I saw Sonntag Fins putting up their new website and leaving me with some questions and wanting to know more about this relatively new brand on the market. So I mailed teamrider Erik Loots and asked him the following questions.
What is the unique selling point for Sonntag? In what kind of way does Sonntag differentiate itself from the current market with brand like C3 & Select?
Sonntag Fins unique selling point is making a fin specially designed for each customer. All experiences are reported by the team and will be used to find the best solution for everyone. At this moment there are 3 models for sale: SL-S, GPS_2 and SL-P.
The SL-S was for me a mind blowing experience and had never experienced something like it. In low wind it`s possible to lift the board out, while still maintaining control in high wind. Of course there is a slight downside. For fixed courses it can be a bit harder to keep on speed, especially in low winds.
Therefor the SL-P is now designed. The Power design keeps you on course at high speed in low winds. On a free course or with ‘freeriding’, the SL-S has a advantage being low-drag. Ideal for light wind GPS speed up to 35kn. This 35kn is about the start for the GPS_2. From 35kn or higher the GPS_2 feels very good and promising.
For who are the fins designed? Are the fins more focused on the pro’s or is the fun surfer also going to profit form the new designs.
I think recreational windsurfers with freerace gear up to pro’s with fullrace gear will have a good time when using these fins.
When I’m reading on the new website I see that there are three product ranges, focused on:
- Slalom
- Slalom/Formula
- Speed
Can we expect fin designs for the other disciplines in the near future?
For the near future I think we can fill our time with the disciplines above.
A lot of windsurfers only have one fin in their quiver. Can you explain what the added value is to having more than 1 fin? And why it can improve your fun time on the water?
Many different fins is not the best way to perform well. I think it increases the chance you ending up with the wrong choice. I try to find one solution for 90% of the conditions, for example the Sonntag SL-S 340 (soft) underneath the Fanatic Falcon 91. Over the whole wind range this fin works great, every time I use it the experience helps me to go even faster.
I need some time to learn where the sweet spot is (fin pressure versus speed). I also ordered the Sonntag SL-S 320 and this one did increase performance in overpowered conditions, with 5% of the sessions. Or the SL-S 350 did a bit better in 10-14kn wind range.
It`s really a challenge to build the right fins for a customer. High level of accuracy during production is important, but also making the right choices in design. At this moment we test in many different spots to get enough knowledge about what can happen and how to solve problems. All findings will be reported and used for next customers.
Thanks for the interview and good luck in the upcoming season! Check out the new Sonntag Fins website.
Sonntag teamrider Erik Loots
First of all, Angulo managed to get
.