Wave Board Tuning

I have previously highlighted how one of the ‘greyer’ areas of our sport is kit tuning. So as we welcome spring, I examine how to get the very best out of our wave boards, explaining what we can change to extract better performance across a range of conditions and levels. You can also refer back to previous pieces on tuning Freemoves and FSW’s for reflection and comparison.

THE BASICS

Here I will remind you what exactly can we can tune and to what outcome:

Footstrap size - I always reinforce the fact that big (generous) is beautiful and that it is a ‘footstrap’ and not a ‘toe strap’. Bigger footstraps help you slip your feet in and out smoothly, carve the board and lastly improve your wind range. In wavesailing bigger straps mean you can bail out of jumps, trim the rail better in the air or disengage mid-wipeout and it is also easier to feel the change in carving from back to front foot too.

Footstrap position - Changing the strap position has several effects: helps make our boards more comfortable for our own stature, gives more control over the board, allows us to prioritise speed or moves, and can place them in a more suitable position for your ability. No two brands have the same spread between the front and back straps, so a tape measure is the truth and your friend. A suggested spread and position of your straps is presented in the picture captions. NOTE: wave boards have a great variation of spread and position so it is much more of a minefield than other types of board.

Mastfoot position - This is an easy change and can yield a huge difference in performance. Moving it controls the pitch of the board; essentially nudging the mast foot forward locks the board down and bringing it back lifts the nose. Find your 130 cm point (distance from the tail) and mark it. Note some brands have this marked already, but it is worth double-checking. Again please experiment to find an all-round setting and move the mastfoot fore and aft by a cm or 2 – no more. Mastfoot boxes are moving further and further back so be aware of this and don’t be shocked to be running your position at 125 cm from the tail.

MORGAN NOIREAUX’S TUNING TIPS