I guess this has been discussed a million times but I'm new on here and would like to bring up the topic.
I've been windsurfing for about 18 years now and finding the balance point seems to be getting further and further back. Years ago it was quite easy to cruise along with no hands but now I find my front foot is trying to pull out and there's a ridiculous amount of back foot pressure.
Trust me I've tried a million settings but the only way to make my gear comfortable is to go against all that is "speed orientated" and have the mast track forward about 140 (this is on a falcon 79 with a 6.2 RS slalom and 32cm venom) and the boom relatively low. You all know what happens then!
Board gets a bit stickie and likes to throw you off.
Everything has changed now.The sails are a lower profile and there is more area at the rear. Boards are designed to have the mast way back. Yes they stay on the plane much longer they "skim" much better and they have a higher aspect approach to the water but it feels like there's way too much sail hanging off the end of the board to me.

First up, welcome! Where in Aus do you sail?

The interwebs tell me that the falcon is a 245cm board, and the 6.2 RS4 rigs on a boom around the 198cm mark. So sailing off the wind, if you find yourself raking the sail back there's going to be a bit of sail overhang. It's in the cut of race sails plus shorter board lengths these days.

Race sails from days of old (VX-LTD) were not that different to the new breed in profile, but the slalom boards have definitely reduced in length and increased in width. They require a different stance as I found after going back to my (cherished, but near-retired) Flow after smashing the nose of my new Hawk.

Sorry I took so long to get back. I'm actually from Wellington NZ (bit of a mix up with registration). When I said years ago I was actually meaning early 90's when I first started windsurfing. Things were quite different then and sails especially were often real pigs.
Gear has improved 1000 % from then but I still feel there could be improvements in the area of this centre of effort thing. I guess this centre of effort involves a lot of different forces but I'm only concerned with the pressure between front and back foot which in my mind in general is too hard on the back foot.
I had an idea about attaching a ridged lever towards the back of the board and having it extended up to the desired area around the 145 mark (reccessed into the board but not touching) in the hope that it would have the same affect as bringing the mast foot back without sacrificing centre of effort.
Or maybe having two planning areas so the board works like hydroplane hulls with only minimum pressure on the first section.
Anyway just a few thoughts.

ps
Hope your hawk is feeling better

David,

I know the problem you describe - front foot wants to pull out and seems to shake out all the time.

have you tried longer harness lines? I've gone from being a committed 20" line guy on really narrow boards to a 26-28" type line - wider the board the longer the lines I use. I find this allows the boom to run higher as well.


- J

Yep!
I ah.....
Man 20'' is short. Normally hover around the 24-26 mark for my harness lines but bought some extendibles and tried between 22 & 30. I like my speed gear up to 30" and have tried a high boom with them but I do prefer a reletively low boom. Slalom would 25" if I could buy them!

I find bringing the mast foot back has a very similar effect to raising the boom and of coarse vice virca.
Can you remember a time when your boom slipped down and all of a sudden your rig is trying to haul you around the front! (mast foot pressure to the extreme). Or when you accidentally went out with your boom real high and it felt like the nose of your board is waving around and both the rig and the board are trying to throw you off the back. Same thing kind of happens with mast foot position. So... when the mast track is too far back and or the boom is too high centre of effort moves back with it and of coarse transfers into your back foot.

Don't seem to have much trouble on speed gear but I guess thats because I'm mostly on smaller sails (5.1 or 4.6) and centre of effort is further forward.