Hi
I've been riding a RRD FSW 110 for some time now. I've been really annoyed with the upwind capabilities. I've tried several different fins and sails and it is always a struggle to go just a bit upwind.

I've never had any problems going upwind on other boards, and i've tried quite a few.

Does anybody have any tips?

How powered were you? It helps to be well powered.

Best tip I ever got was to lower my boom, It seems to help going upwind on wave and FSW boards. I try to keep my boom about half way in the cutout or lower, High gets me plaining but it prevents my upwind ability. I never put 2 & 2 together until I was forced to drop it lower at a wave course I did, Lower did kill my early plaining but when up and going with the lower boom the board just rips upwind....it was immediately noticeable. Play with the boom hight to find the sweet spot for early plaining while maintaining the upwind performance. Other then that these big boards require a lot of rail pressure to bank them over, lean right forward over your bent front knee while pulling up real real real hard with the toes of your front foot and push hard through your heel. Also pulling your foot out of the rear strap and placing it just in front of the strap closer to the rail also helps to bank the board to help carve upwind.

Flatout: Could you list the fins and sails you have tried ?. Also, what is your weight and style ?. Are you over or under powered sailor ?

I will definately try adjusting the boomheight. I have actually been running it quite high, so there might be something to gain by lowering it.

It's the same problem regardless of power, needless to say it is more of a problem in underpowered conditions.

Sails: Loft lip wave 5.2, North Duke 6.9, Naish All terrain 7.0, simmer zerofive 7.5, Simmer compact 6.6, Gun torro 6.0
Fins: 23 cm tekknosport weed wave, 25 cm (cut down) lars P freestyle, 28cm prolimit freeride weed, 32cm Mfc Freewave, 36 cm mfc sl-2.

Best setup is 23cm weed wave and Naish all terrain 7.0.

My footstrap placement is all the way forwards and base at 132.