njrider wrote: ↑Wed May 08, 2019 2:02 pm
Currently, my board is setup with 2 half straps. I like the idea of moving my back foot forward - I have both straps set at the widest position - so maybe my back foot is too far back. I was only trying to ride on the surface - that did not happen
Forget the board, just pretend it isn't there. Ride the foil, imagine yourself an extension of the mast and you're standing on the foil. Because if you try and edge the board or ride it on the water like you would other boards, you're going to get lobbed, twisted, and pummeled.
Mount the foil all the way back in the tracks, the front strap all the way forward* and as wide and loose as you can. Lose the back strap, that's the one that wrecks ankles the most. IIRC the SS straps aren't very big ... so get something else.
* IMO you want a comfortable stance width -- feet too wide will be too tiring and twitchy, too narrow and you'll have insufficient trim control. Maybe a tiny bit wider than a TT stance, if your strap positions allow.
You really only need a front strap to hold the board in position when you water start; you can get your back foot in the right spot easy.
My advice is put a mark on the deck of the board to show yourself where the mast plate is, then aim to put your foot on top of that when you start ie. in the middle of the mast.
Ride with the board on the water -- FLAT -- and look upwind to go upwind.
Let board speed lift the foil, don't try to pop it up with back foot pressure.
Forget the kite, don't try and load it up, don't lean against it.
You'll need to ride faster than you probably do on a TT to get the foil in it's cruising speed*... If you try and ride it slower than it likes (foil doesn't care about your comfort zone) you'll discover the equivalent of trying to ride a bicycle as slow as possible -- an impossible balancing act.
* This is not a contradiction with the above point -- initially you'll need to ride almost the same size kite as you would a TT so you can build apparent wind easily without loading your kite up.
If you think you're riding fast enough but the foil isn't flying, move a foot back -- either your front or your rear foot, just wriggle it back an inch at a time. Remember your stance width though.
Alien Air board was a bit wrong, even the original HoverGlide needed the foil all the way back and the straps all the way forward...