New CG Fin from Denali

[AdamCord]

 

[AdamCord]

I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU PEOPLE TO LOOK AWAY

 

 

[Horton]

@AdamCord you know my address. Start shopping for Scotch

[Adam Caldwell]

@Horton , Something better then Scotch is on the way.

[Horton]

@adamhcaldwell shhhhhhh

[tap]

I'm confused... who is buying who scotch?

[Horton]

@tap it is sort of an exchange program

[S1Pitts]

Looking for some fin set up ideas as I have not enough time to reread the thread.

It is the time of year when the river I ski on is starting to flow heavier from run off. The current will vary 2-3 mph at current flow level and when it picks up it can reach a 8mph dwell. I am using an old Strada for run off skiing and trying to find a setup to handle it. I am manually running speeds up and down trying to get it set up.

When I ski from 30 to 40 mph the on side gets better with each speed uptick. The off side gets worse.

Off side starts off very even to the on side and actually feels perfect at 30-34 ish. By 36 to 40 mph it is over biting on the tip at the end of the turns.

The fun thing about this is when I hit the lakes the water feels so dead and skiing becomes a lot easier. Great training tool.

[dchristman]

Is that a problem off the SAT math section? I don't know about the fin settings for those conditions, but congratulations on making the run off.

 

[S1Pitts]

@dchristman Not an issue with the PP/ZBox. I would need to install a paddle wheel according to PP to have the system keep actual skiing speed a little closer but it will never be great. Cannot bring myself to drill a 3 inch hole in the hull.

Its kind of like skiing old school pre-speed control with the worst driver ever.

The CG fin is much better than the oem fin under these conditions. I am going to try pulling the fin back some.

[BraceMaker]

@S1Pitts exactly its not broken - but in waterskiing you don't adjust boat speed to water speed. If you were able to waterski on a river with 20mph current your ski over water speed would be 56mph upstream and the ski over water speed would be 16mph downstream. But the boat speed over ground ie. time between bouys would be dead nuts the same (ideally)

 

In wakeboarding you would switch this around where you would speed up or slow the boat as needed to give you the same speed over water that you wanted - and as you noted being that with no actual water speed indicator the GPS can't tell you you're going the wrong speed.

 

Personally I'd go right ahead and drill that hole.

[MJE]

@S1Pitts try fin shorter (less tip)

[S1Pitts]

@BraceMaker You are correct about actual buoy to buoy time but when you are running with or against that kind of current skiing is crazy different. Driving the boat is yet another challenge. Makes me wonder what kind of current speeds are present at Moomba?

 

@MJE When I went to adjust my fin this am I changed my mind and pulled 0.040 out of the length. Great job on channelling that thought.

Unfortunately the skies opened and it has been raining steady since 7am so I have not been able to give it a go.

[S1Pitts]

Skies cleared long enough to get in a few sets tonight. The 0.040 shorter length was the right move. Current picked up a few mph but yet the ski rode through it like never before. Once again the cg fin does something amazing.

[BS74]

Anyone running this fin on Radar Vapor or Senate?

[owennibley]

Is anyone running the CG fin on their OMEGA Max? I went with the Denali recommended setup to start with but I am having a hard time getting the offside to turn quick enough. The onside is an absolute rocket... wow. Any help or recommendations would be appreciated!

[owennibley]

Alright guys, I'm desperate. Just went skiing this morning and something needs to change. ANY help with fin measurements will be appreciated. My onside is perfect...crisp, sharp, taut line, super early to offside ball. Awesome.

 

Offside is like trying to turn an 18 wheeler. Slow long and fat. I barely get to the ball in time and start the process over again.

 

Here is where I am at per the recommended Denali CG Fin settings:

28.5 - boot

.92 - DFT

2.53 - Depth

6.74 - Length

8Deg

 

Just in general, which way should go to start making it better? Increase depth & shorten? Decrease depth and lengthen?

 

Not getting good sets in is killing my skiing vibe! Thanks in advance!

[BraceMaker]

where were you on factory fin?

[Bruce_Butterfield]

2.53 is REALLY deep for most skiers and certainly would cause your school bus offside turns. The best guidance for the CG fin is to set it at the same position as your original fin, but back about 0.030", i.e. your DFT would be 0.030 less than your normal fin.

 

Here are the settings from HO. Your posted settings appear to be FUBAR.

