Tuning equipment for maximum performance and fun is one of the challenges of windsurfing. With so many infinite variables all working together to produce a perfect (or not so perfect) state of trim, developing an overall understanding of the importance of the relationship of one factor to another in your individual circumstances is an important key to progressing and enjoying our sport.

Windsurfing is a perfect example of what works for one, may not be perfect for another.

Although much can be learnt simply by copying the settings used by others, the real secret in finding the "ultimate combination" that's best for you in your conditions really requires a solid understanding of the theory and background behind the multitude of tuning factors that encompass our sport, and then applying these to your individual conditions.

Being familiar with the correct range of tuning for your sail(s) is vital. Use every resource you can; web forums, retailers, demo days, clinics, other local sailors and your own "trial and error" to gain as much valid tuning experience for your sails as possible. Using the correct mast (MCS/IMCS bend) is usually very important in sail tuning modern race sails - a lot can be gained from well-matched rig components.

Downhaul - With large modern racesails, you will need very high downhaul tensions, but there is still significant performance to be "fine tuned" from the last 1-2cm of downhaul. Using a modern multi-pulley downhaul base and a downhaul crank or winch saves your back, and also allows infinitely finer adjustment, especially when using very heavy downhaul loads.

Tuning for higher wind ranges and better upwind speed, use settings towards the upper end of your sails downhaul range - a nice open leech will help control in overpowered situations and be faster, especially when racing to windward. Not too much though - over downhauling a sail will hurt sail performance!

For lighter or underpowered conditions, you will benefit from slightly less downhaul tension; this deepens the sail's draft and firms up the leech a little, giving a little extra drive from the sail, but usually at the expense of adding some extra drag, which could hurt your top end speed in higher winds.

When tuning for downhaul, try and estimate as best you can what the actual conditions will be like on the race course during the race - if you feel they could change while you're racing, make you best judgement as to what will be happening during the race and tune for that.

Outhaul - For racing, a functional variable outhaul is essential - you can extend the range and control of the modern, powerful racesails by cranking on some extra outhaul to flatten the sail during gusts, or when sailing hard to windward. When heading downwind, easing the outhaul and allowing your sail to take a much fuller draft is the fastest way to get downwind again. In lighter and marginal conditions, trim your sail fuller with less outhaul to produce more power and drive to help get you going, but don't totally overdo it in really light conditions, as too full a draft can actually be harder for the wind to flow around and not as efficient as a medium full setting !

With a little experience, and a good setup, your outhaul can become your "throttle" on the water. It's easy to set one up using some simple pulleys and cleats - make sure you eliminate as much friction as you can - you want to be able to easily able to trim your sail whilst under load - if you have to stop and sheet out the boom to add outhaul, your setup needs to be more efficient. Spend some time on this - a good low friction set up is a real "pro-secret". Depending on your boom type, you may find the "built in" pulleys supplied with production booms still give too much friction - don't be afraid to add some accessory yacht pulleys to your boom tail piece or even your sail clew eye and cut down as much friction as possible.

With larger race sails and wider boards, you will need to adjust your boom height to a higher setting than what you would use for slalom or freeride; this is partly due to the longer effective boom length of the large sails (placing the rider further "down" the raked length of the boom) plus the more "outboard" stance of the rider on wider FW boards positioning the rider further from the center line of the board, which in turn effectively "lowers" the boom when the rig is raked outboard towards the rider. Having your boom setting quite high also allows the modern race boards to plane up more readily, riding up onto their rocker profile and easily planing out onto the tail section of the board as they are carefully designed to do.

Currently, there are two alternatives that top-level racers choose between:

Fixed length harness lines - (average length around 22" for medium riders, 24" for tall and 26" for extra tall, but this varies according to your stance and boom height).

Variable length - (adjustable) lines (medium riders use 20-26", taller riders 24-30" average) which allow the rider to shorten the effective line length sailing close hauled upwind, but increasing the length significantly downwind for the sheeted out stance that some racers use.

