Mistral Equipe fin

Question
QUESTION: Dear Windlover,
I live abroad and windsurfing is not very popular here. I have just lost the fin of my LCS-XR from the 90's and there are no windsurf dealers around.  I have not been able yet to locate a dealer in internet with a replacement for such and old item. Could you please advise?
Thanks a lot for your help!

the link below shows a board exactly the same as mine:
http://www.windsurfingclassifieds.com/Equip/images/13283.jpg

ANSWER: Hey Hector,

It should not be much problem finding a fin for your board. Your board uses an 'A Box', 'US Box', or 'Euro' type fin. These are all the same style fin, just different names. You can find them on eBay or, Google 'windsurf fins' to find online dealers. The-House, Windance, Big Winds, & Windsurfing-Direct are just a few of the many online shops. Here is a link to a fin of the type you need. The key part is the part that goes into the board.

http://www.windsurfing-direct.com/Maui-Fin-Freewave-Windsurfing-Board-Fin-p/2509

You should look for a race/slalom or freeride model fin in at least a 45cm length but something 50-56cm would work better for your big board. You will need to get fin screws & nuts as most places sell them separate. If you find a Euro type fin, you have to trim the tabs off the top part that goes into the fin box. If you look  closely at the fin in the link, you will see a short tab on the top right. This is similar to the tabs on a Euro fin but on a Euro fin, there are two tabs and they are much taller. It's easy to file off the tabs.

Hope this helps.
Keep on sailing,
Windlover

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------


Mistral Equipe finbox   QUESTION: i've been checking some webpages as you suggested, but i'm still confused on the fin type i should be looking for. i've attached a pic of the finbox and i'll appreciate if you can tell which one it is.

Answer
Hey Hector,

Your board definitely uses the 'A Box' type fin. I've found a couple of videos that should help you out. The first is a very detailed explanation of how to install the type of fin your board will need. There are some really good views of what the 'A Box' type fins look like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLpB6KSSnR0&feature=related

Looking at your picture of your board, I can see that there is a small buckle in the base of the board near the fin box. This is usually caused by something hitting the fin sideways. There shouldn't be much of a problem but there is a possibility that the fin box might be a touch wider than original. You may need to use a spacer on the fin to get it to fit tight. This second video will explain very clearly how to shim your fin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y22i-Ysjpxg&feature=related

Hope this helps.
Keep on sailing,
Windlover