 

65” SYNDICATE OMEGA MAX 64.5” x 6.82” UP TO 150 LBS. 29.000” 6.850” 2.505” 0.755” 8 DEGREES

66” SYNDICATE OMEGA MAX 65.5” x 6.92” 150 LBS - 180 LBS. 29.375” 6.850” 2.505” 0.760” 8 DEGREES

67” SYNDICATE OMEGA MAX 66.5” x 7.02” 180 LBS - 210 LBS. 29.750” 6.850” 2.505” 0.765” 8 DEGREES

68” SYNDICATE OMEGA MAX 67.4” x 7.12” OVER 210 LBS. 30.125” 6.850” 2.505” 0.770” 8 DEGREES

 

[owennibley]

@BraceMaker when I was on a regular OMEGA I was using a factory fin but when I switched to the OMEGA Max I wanted to try the CG Fin so I have not used the Syndicate factory fin on this ski. I'm about 2 sets from going back to the factory fin!

 

@Bruce_Butterfield Thank you! I will try the factory settings but back 0.030" on the DFT. I was using the recommended settings that Denali has on their website for the CG Fin.... maybe they are outdated? or maybe the settings they have on there is for their own skis?

 

https://denaliskis.com/products/cg-fin

(CG Fin setup link is down at the bottom of the page.)

 

 

@AdamCord @adamhcaldwell any advice or direction?

[Bruce_Butterfield]

@owennibley it appears you got the settings for a C75, which is a completely different ski than the omegamax. Fin settings are predominantly set for a given ski, NOT for the fin. As I said, what you had is FUBAR.

[owennibley]

@Bruce_Butterfield Roger that. Thank you for the input and help. I will try the stock setting (-.03 dft) with the CG Fin and report back.

[BraceMaker]

@owennibley that was the nature of my question, generally speaking it is good to get an idea of where you are on the ski get your bindings set up and then install the CG and start working from there.

[owennibley]

Well I'm gonna chalk this up as another failed Denali experience. I lost $1000 on the C75 after paying full price and then selling it, trying to recoup some of the money. I did make an honest attempt (25+sets) on the ski. I gave the CG fin another honest go on my Omega Max and after 2 months of skiing and multiple fin settings I'm tapping out. I put the syndicate fin back on at factory settings and it was amazingly better, ran up to my PB within 3 passes. I didn't even come close on the CG fin.

 

Unless you live on a lake, ski multiple sets a day, and have the time and patience to constantly change/fiddle with your fin, probably not your cup of tea. I prefer to use my time skiing, as my time on the water is limited.

 

I know there are a lot of Denali fans out there and I will get a lot of hate but I think consumers need to hear the good experiences AND the bad experiences to make a more informed decision on products. Its not all rainbows and unicorns for everyone out there in Denali land.

 

This doesn't mean it won't work for someone else; these are just my opinions/experiences. To each his own.

 

Thank you to the ballers that responded initially and gave suggestions, I appreciate the help!

[MattP]

@owennibley just curious did you ever reach out to @AdamCord @adamhcaldwell or @m_deel with questions or send them video?

[owennibley]

@MattP Yes I did. One of the Adams gave me some pointers and what to do which I greatly appreciated but ultimately, the C75 was too hard on my back getting up and exerted too much energy to ride, among other reasons.

 

I tagged both the Adams on this thread asking for CG fin settings and they did not respond.

 

Look, I get it. I don't expect them to drop everything and help a random dude with a ski setup. They have put a lot of time in their product and a lot of people seem to like their skis/products, but for a multitude of reasons (not just the one listed here), their products did not gel with me. I got caught up on all the reviews and talk thinking that I found THE ski. I have not read or heard one review that the Denali products didn't work for people and I think consumers need to have the other side to make a more informed decision.

 

Could their products work for me? Sure, but summer is short and time on water is even shorter, I can't guinea pig my way through an entire summer working on fin setups. I went with what works and is proven on my HO.

[AdamCord]

@owennibley I didn't see the tag until @MattP tagged me today, sorry about that. If you're skiing better with the stock HO fin then I'd say that's your setup, no need to stress over making the CG fin work.

[Than_Bogan]

@owennibley In the future if you try a ski that is hurting you on your deep water start, stop using it immediately. No fin settings are gonna impact that.

 

As much as I personally have loved almost everything Denali has sent me, I also think some people are far too patient when trying something different -- in this case very different. If you have a short season and little ski time, then you should pretty much just ask "Is this amazing right out of the box?" If you have a little more time, then you might consider "Do I feel like there is some amazing potential here?" But otherwise -- unless you're just trying crazy stuff to learn -- move on. There are tons of great skis and not every ski is ideal for every skier.

 

If a ski is not showing you something exciting after 3 sets, it's not going to.

[tjm]

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