Since stand-up paddling (SUP) boards have been available at discount stores and DIY stores, it feels like every second person has one in their basement. Unfortunately, the fun of SUPing often ends as soon as there are more than five knots of wind blowing across the water. So what could be more obvious than to rig up the SUP with a sail or wing and take it for a few laps around the lake?
In light winds, centre fins decide whether you drift off or cruise relaxed.
To turn a SUP into a windsurfing board for light winds, the board must have a centre fin or daggerboard in addition to a mount for the mast base in order to keep lateral drift to a minimum. Full-fledged wind SUPs have the option of fitting a centre fin as standard. However, there are also SUP models on the market that have the option of screwing in a mast foot but do not have the centre fin option.
Retrofittable fin systems such as the Add on Drift Stopper from Arrows, the stick-on Slingshot SUP Winder or the Ezywing Fin Kit tested and presented here are made for precisely these cases.
Large areas, small weaknesses
The Ezywing system costs 129 euros and consists of an aluminium rail onto which two large plastic fins are attached. Installation is simple and takes around two minutes; a simple tensioning strap system fixes the construction under the board. Due to the width of the aluminium rail, the system can only be mounted on boards with a minimum width of just under 29 inches (approx. 74 centimetres) - which applies to most SUPs on the market. However, the system does have one small weakness: the small metal pins that fix the tensioning straps to the fins can quickly fall out when the board is relaxed (photo below). Then the search in the sand begins.
Tensioning is as simple as possible using a long Velcro strip on the deck. This has the advantage that there are no hard parts on the deck that could cause injury. Due to our limited test period, we were unable to judge whether the Velcro is made to last. However, the straps can be reordered individually if necessary.
The Ezywing Fin Kit worked excellently in the practical test, the two side fins offer a lot of surface area and thus prevent lateral drift very effectively. Even in light winds, the height can be maintained well - regardless of whether you motorise your board with a wing or windsurf sail. Because the fins offer a lot of surface area with a shallow draft, the system can also be used on flat spots without any problems.
- Further information: forward-sailing.eu