In either case, the lines should be positioned as close as possible to the center of effort on the boom (find this by sailing along and moving your hand until you find the spot that just one hand can balance the boom; try and keep your lines close to either side of this position; generally racers set up their lines so that each end of the lines are about one handspan apart or closer.

Your stance on the board is an important aspect of your tuning. In general, most racers are using a "wider" stance (front strap to rear around 23-24" or 58-61cm) than on a corresponding Slalom, Wave or Freeride board (average around 21-22"/ 53-56cm), and with the most "outboard" settings, possible to give maximum leverage and control over the lift of the wider boards and powerful fins.

Most wide race boards sail well up on the tail, so positioning straps towards the rear of the available settings is usually a good starting point - sometimes, with very powerful fins, some extra leverage can be gained by running the straps slightly further forward, however this really depends on the sailing conditions, fin type being used and even sailor style.

Some boards provide for a center rear ("5th" or "chicken") strap position. Using this strap as you gain experience in racing and/or in very rough, choppy or overpowered conditions can help control quite a lot during downwind sailing. With more experience, you may find the outer rear strap even faster, but whilst you're progressing, the "chicken" can save you when you need it!

Three main factors to consider here: Sail size, rider size and chop size! What you're seeking is a well-balanced feeling for a given sail size with your height and weight for the water conditions that you'll be sailing in. For flat water, usually a more rearward position can offer a small speed gain, whilst in rough and choppy conditions, moving forward from your "average" setting by 1 inch (2-3 cm) can really help keep the nose down through the chop and avoid the fateful tailwalk that otherwise could occur.

Most modern raceboards have around 20cm (8") of mast base adjustment located 130-150 cm forward from the tail. As a rough guideline for racers, an average sized sailor would run their small (8-9m) race sail about ? forward in the track (135cm), medium sail (10m) around the middle (at 140cm) and large sail (11-12m) about ? forward (145cm) and then tune just a little from there according to wind/water conditions. Lighter riders, a little further back, and bigger guys maybe just a little forward - as part any board development, careful attention is always given to ensure that the center of the mast track slot is as close to "average" for the intended usage and likely sail sizes and conditions as possible.

Fins for modern race boards are considerably longer than fins found on other boards, and very much a vital part of the equipment and tuning for racing. Currently, to race within FW Class rules, fins must not exceed 70cm in length, and this is very much an "average" race fin length for the wider 95-100cm width boards. Your ability to utilize extra deep fins is somewhat related to the tail width of your board (max fin size for comfortable tuning is roughly equal to the tail width of your board measured 12'(30cm) forward of the tail). Top racers choose fins in the range 65 to 70 cm for their 100cm wide raceboards, but also order "stiffer" fins for added lift from the fin in lighter winds, and "softer" (more flexible) fins for extra control racing in windier and choppy conditions.

Just like sail sizing and tuning, matching your fin (size and stiffness) to your personal size (weight), sailing style and conditions is now a vital part of racing, and developing a good "feel" or understanding of how fins perform is important.

You need a lot of fin to make good upwind progress, yet once at the top mark, that extra fin size can also cost you extra drag and lower speed on the reach or downwind legs. Some fins allow a faster but shallower angle to windward as their most efficient course, whilst others may be "slower" in top speed but allow a steeper and more direct upwind course. Your sailing style and race tactics are to a varying degree influenced by the behavior and performance of your fin.

A typical 3 fin "quiver" for an average weight (70-80kg) racer using a 100cm wide raceboard would be something like:

Heavier or stronger racers, (or other racers who only compete in light to very light conditions) would move their fin selection a little "up" the scale towards harder, stiffer or longer fins for similar conditions, whilst lighter riders (or other racers competing in much higher wind locations) would move their selection "down" the scale towards shorter and softer fins to reach an optimal choice.

Most modern "Formula" style raceboards come supplied with a good "average" 70cm medium or equivalent fin, so riders have the opportunity to option up or down in size and stiffness according to their individual conditions.