Today I was playing on my 95L Sonic in conditions that were a little light (about 15kts) and found that as the gusts eased a little, the board kept rounding up.
I was also having a few issues steering downwind even when I was planing. I moved the mast foot forward a little and it helped slightly. As this is only about the 4th time I have used this smaller board, I dare say my technique is not quite right.
I tried 'scissoring' my feet to try to steer but didn't have a lot of success.
Maybe I have too much back foot pressure?
Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.
I actually have the boom set reasonably high.. well high for me cos I am a short a@@. Its set about nose level, maybe a little higher.
But yeah I may not be driving through the rig though. Its a big change from the larger Go so am still trying to get used it not being as stable.
Did manage to do my first deep water start today so I am happy with that, but will be getting a PFD to make it a little easier. Took me ages to get the sail in the right position though.
yep that's a good height for light winds.
was your back leg bent and front leg straight?
Are you talking planning or non planning??
But general theory is, that as board slows down it sinks into the water, engaging more rail forward.
This also shifts the center of lateral resistance forward, tending to turn you upwind, to counteract this, the center of effort also has to move forward, (don't rake the sail back as far), or weight has to move back a bit to shift CLR back again, (if you're underpowered this isn't a good idea, as it could really slow you down.)
it's hard to tell without watching.
but i think decrepit is on the right track.
maybe you are leaning towards the tail of the board. this gives the impression of raking the sail back but is really just sinking the tail.
It usually results in the sail not being held vertically as well.
as you are planing and you rake the sail back swing your body weight forward. ie. try to look around the front of the mast.
of course always keep your head pointing where you want to go. i was always taught that in light winds, your body weight is not forward enough unless you can almost see around the front of the mast.
Once a smaller board starts planning it becomes very responsive to foot steering, as the power comes off, the harness doesn't support as much of your weight and you tend to sink the windward rail, this turns the board upwind. It's your ankles that are controlling board direction in this case. It's always more efficient to keep the board flat or leeward rail down slightly.
Thanks for all that info. Hopefully we will have some wind next weekend so I can try a few things.
Just a quick question about 'rails'. I see lots of descriptions on boards with 'hard' rails etc. Is a soft rail when its is rounded off and a hard rail when it goes to a hard edge? What effect does the different shapes have?
Sorry if the questions are a bit basic but I want to get my head around the technical aspects of how the boards work.
this site has a good article on stance.
www.bluefinz.com/jm/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=34&Itemid=10001
www.bluefinz.com/jm/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=14&Itemid=10001
If it,s trying to round up while you are planing move the mast foot back !!! or set the boom higher .
15knots... on a sonic 95... seems just a little light to be comfortably pushing a narrowish board off the wind. Did things become a bit more comfortable in the gusts?
dude for freeride sailing , your boom should only be shoulder hight at max, any higher and you start to lose control,and you will have to rake the rig back to get in a comfy position. with a high boom as soon as you hit a hole in the wind and your hooked in you will be struggling to get inboard and out of the harness line, ie weight over the rail making you carve up wind..
Cool. You need power to sail off the wind, otherwise the board gets a bit skatey and wants to turn up all the time... u can pretty much stand on your toes, sheet out a touch and ride the lull but its just easier to let the board do it's thing and round up a bit.
Easy fix, and geez keep it simple people.
