Fin Adjustments Related to Speed/Smear

[Stevie Boy]

Watching the worlds, it was very apparent the amount of smear on the skis when approaching the Bouy, @ 36 MPH, not so much @ 34 MPH, so I am asking if you are skiing at 32 MPH, can you run your fin shallower, should you endeavour to achieve smear that you are comfortable with, by making boot and fin adjustments.

[VONMAN]

Yes, Yes and Yes. Why not, if it works for you.

[lpskier]

Read The Fin Whisperer.

[Horton]

No. At 32 mph turning is less of an issue than making speed. I would set up a ski more for cross-course direction than for smear at a slower speed.

[Rednucleus]

@Horton Please elaborate!

[Horton]

@Rednucleus The more ski is set up to smear the less it tracks. ( perhaps it's not 100% black and white )

 

As the boat goes slower it's just harder for the skier to swing higher. Once at the ball the technical requirements to turn are much lower when the boat is going slower. I just wouldn't worry about smear at 32 mph. I don't think settings in general are nearly as critical as they are at 34 or 36 and I would error towards making the ski track better.

[lpskier]

@Horton So you would add depth? When I dropped down to 32 after after Nationals, my ski kept running out of gas at one ball. I took out 6/1000 of depth and voila! my ski was back to working perfectly.

[Horton]

@lpskier IDK. More or less depth is one thing I might try. Bindings forward might help. Less wing. There is no one answer but I think looking for more tail slide as the boat goes slower is the wrong idea.

[lpskier]

@Horton Tail slide wasn’t the issue. My ski was stalling and I’d tip over at one ball. I took out a little depth, decreasing the overall size of the fin and the ski carried more glide speed, hence solving the “out of gas and tipping over” problem. I don’t think tail slide was effected at all. My ski felt like it felt at 34 even though I now go 32.

 

But you are right: there are numerous ways of removing the epidermis from a feline.

[RGilmore]

@lpskier The technical term is "defur", as in "the number of methods by which one can defur a feline is greater than one".

[UCFskier]

at 32mph Id go back to dead stock and go from there. +++1 for @Horton at 32 the generation of speed becomes the issue.