement

[ToddF]

Has anyone ever put their wing at -7 degrees vs the standard 7 degree? It seems like it would help keep the tip of the ski down more, would blow outs become more common? seems like you could run your fin deeper and with less tip.

[SkiJay]

@ToddF There are a lot of wacky things you could expect from this. But possibly the most fundamental reason this would be bad is the way the wing delivers drag. We tend to accelerate with less ski in the water than when we are decelerating into the ball. This slight rocking action makes the wing angle dynamic. There is less drag while the tip rides higher (accelerating), and more drag while the tip rides lower (decelerating). Reverse the wing angle and you'd get more drag while accelerating and less drag while slowing into the ball--none of which is on my list of things to try.

[A_B]

Make sure to post video.

[mikegile]

I had a wing slip to a negative angle(never measured) but the ski just won't turn.

 

 

[MrJones]

Years ago, before we were married... my wife was at ski school when Ben Favret was coaching at Bennett's. She slalomed and he told her to go and flip her wing over then come and take another set. (She had it like it came from Kidder. Right side up instead of how we normally run them now.)

 

Well, she put a pencil line on it to mark the angle (acceptable back then) and did what she was told. She went back out and ran 15-22-28. Ben says "that looks terrible, what did you do?". They go in and check her fin. She had flipped the wing... upside down AND backwards. Wide side leading.

 

I give her grief about this still, but in truth I'm pretty impressed she could hack though -28 like that! (Love ya babe)

[scuppers]

@MrJones‌ Nice story!

 

[Steven_Haines]

Has anyone messed with the rear hole position that comes standard on the D3 fins? if so what was your experience?

[A_B]

Pushing the wing to the back of the ski should help it come around in the turn better. I tried moving the front of the wing to the back hole, which puts the back of the wing off the fin, but you can tighten so it doesn't move. Felt kind of goofy, but have heard some guys doing that.

 

My best wing story is when the front wing screw snapped while I was headed towards the wake. The front of the wing shot straight down until it tightened up the back screw and stopped at a perpendicular position to the bottom of the ski. My ski stopped underneath me like it had a roped tied to it. I ejected out of my Animals and did a couple flips though the middle of the wake. Didn't know what hit me until I looked at the ski. We were amazed the back screw didn't sheer off as well. When the screws look a little worn, I replace right away now!

[teammalibu]

@Mrjones Linda could run -28 with the bindings mounted backwards!!

[Steven_Haines]

Thanks @AB‌, I might give it a try just to see. Not sure my Quest needs to turn any harder though. Be a fun experiment though. I just didn't know what to expect.

[Horton]

Many many years ago I mounted a wing the wrong way. The ski felt perfectly normal until the apex of the turn. At apex the ski more or less stopped.

[Luzz]

@ToddF‌ depends what you are trying to achieve. I personally like the wing flat side up, especially this year when I switched to a longer ski. Also, if you have a small and rounded tail, which will tend to sink more at the end of the turn, having the wings flat side up will free the tail, especially on your onside.