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Hi guys, I am planning on building my first board and was toying with the idea of recessing the board and making slots to place your feet in instead of using foot straps. The higher volume boards are thick enough for this. I would reinforce the area and the recess would be like the end of a sock deep enough to allow contact with the leg. Structurally it would probably be stronger than a foot strap and allow more leverage to force tacks. Oversizing the apperture to allow for some comfy lining to eliminate rub and disconfort. The board is a kite race board and the thickness allows for enough space to accommodate the insert. I also believe lowering the foot position will be positive although at slower speed it may cause drag. They would be in far enough to allow the heel to align with the rail. I plan to make the insert in two parts to facilitate manufacturing in diviny cell, just like any insert only much bigger, or using a finger grinder to sculpt the block of diviny cell and then laminate with glass. Any feedback? Is it an off the wall idea?

Good winds to all..

WjM..............

Being locked into a board means more chance for injuries.
Toes and feet get hurt when you can't get out of straps.
Knees/ACL's pop when you can't get out of boots.
Considering about a race board, that is longer and wider than any other type, it would have even more leverage against your body in a crash, and could really hurt you if your feet were locked to it.
Plus the glassing would be a huge pain in the ass, and what if you made the foot position an inch off? It would not be easy to just move it to the next insert, or add an insert.
Structurally the board would be weaker and heavier than one with a normal shape.
And harder to control flex.
So there might be some problems, but maybe you can prove me wrong....
If I wanted something like that, maybe I would go for a contoured foot pad instead, could be applied to most any board..