Si, I don't want appear to be on your case but I obviously have different views on sailing than you. When you mention lots of downhaul and then more. Once a sail is flat more downhaul can't make it flatter? And this thing about having to be on the wire to sail low with the kite up. I don't get that either. T's & F18's only single wire downwind and A's can't be fussed at all. But don't let me stop you because one day F16's will be the fastest single handed small boats on the planet. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Damn!! I forgot you can sail them two up as well.
I agree you can only flatten a sail so far, just most people I see don't flatten the mainsail fully.
How much DH do you see in windsurfer sails, most I see are very twisted off having had loads of DH applied. They must be doing it for some reason.
There is a "sweet" spot downhill where the extra righting moment (RM) of someone on the wire creates more speed, this moves apparent forward and allows you to go lower. Too much RM and you cannot "get a hull up" and so loose the drag of the hull. It's a magic balancing act of heading, vs speed and the need to get the hull up in the air to go fast downwind. Taking of T's; 1 wiring on the T is approx the same as 2 wiring on 8 foot wide cats.....Somethinbg to thinnk about for the 8 foot wide boats with big kites..........
Talking to some of the A sailors at the ECPR, one in particular said on this very subject that they are starting to try wiring down hill in the bigger stuff.
