EQUIPMENT AND TUNING
EQUIPMENT AND TUNING
Pre-Season – I use the time before competition starts as much as possible to tune my equipment, chose my sail sizes, decide on how the boards work. This is important so when it comes to competition time I am as ready as I can be. VA
Explore your options – A normal windsurfing set-up offers almost endless trim possibilities and hardly anybody explores them! When was the last time you tried different foot strap positions? Mast track positions? Boom heights? These three options alone leave you with around 100 different set-ups and only you can decide what works for you. Just give it a try, go sailing and think about what feels right and wrong. KJ
Boom height – This should normally be between chest and eye level, in lighter winds put the boom higher, this will keep you more in board and aid early planing. In strong winds put the boom lower this should help give you more control. BVDS
Line length – The general rule is longer lines in stronger winds. For example I use 30 inch lines for high wind, for sails up to 7.0 m, or 7.8 if it’s choppy. This means you are further away from the sail and you can really sit in your harness. BVDS
Mast foot position – You have to play with the position to find the sweet spot, where your board doesn’t fly up, but it also does not stick to the water. The further back the more the nose will lift, further forwards the front will keep the board flatter. BVDS
Fins – Your fin is one of the most important items of your equipment. For big sails and boards I mostly use a moulded carbon fin for better response, and in higher wind I go for softer fins and something less responsive like a G10 fin. Most boards will already come with a fin, but if you really want to go fast this is the piece of equipment to upgrade. BVDS
If you’re on the heavier side choose a stiffer fin, gives the board more lift and the heavier you are the easier it should be to control. If you’re on the lighter side (around 75 kg and less) go for a softer one. SQO
Change down – If you have lowered your boom but you still cannot control your board, you should switch to a smaller fin. If you are overpowered, take a smaller sail, it is important to figure out if you have too much power from the sail or the board/fin. More often than not changing down your fin before your sail is a good idea. SQO
Downhaul – If conditions are hard like in Fuerteventura, it can be really difficult to sail and easy to fall. Here I put not too much downhaul tension, this will keep the nose of the board down, I then use some outhaul to make the sail a little flatter and more controllable. AA
Outhaul – With a slalom sail most of the time you want to make sure you have the least amount of outhaul possible. It’s completely okay if your sail touches the boom, this will give you more power, the sails are made to work like this. SQO