Hi Guys,
I have some dumb questions that you may be able to help with. I have not been out since the end of summer and was just reading an artical on footstraps and weaterstarts and fistly I was wondering about the mast positioning on the mast track. I always try to put my mine (as a beginner) in the centre of the track but should I be sliding it more towards the back of the board or will that make it harder to get planning? Does it make a significant difference? Its all about keeping the board flat.... Right?
Also I rig with the boom at sholder height but maybe that should be more eye level or even higher?? All the hotshots out there seem to be leaning back rather than pulling down. The problem is all you dudes make it look too easy and I know that these questions could be answered with half an hour on the water at Melville but geez its cold out there
The higher you put the boom the more power the sail needs to lift you out of the water. If the winds dropped out and I want to get back to shore, I'll drop the boom as low as it will go, so the sail has more leverage over my weight. Not comfortable sailing, but I'm only going back to shore.
For normal sailing I have my boom about shoulder height, for speed sailing a bit higher.
Even though I've been water starting for over 20 years, I still like to be able to drag the boom over the back of the board, if you move the mast track too far back you can't do this.
Mast track position has several effects, further back makes the board more "flighty" further forward more stable.
It also adjusts the angle of attack of the board, so it can be fine tuned for maximum speed.
When wave sailing it's good to have it back to make the board looser.
If over powered going further forward will give more control.
If uphauling on a small board it can be adjusted to equalise volume for and aft.
There is a good thread on mast track position in the windsurfing general forum.
The details can get a bit technical and hard to remember.
One comment is most boards have a sweet spot and the mast needs only be varied slightly fore and aft of that for any size sail.
The sweet spot for my board is 2/3 of the way forward in the track.
Makes the board much easier to handle than half way.
When you hook in you do lean back but because the harness lines are at a downward angle there is a vertical component to the force which applies mast foot pressure.
I find boom height between armpit height and shoulder height works best for me (but I am small and light).
Any higher than that and I feel way out of balance.
I think lower is better than higher for beginners.
You really do need to spend time on the water and change masttrack or boom position a little at the end of each run and see what makes any difference and what is best. It's easy at Melville because you can sail out to the sandbar and be in your depth at each end to make adjustments.
As a beginner I would recommend that you leave the mast foot pretty much in the middle of the track. Moving it foward or back not only changes the trim and liveliness of the board but will also change the steering characteristics when trying to manoeuvre the board with the rig. Ie in the water start it will either tend to try and turn up or down rather than staying neutral.
Boom at arm pit to shoulder height is ideal. You get good down force but don't hanidcap other aspects of your sailing like water starts, tacks, jibes etc. Some people like to drop their boom to learn water starts. This might get you closer to the board but makes it difficult to get low with your weight on the boom and not the board once you get up. So keep it in the normal spot.
You can play around as much as you like with adjusting settings but everything you adjust has a flow on affect. Pretty much I would stick to the recommened base settings otherwise you may just end up chasing your tail, getting frustrated, learning bad techniques etc.
