Keels are now part of your foil quiver. There are two possibilities for their use:
- Adjusting the float trim
- Constant pressure adjustment
Trim the float with a windfoil wedge
The first adjustment that the windfoil can make is the position of the float attitude in flight. A float that is nose down is a float that will have its nose diving forward. A float that is nose up is a float that will tend to point upwards. In this case, a wedge at the front or rear of the wing will optimize the overall trim during flight. If I place a wedge at the front, it will lower the leading edge of the wing, which will then return to its normal position during flight. With this movement, it is easy to understand that the nose of the board will rise. Conversely, a wedge at the rear of the front wing on a windfoil will bring it back into line and the nose of the board will drop.
Constant pressure adjustment with windfoil wedge
Adding a wedge to the stabilizer will help when there is a problem with constant support, i.e., my board constantly wants to come out of the water. So we have a problem of overpowering the stabilizer. At this point, a wedge must be placed at the rear of the stabilizer. We’ll release the stabilizer to give it a slightly more negative impact and rebalance the phenomenon. Conversely, you can have a foil that is very backward. That means it flies, but I have to put a lot of pressure on my back leg. At that point, we’ll place a wedge at the front of the stabilizer. We’re going to put some kick into it, and this phenomenon will influence lift.
Conclusion
So to conclude:
- Adding a wedge to the stabilizer is really necessary when there is constant upward or downward movement.
- Adding a wedge to the front wing is useful when you feel uncomfortable because the position is too low or too high.
Read our complete guide to getting started with windfoil.