why are mast tracks so far from tail of board?

[jkrug]

i've owned a few foil boards, and the mast tracks range from 6 to 10 inches from the rear of the board. this seems like a complete waste of space to me. i've seen some DIY boards where the mast track is right up against the tail of the board, which makes sense to me. if the board is longer, it probably doesn't matter much. but on a shorter board, every inch matters. since most of us put our back foot over the mast placement, all that space behind it seems to be worthless. i even have a kicker mat at the rear of my current production board, but there's no way my back foot would ever be back that far, so it, too, seems useless.

anyone know why manufacturers put mast tracks so far from the rear of foil boards?

[cwood]

Agree with you....its an issue with the bigger wing trend....and why custom allows you to get exactly what you want.

[grigorib]

Race wings and even smaller wings which were a norm just two years back needed that position.
As large wings became mainstream the need for tracks positioned way further back increased and manufacturers barely caught up.

[juanpasala]

Completelly depends on the foil you are going to use and how it s set up.
Seeing that the manufacturers still havent decided on an universal conection system I doubt they ll agree on having an universal setup.

[cor]

Well because currently, most boards are made for faster wings and not for large >1200 cm3 wings. The trend with large wings is still ramping up. This is exactly why I am convinced that we will see more style-specific foilboards in the future.

[Peter_Frank]

Disagree jkrug.

On all foils I have ridden, I stand with my rear foot behind the mast, most of the time.
Doesnt matter if a small wing less than 600 cm2, or a big 1200 cm2 one.
But of course, the smaller the stab you use (typically with more experience as more lively), the further rear you stand.

Only if I stand with both feet together, it is on top or in front of the mast.

Apart from that, for bigger boards, you can ride in marginal winds easier, having a tad of board behind you, as you wont sink the tail in the lulls, and in the puffs you can get up flying, WITHOUT moving your feet first.
A win-win.

Too much is no good of course, as you can not pump if too much area behind the mast, so there is a delicate balance, depending on your boardsize, and current foil as a bit variation in center of effort (but not much really, most are pretty equal)

On my current Ketos foils, I sometimes stand with rear foot at the trailing edge, either when standing with a relatively wide stance, or sometimes when doing 360's up in a wave.

Also, it is very unpleasant to stand just next to the trailing edge for me - it is just like if you stand with your front foot at the very edge of the grip or deckpad - NOT fun

The boards with tracks I have seen, are mostly centered around the same spot so beginners can move it further rear so they dont foil too easily, and advanced can move it forward.
And to accomodate different brands slightly different center of effort, and also stab trim settings.


These pics illustrates one type of stance, not superwide, but quite wide yes, and goes for most foils regarding trim.
Yes you can stand on the mast also, if you ride with either a narrow stance, or a foil which has been trimmed "up" for learning, meaning stab pulls down so it tends to pop up/out of the water at higher speeds.

The more experience you get, the further rear you stand.
On the other side, the more experience you get, the more narrow stand you also use when you feel like it ha haa
Also, if you want to ride the shortest possible board, standing narrow and a the very back of the board with rear foot, is a necessity.

Peter

[BWD]

I agree with peter!
By the way, do you know those vikings?
Looks like a fun ride, but a little slow.

[jkrug]

i can't argue with those pics, but i don't see how you ride that way. i often find myself completely in front of the mast. Am usually on Armstrong 1200 cm/300 cm rear. i'm admittedly not the best foiler around, but i don't see myself moving back on my board over time. if anything, i find myself creeping forward. i would think you'd need a ton of front foot pressure riding that way. i'm also a bit taller at 6'3", so have a propensity for a wider stance. next time i'm out i'll experiment moving my back foot back just to see.

[jakemoore]

Ketos may not be a fair comparison because their large and small wings all have a similar balance. I don’t understand how they do it and if there are trade offs but I suppose it’s needed to keep the foils balanced with their KF box pocket boards.

I move my rear foot a lot, ranging from just behind the mast screw to all the way back on Ketos.

[tomtom]

Ketos foils are build "centered" that way. It is not universal. You cannot generalized from that.

Edit.

I did not see Jakemore post. I was trying to say same thing