I Need advice on setup!
It was my third try learning in flat water how to use a fda+ with very good success. I could stand up and foil and go smooth and steady, with the motor 25 cm from the board.
On the third day I tried with a smaller board (47 l ) and I was surprised that it was almost the same if not better than with the 75 L I used on the first 2 sessions.
My weight is 65kg.
On the last session I used a higher ar wing and it seemed to be better than the MAs I tried on the days before. Do ha work better than lower ar wings with fd?
Anyway I’m a bit confused with choosing the right setup,.
How can I feel backfooted ( wich I hate) and frontfooted at the same time???
I keep putting pressure on the front not to stall, I even have to be more to the front of the board than I want even with the mast all the way to the back , but at the same time my back leg is hurting???
On the last session I was tring smaller and smaller back wings and less and less shim to compensate and it was working, I think.
My worries are when transitioning to the wave it will feel completely different… Shall I setip for the waves and ignore the setup for fd since its only for catching the wave???
I’m an experienced wave wingfoiler and I’m very used to the difference between going with the wing and going on the wave but on the drive it feels completely different.
Where do you have the battery box mounted? Mine is in front and to contend with the extra forward weight, I moved the mast forward. If you can move your mast forward, you should get rid of the back foot pressure. Also - is the bottom of your board flat? if there is tail rocker, you may be compensating with front foot pressure to keep the foil from stalling. When I was riding the Takuma Kujiras, I had to shim the base plate to level the foil so I wasn’t trying compensate (my board is flat bottomed so this is yet a third issue - pitch of the foil). When you get it dialed in, foiling in the waves with the FDA+ is the ultimate cheat code!!!
I have the box in several locations depending on the board. Boards are flat so it’s not that.
By now I got used to the strange thing wich is mostly caused by the upward rotation force caused by the motor . I just set up for the conditions ( waves ) and don’t take in consideration so much the fd requirements.
Its soooo cheating !
Some boards are much better than others with FD.
It doesn’t depend much on the volume, but more on the shape and surface.
I have a Takuma100L much harder to ride than an Axis37L.
For some reasons the Takuma doesn’t lift much above the water, and once on foil, it feels completely unbalanced, I need to put all my weight on the front, adoption a weird position which makes it impossible to ride.
A correct board will instantly feel very balanced, similar pressure between feet.
Note that it also depends on the foil, fuselage, stab.
But the board play a crucial role.
FD doesn’t specifically work better with HA ratio wings, but HA ration wings have their specific characteristics: faster, more glide, more lift, more difficult to turn.
Low AR wings are easier to begin with but are quickly limited.
There isn’t only one correct way to use FD.
But the rule of thumb is that your setup should feel good and balanced once you are on the foil, high on the mast.
Motoring around (assist phase) is only a mean to an end: being on the foil, high on the mast.
