I have a foil x 145 and super cruzer foil . I seem to feel more comfortable with harness lines maybe 10 cm further forward than on same sail when windsurfing but I do have an issue keeping front end down as wind picks up . Could the forward harness lines be contributing to lack of mast foot pressure? Any other tips ? Cheers
My preference is usually to set my harness lines up so the sail is neutral and doesn't require much control input.
You can also try adjusting rear stabiliser angle, footstrap position, boom height and sail mast base position. If you have too much lift, I would start by adjusting rear stabiliser to give less lift, if not sufficient then I'd adjust footstraps forward too.
I don't think you want to rely too much on mast foot pressure to control board attitude on a freeride setup, as it also makes your board attitude more sensitive to wind gusts. I'd probably run harness lines in neutral position, and the mast base towards the back to reduce influence of mast base pressure.
If you definitely do want more mast base pressure, you can probably bump your boom height up or move your mast base forward.
As you first foil, because the foil is more efficient/less drag, it takes less sail pressure to stay going. That's a reason a lot of people starting out feel their lines are better a bit forward (although 10cm sounds like a lot). As you get more used to being powered, the lines eventually move back closer to or on where you had them before.
Something that may be happening though - I went through something similar - is with the lines forward, when you are powered up and sheeting in hard with the back hand (since those lines are so far forward), is most of us oppose the backhand with the back foot. So, when you get hit with a gust, you are putting more pressure on the back of the board which does the exact opposite of what you are wanting since more pressure on the back foot helps the board rise.
Ideally, as you get more wind pressure, learn to ease a touch on the back hand and apply more down pressure on the harness/and or lean forward. Also, start to creep your harness lines back as you are more accustomed to foiling with more pressure in the sail. You can also put your back foot a bit more forward as you see the gust coming to help get some weight forward.
I agree with swoosh about moving the mast base a couple cm forward if need be but I, personally, find lowering the boom puts more pressure on the front foot. Note how Monty and Diony talk about it boom up/mast base back to free the board and get it on the fin and the opposite to get the board on the water.
This a finning video; his teaching method is unique; he will be releasing foil specific videos in the future. I use to have my harness boom connection (anchor point) tight and fine tune after a few runs either on the beach or in the water.
Learning from this video is to set the anchor point loose enough to allow for moving the anchor while sailing.
Paducah is spot on. Preassure over the hands is directly translated to preasure over the feet. Having the harnesslines 10cm forward means the preassure is on the backhand. This preasure is translated to the backfoot as you have to brace yourself somewhere. Result: the board goes up as sailpreassure increases when you build up speed or a gust hits.
I sail with neutral preassure on the hands. I keep fiddling with the lines until I can comfortably foil no handed for at least 5-10 seconds. Thats the best way to get it setup for me. If the sail falls back if you let it go your lines are too far forward, if it falls forward when you let go the lines are too far back.
I used to have my lines further forward when I started out aswell, this is because you sail with your sail very open when just beginning, and thats easier with the lines further forward, still, I would encourage you to experiment with shifting them back again incrementally!
Neutral for me too, after starting with them forward like others did
On SuperCruiser, experiment with rear stab, even middle/neutral position creates massive lift in gusts/board accelerations, much easier to control I find if you slide it back a few mm (bolts well toward front of slots), less wild fluctuations in ride height to manage and a slippery fast feel
Neutral for sure. Neutral for me means that my backhand is at 1 thumb distance from the back harness line. Distance between harness line is 1 hand. Front hand ideally rest comfy next to the front harness line. And elbows bent, thumbs over the boom. Of course you work your way up to this point gradually.
Sorry but slightly confused, on stab do I slide it forwards or backwards for less lift ?
to reduce lift slide stab back a few mm from centre/neutral, so flatter/less angle of attack - experiment with small changes, see what suits your weight, style, setup, water conditions on the day
