To tall for sails

The other problem you have is the clew is in the wrong place for you. You either need a custom or to adapt your style.

With worldwide shipping it's easy now. You just have to be prepared to pay. There aren't many lofts that do it, but there are a few scattered about.

Lucky size 11feet, as for bike riding, well that used to be my job so no problems there

My last comment here was just ignored, but I'm still going to plug away at this, because there are some very weird other solutions being suggested - like to raise the deckplate, or else to go and get a custom sail made? Woah.

I'm just thinking that if I find the Severne sails cutaways generally too high, and I'm not a foot shorter than the person complaining here, then how come he has this problem?

When wavesailing I do like a low boom, but then when slalom sailing the boom height needed is higher because my stance is different. With a bigger rig, we have a greater rise and fall of the boom height - when we go from slogging, to planing in the straps.
So preferred boom height is a function or how tall you are, but it's also a function of what type of gear you are on, and of where you place the mast foot in relation to your footstraps.

We all change these things as part of our board turning, and wave kit is sailed with an upright rig, whereas slalom and blasting gear is sailed with the rig more raked, so as to load the fin with the back foot.
As I write this, I'm also aware how outdated it may sound - because most slalom sailors nowadays sail with their rigs more upright. So is the real problem here one of old fashion stance, where the mast rake is too extreme? I'm just wondering if you are using the front half of the mast track whilst planing with your feet in straps set well back - which in turn means the boom drops low due to excessive mast rake.

On topic, you then have the option of raising the boom height in two ways on the rig as you set it up, one is at the mast cutaway, and the second is at the sail's cringle height, with many slalom sails offering two clew cringle options.
Once you have the sail rigged you fit it to the board. If you shift the mast foot back then the boom will set higher against your body. If you shift your footstraps forwards - or the front footstrap pair - then the boom height will be even higher.

So you should be able, even as a very tall person, be able to find a setting, using modern upright rig stance, which gives you a high enough boom.

Does anyone else here want to comment on this basic stance advice?

ps I'd say comparing PWA sailors kit setup doesnt necessary translate to Joe Public as PWA sailors use larger sails per wind strength and go faster, but it is closer then wave sailors giving their tips.

Good to see an interesting discussion. It made me want to go out and measure boom cutaways on different sails - if only to compare that with my 7.8 (which itself is not a new sail).
Unfortunately, we have little wind here and everyone is foiling with small rigs or wings, and our next UK slalom event is still two weeks away.

My advice was simply to see if mast foot position and footstrap position could be used to gain the boom height needed - as that obvious potential solution had not been discussed. And, for sure, what you can do will depend on what board you are on, and on whether you want to change your sailing stance.

There's a windsurf mag article about sailor height here, but no-one interviewed is 6ft 7inches.

www.windsurf.co.uk/pwa-slalom-size-matters/


The PWA sailors are big guys, with many at 188cms+ but I'm not sure who is tallest.
Their slalom event starts tomorrow! At last.


Here's a picture of Pierre Mortefon, 188cms, sailing with his boom half way up the cutaway on a Duotone rig.
For sure, he may have dropped the boom for control in strong wind, and he might like a higher setting for lighter wind.
As you can see this is only a 7.0m sail, so it's a windy day shown here.

Are all these tall pro sailors using standard production sails ? Even if they are, is it not possible that they may have boon cut-outs suited to their body height. Just a thought.

Would be fun to watch the guy the size of Shaq. 7'1" wighting 160/170 kg windsurfing. We are talking 180L wave boards and 8m sails for strong wind wavesailing. I think that his weight relative to the water mass is still negligible but equipment/board size is not. Wonder if that size guy would be smacked around hard. lol Equipment would probably give out left and right..

Gosh this road crash of a thread has come back to haunt us.
(A 'road crash' because people of different abilities and in different disciplines of windsurfing, are talking at cross purposes.)

Modern boom cutaways are NOT too low, even for tall people.
If you find they are then you probably need to shift your mast foot back.
It's only older boards that don't allow that to happen - because the track is set too far forwards.
It's using too much mast rake that drops the boom too low - sometimes making you think the sail has a problem.
Old stance sucks.

If you are over 6foot tall and with long arms then, yes, you may well need 34 or 36inch lines.
Just saying.
Stance is something you can experiment with. Don't go cutting your sails up because your stance is wrong.

In other words, boom height is not just about your physical height but about how you stand in relation to the rig.
That's a function of mast foot position in relation to footstrap position.