Hi,

I've noticed that it's easier to gybe when I change the shim of the stabilizer from -1,5 into -0.5. Probably because of the increased front foot pressure (?). Can I achieve the same with moving my mast base back while keeping the -1,5 shim?
or: when do you change the shim and when do you change the mast foot position?
thanks in advance!

Moving the mast base back helps some. Moving thr foil forward or shimming for more lift has a stronger effect compared to mast position. I use the mast base for smaller adjustments. If the nose is diving in the jibes I really want more front foot pressure.
I'm finding that on smaller boards I want a really forward foil (or more shim) and in light winds the mast base more forward to help compensate my weight when pumping onto foil.

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aeroegnr said..
Moving the mast base back helps some. Moving thr foil forward or shimming for more lift has a stronger effect compared to mast position. I use the mast base for smaller adjustments. If the nose is diving in the jibes I really want more front foot pressure.
I'm finding that on smaller boards I want a really forward foil (or more shim) and in light winds the mast base more forward to help compensate my weight when pumping onto foil.

Excellent answer.

Also, shims can be nice when using different wings with same foilset so you can leave other settings relatively static. Sometimes, too, the mast track may not have the room you need (on a couple of boards, I'm all the way back)

Today, sailed a board for the first time in months. I stated blankly at the mast base- I'd totally forgotten the usual setting. Went out and the board was difficult to lift off and the nose would dive every jibe. Came in, moved mast base back 2 cm and everything was immediately better.

Similar thing couple of weeks ago but in that case, couldn't find my usual shim. Instead pushed mast base back almost 4 cm which about made up for the half degree flatter shim.

This is one of those things that each foiler must experiment with. Nice thing is that the experimentation is fun.

Its a great observation, gybing is a lot more forgiving if you have a FFP bias. However, I find that things get real twitchy if I get the mast foot much loser than about 30 inches to the foil mast, so I prefer to keep the universal to foil distance mostly same and adjust with shims.

In maui I was renting kit and couldn't gybe for **** until I moved the foil forward about 5 inches to the "wing" setting, which helped a bit, but eventually I added a ghetto shim to the stab

Thanks all! Very informative.

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Paducah said..
... Today, sailed a board for the first time in months. I stated blankly at the mast base- I'd totally forgotten the usual setting.

arrgghh... typing on a phone. Should have been "stared blankly" kinda like when I was writing this post.

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Paducah said..

Paducah said..
... Today, sailed a board for the first time in months. I stated blankly at the mast base- I'd totally forgotten the usual setting.

arrgghh... typing on a phone. Should have been "stared blankly" kinda like when I was writing this post.