I am now 90kg, 10yrs ago I was 79kg and used iSonic boards. The iSonic 133 I reached once 36.6kts topspeed (34,8kts 500m) on flat water, in chop I did +-32.5 kts on iSonic 133/122/117/117w. The iS107 was faster 37.5kts on small chop or in big chop 35 kts. I also had the iSonic 72 (2021) later as a 90kg windsurfer and reached about the same speed as the iSonic 107 (@79kg).
I another topic I read you front foot in flying out of the strap. This is a common problem for amateurs, the cause is the boarddesign needs to be "easy=automatic trimming" on the edge for mr Albeau/Dunkerbeck to win races, for amateurs (less weight strenght and muscle memory) this same design is challenging on the edge. Often the trim of the sail is quite good (as designed) when front foot issue arrises, however it is no use for a amateur (though Dunkerbeck gear would feel the same, however dunkerbeck doesn't experience front foot issues). The front foot issue is always a forward momentum problem. This means, when you look at your board sideways, water contact starts somewhere at the front footstrap and ends at the tail. Your weight is distributed over this wet area. Lets say (not exactly True) that in the middle of the footstraps is the center of effort (weight) for forward momentum. This means that if the nose of the board goes up/down it the center (middle of front/back footstrap) doesn't move UP or down, in the middle of the front and back footstrap is the rotation point just like the middle of a caroussel. The chop pushes the nose UP, the sail and fin pushes the nose down, the board rotates from the center of effort (between straps). The riders weight+strenght on backfoot pushes nose UP. Front foot problems means that your sail+Fin push the nose to much down. Your front foot tries to pull the nose up (however this is ineffective and costs way to much energy). The solution is most often the sail, sometimes the Fin, or change your body (grow muscles and weight).
Front foot solution sail:
We need to bring the center of effort down, the top of the sail has to deliver less power. First is to release tension of the top 3 battens. Often this is not enough, if this is the case than this sail+mast isnt cut for you. If you really want this sail to perform: you can open UP the top with a more flextop mast. For example take a 430 top instead of the 460, this is quite effective. As a lightweight 10yrs ago I liked to use smaller sails with powerfull setup (bit less downhaul, full belly and tackstrap tension high), a smaller sail (same design) also lowers the sail center of effort. If you like bigger sails try to look if the top 2 panels fall a bit down. I am sorry but I cannot really point which brands are now very good (I only use 2020-2023 loft switchblade).
Fin solution:
I do use custom Fins. Which means I would specificly say (to Sonntag Fins in my case) that I was having front foot issues (to much forward moment) with board x and he made the lay-up in a way that the Fin could be shorter (which means less front foot issues). Also here it applies, the best fin for Antoine is not the best fin for an amateur often.
Conclusion fin&sail
front foot issues = shorter fin or sail (less surface) is effective
front foor issues = trimming is quite difficult (often ends in trying many masts and fins, which is good for windsurf economy. However it makes windsurfing not fun, actually destroys fun in my opinion)
New performance gear with less front foot issues:
New gear is heavily influenced by pro riders as always. One thing is the waist harnas, most pro's today use this, leightweight pro's are not much around. 10 years ago we saw Antoine, dunkerbeck and many others use both seat and waistharnass. The pro feedback count for each year improvements. A lot of amateurs often use a seat harnas. The current short flat (fat ass) bottom on slalomboards are automatically leveling on the edge when using a waist harnass and trained windsurfer. This was my sad conclusion after 1 year on iSonic 72. Yes it is faster, but it is difficult to keep going fast because as a amateur I feel like I have to push 100% down on backfoot to keep things in balance (and that is not good). Going slow has become easier on the new iSonic. I even changed to waist harnas because with a seat it simply didnt match that well.
As a starboard fan since 2003 I eventually tried a fanatic jag (just 7cm longer than starboard) and it was better and easier did 40kts and could blast all day on all courses. It was a bit like a combination of the old iSonic and Futura. I really wanted a starboard, but futura is way to short, the carve I had my doubts. I had a Severne Fox105 too, which is comfy bump and jump, but not something for speed (though on real flat water everything goes fast). I looked into slalomboards from other brands than starboard, the fanatic falcon is shorter than the jag. I read about Tribal Radix, even 4cm longer than fanatic jag and True slalom. Designer uses a seat harnass, promissing... I bought 3 (102-118-135) Tribal radix boards begin this year and did 40 sessions. First I postioned the front footstrap in forward position and back footstrap in backward position, just to test the theory (longer board/flat is no front foot issues). The wide stance never worked out for me (also older starboards), but on the Radix it does. No more front foot issues. Stance is really good and that is a good start in my opinion, later I moved the straps to the back (in summer I need weedfins). Pro's also use equipment which is easy for them (that is what you need to win).
The tribal radix was not all perfect from start. Because most sails are made for these shorter boards and also influenced through our new proriders. The Radix is a bit different and would like a 2010-2012 slalomsail. My Loft Switchblade (2020-2023) works fine but with rec. rdm mast I peaked at +- 35 kts, but was not magical with the Radix. The nose was still a bit low when using a bigger sail. I tried the Nolimitz fast and NL original instead of the loft RDM, this added a tiny bit performance. Since I use in bigger sailsizes a stiffer base or softer masttop, the Loft Swithcblade works pretty goood with the Radix. The Swithcblade look like the older slalomsails (open top) which Dunki and Albeau used with a seat harnass. Last session the Radix 118 peaked 38kts with 7.3 switchblade (490rdm base + 460rdm top). The Radix 102 even 39.5kts with 6.8 (460rdm base + 430rdm top). The Radix 135 almost 34kts on 7.8 with 490 loft RDM.
I am curious about the new tribal sails. The Tribal Radix did deliver for me, faster than freerace and other slalom, it is not all marketing stuff. I hope they succeed this or in the next years to make excellent sails for normal windsurfers. For now I am going to enjoy my current gear, the loftsails, masts (RDM) and tribal radix are constructed well (no damage or deformation yet) and came in good shape (close to what it should be) when I bought it.
Topspeed max strategy on normal windsurf spots
Most of my sessions are in quite chaotic water (knee/waist high unconsistent chop), my strategy: Once your trim is comfy yet powerfull you can push for higher speed. In choppy conditions it heavily relies on high crosswind speed. If it is easy to close-the-gap sail but not fast==> better release downhaul/outhaul a bit, you need to feel the sail respond a little bit to the wind (but in a controlable way). Your sail doesn't have to be close-the-gap for topspeed, you have to feel which sailposition delivers most pressure. Once you experience good crosswind speed AND feel loads of pressure in your sail, only then turn downwind slowly and try to keep the pressure in the sail (to much downwind will loose pressure), move your body a bit backward when turning downwind. Putting mastfoot backward (to rise the nose) is often overloading the fin (the fin starts than to push the nose down and you may spin-out), a neutral mastfoot position is best to start.
A pro trick is making use of shower, often before/beginning of shower the wind increases and winddirection shifts (10~20 degrees). Which means if you are at the right place it is possible to sail downwind between chop in stronger wind, mastering this easily adds 3-4kts, but only if gear is correct for you. If you look out for this you will get local adventage. That is why it is realistic that an amateur (knowing where and when to be somewhere) on his homespot could be as fast or faster than a pro.
) auf's Wasser zu kommen.
