I ride progression 125 with progression tail. When I’m downwinding I can’t help feel like that the foil wants to fly at a certain mast height which is lower than I’d prefer. In order to ride higher I have to consciously weight shift back a little bit to get it up but then it seems to want to come back down. I’m just wondering if there is a hydrodynamic principle that would make a foil “want” to fly at a certain mast height. I’m guessing it has to do with the amount of drag being produced by the wetted area of the mast but could the pressure difference on the foil have any effect ?
Tails def influence mast height. Marlin tail settles lower on the mast when on a P140.
I’m pretty sure it’s your subconscious taking control and trying to keep you from breaching unexpectedly.
At least that’s what i’ve found.
Across all the foils I ride DW I’ve found that I need to consistently shift my feet forwards and then back as I gain speed and then lose it and have to pump. The shift back is key to maintaining height and speed for me.
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I agree now that it is probably just subconcious trying to stay in a safe zone. Now that my reflexes have sharpened and I can more easily ride at higher heights without breaching I’m finding it easier to stay at height. It’s amazing how much more speed and glide I have when riding high especially when trying to milk the small bumps.