Derek Copeland wrote:

The exact position to hold the stick during a winch
launch is very type dependent. Gliders with way back
c of g hooks, such as the K21, K8 and Pirat will require
the stick to be held neutral or even forward of neutral
during the full climb.

My Pirat will fly a very nice winch launch which is almost completely
independent of anything the pilot chooses to do with the stick! It's
not so much the fore-and-aft position of the hook, I think, as the
vertical one: since it is at the bottom of a deep fuselage there is a
considerable nose up pitching moment during the ground run. As soon as
it takes off, therefore, it does a lovely rotation into full climb all
by itself: full forward stick has no effect at all.

Gliders with single 'compromise' hooks such as
the Slingsby Skylark and the Bocian will need the stick
to be held on the back stop if they are to climb at
all steeply.

All the Bocians I have ever flown had C of G and nose hooks. The Pirat
manual specifically permits winching on the nose hook: using full back
stick and forward trim from the "All Out", and warning that it will
only give 60% of normal release height. I have never tried this, for
several reasons, one being that I rather like having the back release
there ...

Ian