Help on Placing Footstraps in correct location on surfboard

[Lmrutledge]

I have a JL 6 ft 4 Fish and tried putting footstraps on it. The board doesn feel quite right. Can anyone give me the correct way to measure where to place footstraps in the correct place on board. I am 6 ft 5 and weigh 235 lbs.

Thx in advance

LMR

[Rhode Island kite freak]

wax it heavy and ride it strapless for a couple hours until your feet make a large enough mark in the wax. mark the spot, strip the wax and go from there.

[Wetstuff]

....I see a lot of people who mush their boards by standing too far aft - especially in light air. Watch someone locally and if you like what you see: ax'm if you can measure it.

Jim

[islandstylen]

dont! that the problem with straps!.... your feet are limited to being in one position. when you are surfing a wave you never have your feet in the same place the whole time for the perfect trim on your board. why would you want to lock them in? it doesnt feel right because its not right! you need to be able to move your weight on the board. wax up and start riding strapless it will quickly become much easier if it isnt from the start.
http://web.mac.com/caribbeankitesurfari ... dines.html

[mv]

dont! that the problem with straps!.... your feet are limited to being in one position. when you are surfing a wave you never have your feet in the same place the whole time for the perfect trim on your board. why would you want to lock them in? it doesnt feel right because its not right! you need to be able to move your weight on the board. wax up and start riding strapless it will quickly become much easier if it isnt from the start.
http://web.mac.com/caribbeankitesurfari ... dines.html

I would have to agree. I tried putting staps on my 6'4" surfboard when I first started trying to ride directionals and eventually tossed them. I much prefer riding strapless and I can move my feet around and get the optimal footing for the wave or the conditions at the time.

At first it may seem too difficult to ride strapless but give it some time and you will get the hand of it.

mv
http://www.kitesurfinfo.com

[Wetstuff]

Counter opinion: I like straps .. maybe not on a longboard (anything over about 5-6 in my mind) but I have a 4-9 you'll never walk around on ... besides how the hell you goona use the faces of waves as a skate ramp if every time you simply launch shoeless and have to bodydrag back in to find your board?!

I have a Bic Mini-Mal with straps that I fiddle with on flat water that correctly does better without straps. You certainly need to be out of the straps to trim the board in the only air you would use it - under 10kts.

BTW: Re-Dek, a clear paint with lotsa gritty-gritty makes pretty good traction without having to lay a big pad on your board.



Jim

[islandstylen]

a 4-9 isnt a surfboard, unless you are little kid and judging by the size of that mini-mal you arent.
although i bet that beast gets going upwind in almost nothing, you jump that beast? straps probably a must for that.
the guy is asking about a 6'4 and you sure will move around on the deck on that for trim.
you dont need straps to launch obviously, takes alot more practice, not saying i'm a pro at it but enjoying the challenge, anyone can boost along a wave with your feet connected to the board.

[sc]

It's all right here, just follow Dwights guide.




viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2343783&start=0&st= ... +placement

[Peter_Frank]

I have just the opposite experience - most are placing the rear strap way too far forward - this sucks
Works much better for beginners, who has no idea of how to put all the weight on the front foot (when they make the transition from TT to surfboard), but many beginners should learn without straps anyway, for getting into how a board works...

The rear strap is used for being able to put extreme pressure on the wave in the cutback, and for high aerials.

When too far forward, it has no purpose (IMO)...

The problem I see often, is the FRONT strap is way too far aft

I prefer a very wide stance when in both straps, this way I can distribute the pressure on either foot I want, or both

No need for "walking" around on your board no more, if the front strap is positioned just in the "control" center of the board - everything can be done around this now

When the wind is light, and/or I want to glide without kitepower, I just put my rear foot just in front of the rear strap - and I have the perfect "surf"board now

In fact you have an extremely good stance like this, and I ride very very often this way.
You can really push the lip without slipping.

Although I ride strapless often, and have been surfriding a lot for many years, I still prefer the powered style with speed, and using straps.
Because you can just stay out of the rear strap, and the front can be positioned to "work" in almost all conditions (the magic centre), so you can also glide without kitepower at all.

This combination of both styles is what I personally prefer.

Just different what we choose and prefer, but if I want to SURF, I go out on a short surfboard or SUP if small out there, and ride some waves instead - I honestly find it feels much better to surfride than kitesurf waveride, if you are "not allowed" to use the kite active and aggresive also

But kitesurf waveriding offers so many more options not possible in surfing, especially in a much wider variety of conditions - and THATS what I love about kitesurfing in waves

Kindly, Peter Frank

[tstansbury]

I think the problem with straps on a board over 5'6" is that you need to move around to trim the board properlly. Your best bet would to measure the strap placement on a board with inserts like the slingshot sst. These boards seam the put the straps in a nice compermise position. If you rode the same board strapless you would ride with your backfoot further back on a wave and your feet further forward trying to go up wind on the outside. you also could put the back foot strap in the wave rideing position and when you are trying to ride not on a wave take your back foot out of the strap and move it forward. I also thought of putting to rear straps on a board the back one for wave rideing and the front one for crusing up wind but I ended up just going strapless most of the time.