The easier turning and more pitch sensitivity and shorter pump arc of the shorter fuse is well accepted, but what does everyone think about the effect on front foot pressure of a long or short fuse given the same tail and shim ?I can't say I've really noticed much difference between 50 and 60 cm fuses ,but I imagine the long one has more leverage so therefore should increase front foot pressure ?

I'm no expert but can't see how longer fuse could increase f-foot pressure when trimmed correctly.

I'd also be interested in opinions on why you would choose to shorten fuse over running a smaller stab, why would you increase pitch sensitivity & have to pump more often?

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toppleover said..
I'm no expert but can't see how longer fuse could increase f-foot pressure when trimmed correctly.

I'd also be interested in opinions on why you would choose to shorten fuse over running a smaller stab, why would you increase pitch sensitivity & have to pump more often?

If it was me to choose I would get a longer fuse with a smaller and skinnier stab for speed and a shorter fuse and potentially thicker rear for going slower and playing around. The longer fuse will add more stability, bigger turn radius and allow for a smaller rear to provide good leverage. A shorter fuse would be very pitchy at higher speeds but heaps better when going slower and wanting the ride to be much more playful.

I was trying to clear up some confusion that appeared on a post from Erik on PP , who stated that he used more angle on his tail when using a longer fuse because he needed to increase front foot pressure.What he didn't say was he was also using a smaller tail. Toppleover..I agree with you in regard to pitch sensitivity and pump distance with shorter fuse , but it's also easier to get back up high on the mast with a shorter fuse into the Goldilocks zone for pumping and also you can do sharper shorter radius turns with a shorter fuse also. Having said that I have gravitated towards longer fuse with smaller tails and moving mast further forward to get the ride I like.

I bought an axis 1150 with a standard fuse and flat tail a year ago when we started doing prone downwinders. The pump was super stable and foot pressure even over a wide span. So foot placement wasn't critical. Downside was it was hard to turn when up on foil. Almost impossible to turn off a wave and pump into the wind line before you hit the shore. Also almost impossible to control the pitch with chest movements while paddling in. I was about to throw the setup away.
I then bought an ultrashort fuse. World of difference. Far easier to control the pitch paddling in and surfs/carves way easier. Also like kobo said l, it's easier to bounce back up to a decent ride height with the pitch sensitivity. The downside is you get crazy back foot pressure. I now think this is because the short fuse doesn't give enough stability with my rear foot behind the mast. Which means I'm standing too far forward in relation to the lift point and leaning on my back leg too much. I'm hoping an axis short fuse will allow me to stand more balanced either side of the lift point. At a small sacrifice to pitch control and turning.

Shimming the tail helped transfer the pressure further forward. I tried 3 degrees shim. But not enough to make me relax my back leg.

I think instead of trying to make a huge wing surf well I should start to step down in wing sizes and achieve it that way.