I'm having trouble bearing away and putting the hammer down.I'm on a 140 Ray with a 8.5 Severne Overdrive, and a 50 cm fin ,the board just wants to reach or go higher and when i try to bear away it feels very heavey on the arms.The down haul seems fine and on a reach the sail feels balanced and very slippery.Would this be caused by mast foot position?I do not have this problem with my 7.5 Ezzy infinity on the same board.
Fin seems a little large but would depend on rider weight. Maybe the size of the fin?
try a smaller fin even a 40cm. Another option is chuck on a weedy. They are less powerfull so wont point as much but they fly off the wind.
here's proof
gpsteamchallenge.com.au/sailor_session/show?date=2009-05-23&team=2
I have since got a 34.97max display on the big girl.
something i try to do on formula kit is to keep driving forward off the fin while pushing on my front foot.
i'm not sure if anyone else does this on big gear as it is something i started doing while speedsailing on formula kit.
it's kind of like the typical upwind body position where you swing your body towards the nose and drive off your back foot. just that i put more front foot pressure and sail off the wind.
the only negative i have found is you do get a little more of the feeling of catapults.
the other thing is to add more downhaul. as you go faster you need to let the head twist a little more.
I have the fin which came with the board a choco 47 which I seem to have trouble with spin out ,so I have been using the select RS7 50 cm maybe I'm getting to much lift from it,will try the smaller fin and try to correct my stance to overcome the spin out.
With this set up it feels like the weight is on my back foot and the mast base and my front leg is doing absolutely nothing,but when I try to straighten my front leg and bear away I meet resistance from the rig,I know this sounds strange but I never have this problem on any of my other boards and sails.
I've been practising going upwind & that feels fine but when i go to bear off it feels dicky..harness line position..??me..?
definately sounds like downhaul or outhaul.
if you have too much power in the sail when you go off the wind there is more forces on fin, board, sail due to increase speed and increase lift and the power just get uncontrollable.
what then can happen is that you have to put all of your strength into the rear leg and arm. that make the front foot lift, results in sail control issues and leads to spinout.
being any other sail i'd say just up the downhaul but being an ezzy maybe it's outhaul?
I know that going downwind on a formula board you need to let the outhaul off, otherwise sail is very twitchy. Can you get an adjustable outhaul and see if it maybe makes a difference for your rig?
good point. downhaul then
good point. downhaul then
I'm using a 490 Gradz Hawaii Spyro 75% drop shape which I was assurred would be Ok for this sail.I use the same mast with the Ezzy.
Not sure what conditions your sailing in but if it's in swell or chop and your trying to bear off the wind the big stuff just loves to follow the line of the swell rather than the angle you want to bear off at. Agree maybe more down haul and make sure your using the bottom eyelet in the sail if you have that option. you could try the mast track back further to get on the tail more, its certainly not easy pushing the big gear off the wind.
Mast is already near the back of the track at 131 cm from tail,thanks everyone will try a few different settings to get it right.If I have any further probs someone at Burrum is bound to be able to sort it out.
Different story today 4cm smaller fin,2 cm more downhaul,1 cm back in mast track and 2 cm back with harness lines.Every thing felt sweet and went well,thanks every one for the advice.
no wonder i couldnt pull on the rig!
When bearing away powered up, there should definitely be an audible caveman growl coming from between your clenched teeth.
Try shouting "KILL! KILL! KILL" as the gusts hit; tense every muscle in your body and try to imagine yourself as a human cannonball, hurtling toward certain destruction.
And if you're not grunting and shouting "F******K!" every time you go over some chop, that's not real windsurfing, you need bigger gear.
Hope this helps. 
[}:)]
