How To Use Tail Wing Shims On Your Hydro Foil

Matt Nuzzo breaks down how Tail Wing Shims work, and how to use them accordingly.
Check out our article on Shims and how to use them: www.realwatersports.com/blogs...

[@tangoalphaboat]

Good stuff. Very helpful and thought provoking

[@donnelnunes]

Thank you for this one Matt!

[@jayboo175]

Thanks Matt. this video is perfect, i was worried that i wouldn't be able to use these boards with me CF2400 and 1850 and Armie explained me to shim and move mast foward like you explained. can't wait to get the board!

[@REALmattnuzzo]

Yeah that has been some people's concern with the FG boards. The tracks are really long and there is plenty of room to move the mast back far enough even with the CF2400/300 combo and no shim. The key thing is that as you start to ride smaller front wings and shim the tail, you can move the mast far enough forward to accommodate the reduced lift from your foil.

[@davejimgut]

Hey man, at the start of the video you say that a shim increases the angle of incidence relative to the fuse but later you say that a shim decreases the angle relative to the fuse. It would also be good if you clarified the positivity and negativity of the angle relative to the fuse. You're getting confused with -ve and +ve angle based on whether its on the bottom or the top. Because the tail is providing downward lift to counteract the moment of rotation which the main wing creates through drag, NEGATIVE angle should increase the downward lift and POSITIVE angle should start creating an upward lift. 0 angle relative to the fuse would create a net lift of zero when the water flow is parallel to the fuse. I understand its a bit confusing because the shim angle states the angle difference between shim and no shim, as opposed to the angle at which the tail will end up in. Maybe an animation would help clear all of this up? Happy to provide one for armstrong for free is you're keen. Dave

[@theliftjournal]

I was getting way to much lift and had a hard time staying on the wave on my CF 1200 so I moved my mast back 1/4 an inch and put the blue shim in. Those two changes have completely changed my progression. I have began pumping and almost connecting waves. So in other words those two changes have kept me from breaching as much and I am staying with the wave with less effort.

[@StandUpMagazin]

Nice very helpful! Thanks.

[@xyzct]

Matt, I'm torn between the FG 4'0" and the 4'5" for prone surfing in Oregon. I'm 6'1" and 173lbs (say 178lbs fully suited). I know the 4'5" will paddle and catch waves better, but I have no idea how the extra swing weight will negatively impact pumping efficiency for linking up waves. Any input would be much appreciated.

[@LotetaCartel]

I see Matt I click simple

[@dantsp8000]

Thanks for the video ! Have you try the same on Axis foil ?

[@REALmattnuzzo]

A friend of mine reminded me that some advanced surf foilers are using negative shim for very tight in the pocket turns. This is Tail Shimming 201, but essentially the increased drag from the negative shim allows you to carve tight turns right in the steep section of the wave.

[@timguytonelleriis6123]

Is that because the drag slows it down or what is the logic here? I don’t get it🤣

[@REALmattnuzzo]

@@timguytonelleriis6123 Yes exactly. The drag slows it down you can use the power in the transition of the wave to arc a turn.

[@greg.ocallaghan]

I would say the explanation is that once the board is rolled over, you turn because of a pitch up. Think about how you steer a plane, you first roll it over and then pull up on the yoke to drive it through the turn. In addition to creating more drag, more angle on the tail wing (so no shims for Armstrong’s A+ system) means more downward force by the tail wing, which results in the nose of the board being pushed up (which to the ride feels like more lift). This is why it allows you to make sharper turns.

[@davejimgut]

@@timguytonelleriis6123 Think about an invisible curved line that goes right through the centre of the tail and the main wing. if the tail wing is flatter, the radius of that curve is bigger. If the tail has more angle, the radius of the curve is smaller. So once the whole system is tilted lets say 20deg for a turn, it will turn sharper is the curves radius is smaller. A similar analogy is that a steeper tail angle creates a smaller radius curved line, similar to increased rocker on a surfboard

[@1_homme_a_la_mer]

looking for a tip here :) for a surf foil beginner, : i should shim my back wing in order to have it inclined toward the front. Then i ll have more lift and it ll helps me when my pumping is not that fast to keep the foil up even at low speed. Am i wrong ?

[@michellestirling3943]

So what’s the equivalent on the Armstrong original system is +1 Less drag

[@OCEANBOUND1]

thanks for this one, I dunno why it seemed so confusing before.

[@REALmattnuzzo]

Don't feel bad. It took me forever to figure it out too. I had to spend the time testing the shims and mast position to really understand it.

[@OCEANBOUND1]

@@REALmattnuzzo yeah I just started shimming, never felt the need before as the Armie stuff always felt great out of the box on zero but it's nice to feel these foils go even faster. why don't they include the angles the stabs are in the marketing?

[@Mickfoil1]

@@OCEANBOUND1 also always wondered why Armstrong dont tell people anywhere that it is -1 degree angle without a shim on the new a+ system

[@bizzzle1258]

Tail: Les angle (-angle) = les drag + les float +, les stability

[@christopherhaley5984]

Just curious, it seems to me that as you deviate from 0 Deg, you get drag. So if you are at -1 you get drag (but extra lift), but with the 2 red shim setup, you would be at +1 and also get drag, and negative lift. So why would you ever shim past 0 deg as you have done. More drag and less lift I would think at +1, which doesn't seem like a great set-up.

[@natashapang335]

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