Long time surfer & windsurfer just bitten by wingding bug. Cant get enough of it. Just bought a 95L foil board (JP) to replace my JP 145L SUP and curious as to mast position. Is the rule of thumb forward in the rack for control and back in the tracks for lift? i have it 1" from the front and she comes out of the water really fast.
This wingding caper is fantastic

Given the same feet placement position

More forward more lift more front foot pressure equals more chance of breaching the front wing but also equals more dynamic
more back means you will need more back leg pressure to keep on the foil and it's sluggish.

the better you get the further forward it goes until you hit the sweet spot.
but that also depends on the type of foil and water and wind conditions as well. Experiment.

Back is less lift. Forward is more.

However a lot of us run the mast all the way forward in the box for winging once you understand the foil.

When we say front foot heavy, we mean make the front foot HEAVY lol.

Forget 90% of what you learned surfing. Sorry, correction, 100%.

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surfcowboy said..
Back is less lift. Forward is more.

However a lot of us run the mast all the way forward in the box for winging once you understand the foil.

When we say front foot heavy, we mean make the front foot HEAVY lol.

Forget 90% of what you learned surfing. Sorry, correction, 100%.

Cheers for the info! now for some wind.

I'm coming from windsurfing and windfoil. So far in mostly flat water I'm doing much better with the foil forward. That seems to unlock the back foot so I can move it easily.

This is how i do it:
You want to put your feet in a position where the board will go as drag free as possible when floating, i.e. as flat as possible without the nose going under.

Then you want to place the foil mast so once flying you have equal weight on both feet without having to move.

So sail the board and see where your feet go in float mode, then put the Center of Pressure of the foil midway between both feet.
The Center of Pressure is at 1/3 of the front wing width (at centerline) measured from the leading edge.

Try it and adjust as needed.

Or just try in the middle and if you have to move your feet once up adjust the foil position accordingly :)

It is not an exact position, there is some leeway.
In general terms the more forward you can get away with the better, as the board will pivot easier in pitch and feel "shorter" and more lively on foil.