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Footstrap Positioning

 
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speedysailor



Joined: 11 Sep 2007
Posts: 841

PostPosted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 9:38 am    Post subject: Footstrap Positioning Reply with quote

Since I'm in Florida now, I am using my Fanatic Shark 145 again. It has inward/forward and outward/rear footstrap positions. I was using the out/rear ones recently (see my report) and thought I might have been able to handle the serious chop better with the inward ones. What actually are the pro's and con's to this? I knew a guy who called himself Hobbie that called the center line strapped boards wave.
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DanWeiss



Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Posts: 2296
Location: Connecticut, USA

PostPosted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 11:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Going fast, flat and powerful are the main points of the outboard straps on non-wave/high wind boards. They exist for a reason, that reason being the outboard straps are the intended foot placement. Inboard straps are compromises made to widen the board's access to different level sailors.

The way to handle chop is to create a balanced and stable rig through tuning, and then a stable triangle between the mast foot, your fin and your harness lines. Speed is key when dealing with chop, and only from stability comes speed and the ability to functionally disconnect everything below your hips to accommodate chop. Bending your knees to absorb the chop and making minute adjustments to the board's direction to avoid the peaks. Since you say you worked at MRG, then you will know the similar technique skiing Fall Line or Upper Antelope. If a skier cannot link turns on ungroomed, uneven and fairly steep terrain (akin to choppy, higher wind windsurfing conditions) then more practice or technique change is in order.

Going fast in chop is the only way to feel comfort and keep a fairly consistent speed. Slowing down pitches the rig forward, pulls you forward and de-powers the fin. Not good.

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LeeD



Joined: 12 Jun 2008
Posts: 1175

PostPosted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 2:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

There are, of course, several sides to this "chop" equation.
If you like/can go fast, then pure outboard, forward settings as your're powered, is the best, as it takes weight OFF the board, allowing your legs to flex and bend while the board flies it's nose over the worst bits.
If your brain doesn't like to work at this pace, a fully inboard, farther forwards, setting with smaller sails can help you STEER around the steepest chops, so you don't get bounced around, and you have fun carving at moderate speeds and using your vision and brains to get thru the mogul field as cleanly as possible.
As for forwards and back positions, bear in mind that back positions have you riding a SMALLER board when powered, while forward positions allow you to ride smaller sails, ride slower with more manueverability and control at lower speeds.
Now are you a slalom oriented sailor or a sailor who likes to carve and manuever?
I'd think your current positioning is a pure compromise that doesn't do anything well.
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Sailboarder



Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 656

PostPosted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 8:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I find this interesting, but cannot really contribute an answer. However, I would like to ask another question in the line of the OP. I hope it will help him too.

For sure, I found that going fast allows to "fly" more on the chop. If the hills are too big, you just alter course to get around them. Some of these hills can be wind-driven mini-swell that can be surfed, at least enough to gain speed and lose wind pressure. When I turn to do it, I find that I also loose the fin pressure required to keep both feet in the straps. I will then put the back foot out of the strap, on the board center line. Is it normal to do this, or caused by a lack of technique?
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jingebritsen



Joined: 21 Aug 2002
Posts: 3371

PostPosted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 7:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

sailboarder: mast foot pressure is everything in windsurfing. if you are talking about surfing down a bit of chop, drive more pressure through your front arm. shouldn't have to take the back foot out, unless you are going front side, which i doubt. if you were to turn from heel side to toe side rail pressure, then that would be completely different.
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 11:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

jingebritsen wrote:
drive more pressure through your front arm.

Doesn't just putting more weight into the harness achieve the same MFP with much less effort and without taking a foot out, presuming the apparent, induced lull is brief?
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speedysailor



Joined: 11 Sep 2007
Posts: 841

PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 4:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

LeeD wrote:
There are, of course, several sides to this "chop" equation.
If you like/can go fast, then pure outboard, forward settings as your're powered, is the best, as it takes weight OFF the board, allowing your legs to flex and bend while the board flies it's nose over the worst bits.
If your brain doesn't like to work at this pace, a fully inboard, farther forwards, setting with smaller sails can help you STEER around the steepest chops, so you don't get bounced around, and you have fun carving at moderate speeds and using your vision and brains to get thru the mogul field as cleanly as possible.
As for forwards and back positions, bear in mind that back positions have you riding a SMALLER board when powered, while forward positions allow you to ride smaller sails, ride slower with more manueverability and control at lower speeds.
Now are you a slalom oriented sailor or a sailor who likes to carve and manuever?
I'd think your current positioning is a pure compromise that doesn't do anything well.
Thanks for the feedback, all. I can't cut and paste right now because I am using the touchpad and not the mouse. My current positioning is farthest out and back so I just can't see that as a compromise. I do not want to change footstrap positions often and prefer to keep the straps screwed down securely. It's just that I thought that the rear straps on my Shark were more like my Angulo Sumo i.e. closer to the center line than they are as I had them set. The upper limit to the Shark is 9.0 so I think that the current position would be the right one with my 9.0. I wonder then why I have had great sailing with a 9.6 and Tangent Reaper on the 125 Sumo, but shouldn't venture to sail something that large with the 145 Shark. Whatever, I'm sorely tempted to change the position the next time out with something smaller especially if I decide to rig my 6.9 Duke. That may have been the better choice this last session. All considered, though, it's really hard to predict the future. I was all bent out of shape after this session partly because the temps were on the cool side here in Florida, but mostly because I'm out of shape, aging, and had a long hiatus from the sport.
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jingebritsen



Joined: 21 Aug 2002
Posts: 3371

PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 5:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

please forgive me, i've just spent a solid week wave sailing in side shore to side off winds with waves up to 15 feet high. one could either put more weight on the front arm, or shift weight a bit forward if still hooked in.
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