# turbo's



## captaincoochin (Nov 11, 2012)

Gday, just wondering if anyone has upgraded to turbo fins on a revo 11 and what the speed difference was like. Keen on a little more HP when fishing offshore.


----------



## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

captaincoochin said:


> Gday, just wondering if anyone has upgraded to turbo fins on a revo 11 and what the speed difference was like. Keen on a little more HP when fishing offshore.


 Turbo fins = jetski. Say no more Tristan.


----------



## Guest (Dec 1, 2013)

A little faster but you might find it like being one gear too high on a pushbike. Only you can judge whether you should change. Test someone else's first if that's possible.


----------



## SharkNett (Feb 20, 2006)

Maybe if you really want to upgrade the ST's would be a better option


----------



## actionsurf (Jul 8, 2010)

I upgraded my Revo 13' to turbo fins. Made a big difference. You should be able to tow water skiers afterwards


----------



## bildad (Jun 20, 2011)

Definitely go straight to turbos, the difference in pedaling effort is bugger all and the benefits are huge.


----------



## Trumpet1 (Apr 26, 2013)

I have the turbos on my oasis. i can have both kids in the front seat with no pedals and it's no trouble pedalling solo from the back at all.


----------



## actionsurf (Jul 8, 2010)

kraley said:


> Minority viewpoint here - i think that the turbos put a lot of force on the drive well - i have moved back to the standards.


I agree. I try to pedal softly, imagining my feet are on angel wings.


----------



## captaincoochin (Nov 11, 2012)

Cheers, glad to hear they are worth a shot.


kraley said:


> Minority viewpoint here - i think that the turbos put a lot of force on the drive well - i have moved back to the standards.


Have you heard of damage being caused by excess force on the hull? I might have a chat to the sunstate guys about it.


----------



## matheolo (Jul 26, 2011)

be careful. with turbo you increase risk of breaking mirage drive.

more than a friend suffered it. this is the last (turbo + revolution 13)


----------



## bildad (Jun 20, 2011)

Don't think that your fin rod snapped because of you turbo fins have a look at the metal fatigue on that rod.
Or was the fatigue caused by over tightening the rod looking at where the break point is, just below the thread you can see pitting or where it has been gripped with pliers or multi grips.


----------



## Ado (Mar 31, 2008)

I approach this from my engineering mind as much as experience.

A kayak's sustainable speed is dictated largely by the hull, not the propulsion method. Therefore if you want to chance your speed, change your hull, not your fins. A Revo 13 will probably be faster. An Adventure will defintely be faster.

You can 'push' the kayak faster than the natural hull speed, but there are diminishing returns in terms of energy expended.

Think of the different fins as being different bike gears. Gears don't have much bearing on energy used. That is dictated by speed and incline. Two people may choose two different gears to climb a hill, but if they are travelling at the same speed they will both be using the same energy. The only difference is the cadence (frequency of pedalling). Each person has their own most comfortable cadence and this dictates the gear they are in.

If your gear is too low then you simply won't be able to pedal fast enough. At your highest sustainable speed do you find that your leg speed is limiting or your effort (breathing, pulse rate, lactic acid) is limiting? For most people it is the latter, in which case longer fins won't help with top speed.

However, if you find that your cadence is uncomfortably high at your sustainable top speed then longer fins will help.

While energy and effort doesn't change with fin length, torque and forces do, especially when accelerating. Have a look at track cycling time trial specialists. They use one very high gear (like turbo fins). Have a look how the bike deforms as they start. The torque and forces are extreme. The longer the fins, the more gentle you need to be when accelerating up to speed to prevent damage to the fins, drive or hull.

In short it's about cadence, not speed. That's a personal matter. I find my ST fins more comfortable than my original fins as it slows down my cadence for the same sustainable speed.


----------



## captaincoochin (Nov 11, 2012)

Thanks ado, very helpful info there. I am finding at the moment that I can sustain my top speed easily and feel like I am being limited by the size of the fins. Hopefully next time I am out with someone with Turbos they will let me swap for a trial.


----------



## captaincoochin (Nov 11, 2012)

We'll I upgraded to turbo fins on the 11 and couldn't be happier. Pushing less for more top end speed. I have the V2 fins and have been told by sunstate I will not break them. Time will tell. But for now here's to drag racing tinnys.


----------



## Squidley (May 8, 2010)

I like the rhythm of the turbos on my 11 for going at a sustainable speed over long distances. The bike gear analogy is about right. They help a fraction sailing upwind too.


----------

