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Stance width?

Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2017 12:09 am
by pj sofine
I mounted a front footstrap on my ss space pickle (guessed) ,no rearstrap.I'm still an infant kiter but it seems that even with the foil mounted all the way back my rear foot is only about a foot from my front foot.If I put my back foot further back it seems to be too far back and foil seems to pop up too much with less control.Not sure if I should add more inserts further forward or wait till I have more time on water. I know exactly where the sweet spot is for my rear foot,maybe move front ,how much? Whats the stance width on a stock foilboard ?

Re: Stance width?

Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2017 1:41 am
by BWD
What foil and what is the distance from the center of the mast to the front foot inserts?
This info will be the key I think..

Re: Stance width?

Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2017 3:15 pm
by pj sofine
foil4.jpg
More info,ss hoverglide,orange area of deck pad is where my rear foot seems to end up (16" stance).ss space pickle 5'2" length.I'm 6'4" tall.Hope this helps,thanks

Re: Stance width?

Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2017 3:39 pm
by BWD
Looks about right to me, but don't have that foil so can't be 100% sure.
One issue I ran into in first month or so foiling was getting my rear foot heel too close to the rail.
On foil you have more pressure on your heels than normal surfboard, and no need to dig in the rail, so it's not helpful to move your back foot toward the rail, a habit I had from riding larger surfboards and windsurfers in the past.
I think what happens if your rear heel is too outboard is the effective distance between your feet changes as the board yaws, and any conscious effort to put more pressure on the back foot is likely to cause more effect than intended.
Giving more attention to centering the rear foot over the mast helped me a lot. Maybe this could help you?

Re: Stance width?

Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2017 9:27 pm
by Peter_Frank
pj sofine wrote:
Wed Aug 30, 2017 12:09 am
I mounted a front footstrap on my ss space pickle (guessed) ,no rearstrap.I'm still an infant kiter but it seems that even with the foil mounted all the way back my rear foot is only about a foot from my front foot.If I put my back foot further back it seems to be too far back and foil seems to pop up too much with less control.Not sure if I should add more inserts further forward or wait till I have more time on water. I know exactly where the sweet spot is for my rear foot,maybe move front ,how much? Whats the stance width on a stock foilboard ?

Dont move the inserts more forward, as they are extremely far forward now, with your setup when all the way back in the track :o

Wait till you get more time on the water, and your feet will magically move further rear, and often a wider stance also :thumb:

If your foil is in typical "normal" trim (and this you can change with shims if needed later), I would say your rear foot should stand 5-8 inch behind the center of the mast, and not in front, with this forward front strap position, so you get a 26-29 inch stance (66-74 cm) which is quite wide but maybe needed, and preferred by some.

With bigger wings more wave orientated, you should actually stand even further rear (meaning even wider stance on your setup).

Maybe these threads can help you somewhat ?

viewtopic.php?f=196&t=2396114

viewtopic.php?f=196&t=2394011

8) PF

Re: Stance width?

Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2017 9:41 pm
by TomW
I hade same problem in beginning. PF is right. Try putting your rear foot on the mast. Bend knees forward. Shift hips forward.

Re: Stance width?

Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2017 3:10 am
by pj sofine
Thanks all,I'll just leave as is and gain more experience.Just wanted to make sure settings weren't working against me.

Re: Stance width?

Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2017 2:09 pm
by dylan*
I took some measurements on my alien air w/ hover glide if that helps you at all. I've tried a few combinations and this works the best for me. I feel like this foil has too much lift to move the stance back at all -- I tried moving the foil forward 1 or 2cm and it felt horrible. Impossible to ride in a balanced stance even at moderate speed, have to stand with almost all your weight on your front foot. If you leave the foil all the way back you could probably move the rear footstrap a few cm back but that stance is uncomfortable for me being 5'9 in height. I usually ride strapless now so I have more freedom with foot placement.

ae47d32b-98fd-46b2-a541-c4fe5aadfa36.jpg

Re: Stance width?

Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2017 10:19 pm
by TomW
My stance width is a factor of my inseam ( leg length) and hip mobility ( low). I have 31 in inseam length, which is short for 5-8 person, I have short legs. My comfort stance is about 620 mm ( center of foot to center of foot). So this is the stance I naturally want to have.
So when you are beginner, you want your rear foot just in front of the mast and your foot at a distance that is your natural stance width. Then as you get better you want to move both front and rear foot back.
Boards being sold today don't take thus into account. The boards have inserts at position for experienced Rider.

That's why it's good to have a range of footstrap inserts to allow you to adjust to correct natural stance, and then tracks to allow you to move foil back or forward to get right balance on foil as you get more experience, or change foil trim.
Problem I'm having is tracks don't go far enough back in relation to front straps forward position.

Re: Stance width?

Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2017 12:01 am
by lovethepirk
I'm using a SS space pickle. Not crazy about it, but it's the girl I'm dancing with. I'm riding a Delta race hydrofoil with the tuttlebox connection.

Here are my dimensions if that helps. I will say this...I rode a buddies medium aspect wing and board the other day and his stance was MUCH narrower than mine...maybe exactly the width of a TT. I'm happy with my stance width, but would like to see what others are using.

With my setup if you measure middle of foot to middle of foot my distance is 26.5 inches or 674 mm.

Image