Seb Wenzel Interview on Windsurfjournal.com

07.01.2010

Philou Lavigne from French Windsurfjournal.com interviewed our shapr Sebastian Wenzel on the multi fins concept development in the last 3 years.

Read original French version here:
www.windsurfjournal.com

English version hereafter:
SW: Before starting about the different fin set ups, I would like to mention that the performance of a board is not only driven by the fin setup ! It is the overall design concept is what makes the boards what it is !

PL: How do you explain the "crazy" development in the last 3 years around
multi fins concept ?

SW: There is always the search for the new and that is what drives the development. The multiple fin setup in a windsurf board is nothing new….we have been experimenting with it already in the 90’s. But with new board shape concepts and fin designs, shorter boards for ex. the multi fins came back and actually offer a wider range of use than the old designs.

PL: What are advantages of single, twinzer, thruster and quad concept ?

SW: Every concept has its own characteristics and advantages. For ex, single fin, still used by the pros as well - they are absolutely not only using multi fin boards – offer speed, early planning and a lot of control…our team mainly uses the single fin in rough choppy conditions, and with onshore winds where you need the extra power. The Twinzers have been very popular, as soon as there is some wave to ride and allow for very quick and short turns, which also allows you on bigger waves to stay very close to the face of the wave. The Quads is the next step from the Twinzer, giving additional grip and projection on the wave through the fin setup.

PL: And their disadvantages?

SW: The more fins you put in the board, the harder it gets to find the sweet spot for the fins, plus the fin design, profiles outline, etc…gets a lot more critical with more fins. With a Quad for example there are many options and it is so important to find the right set up for that specific design. A Single Fin might not turn as tight as a Twinzer or a Quad, and a Quad might not be as fast as a Single Fin. With the shorter fins of the Twinzer and the Quad you have to be also a little more precise when you sail, as they are a little more technical to sail, and more sensitive on back foot pressure.
It is really much more that the different concepts are developed for different conditions and different styles of riding the wave. At Fanatic we always try to give our boards a maximum range and design them so they work in a lot of different conditions and for a lot of different windsurfers

PL: In the Fanatic range, we can find a Single Fin and a Twinzer. How people can find the right board for their level or their usual conditions on their spots ?

SW: The best is always to try the boards first, if you have a chance …that’s the best you can do…than you know exactly which board works for you.

PL: Victor Fernandez and Klaas Voget are actually testing a Quad Prototype, what are their first feedbacks?

SW: It seems that already with their first boards they are very happy, which is good, since it is pretty critical to put the fins in the right place…as there are so many different options.
There is a lot of tuning that can be done, and the team is working hard on this to get the max out of the boards.

PL: On your opinion, what will be just fashion and the "real" tendancy?

SW: This one is hard to say, I think all of these designs will stay around as the boards actually do work very good, Single, Twin or Quad…each concept is designed to perform in a different way and that is why all of them have a eligibility to be there.

Source: www.windsurfjournal.com January 2010