Fin/Binding Settings With Respect To Speed

[vtmecheng]

As someone new to course skiing I read all of the comments here about fin and binding placements to try and learn all I can. A wider/larger ski seems to be better as the speed drops. This got me thinking, does boat speed and line length impact "optimal" fin and binding settings?

 

To be clear, I'm talking big changes like 34 mph down to 30 mph or 32 off to 15 off.

[Lakebum]

Read Fin Whisperer. Author talks about setting your fin up for your hardest pass not the longer lengths. I have tried this and he’s dead on. I suppose the same thing applies to boat speed. @vtmecheng

[vtmecheng]

Thank you @Lakebum. I'm wondering if your hardest pass is longer/slower than someone else how does that impact fin settings, all else being equal?

[BraceMaker]

I'm not sure that it specifically does - my theory is that there is a performance window for the system - that being you, your technique, the boot set up, fit set up etc. That window gets smaller and smaller as the demands placed upon it increase. Based on that theory I think at a certain point like say 15' 28 mph you can have quite a lot of margin in the settings to the point where it might be hard to justify saying that it was batter with a few thousandths fin more or less.

 

I will also comment that if you are on a ski that is maybe a bit small for you at 34/6 it becomes really small at say 28/32 and that can be a boot movement but should be a ski swap.

[vtmecheng]

Interesting take on things @BraceMaker. This isn't really something I am worried about for myself, I'm not good enough to really go beyond stock settings yet. This is more of a learning question.

[ral]

@vtmecheng, slower speeds settings (30 MPH or below) might de very different from high speed short line length, and boot placement tend to matter more, not because of ski performance but because of skiing technique/dynamics (slower and more constant speed instead of strong acceleration / deceleration). As @BraceMaker mentions, tiny adjustments or even large ones would go unnoticed. Wing off, for sure.

 

And ski size/type change, as mentioned as well by @BraceMaker, might be an ego blow but a big help and shorter learning cycle. My daughter, at 11, skied in a Reflex wide 65” (equivalent to a 67/68 normal ski) with no problems up to 32 MPH, and she can hold an edge and take off.