How To Setup Foilboard Footstraps
Footstraps really help keep you locked in, whether you’re on a downwinder, racing, or practicing your airs. In this quick how to video, foilboard designer, Clinton Filen, takes us through the setup options of the Ether Footstraps on the wing oriented version of Phazer foilboard. You will find that these configuration options apply to any board on the market with similar insert spec.
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Classic Foilboard Footstrap Setup Guide:
We’re going to be looking at the AK Ether footstraps, and our example is a classic wingboard. Typically, you would need a Phillips screwdriver, and that should work with all of the options that we’re going to put before you…
Now, we’re going to take a deep dive into the components and the installation.
Your key components would be your stainless steel self-tapping screw. In some instances you would use this with the washer, or you could use the plastic top part, or you could use the top and the bottom together with the anti-twist mechanism.
Each of the straps has their own specific application:
You could look at the 45 degree angle v-strap, which comes in two sizes, and typically gives you a configuration that allows you to go on port or starboard tack. So, left foot forward, right foot forward, and is more typical to windsurfing or wingboarding.
In this instance, we’re showing it in a wingboard application, and I would always recommend using the center settings as provided by the manufacturers. That’s normally where the board is designed to function best.
Another option would be your single strap. The single strap is more common in your surf foil, kiteboarding, or kite foiling applications. Here, you would have the strap as a straight configuration, or you can set them up to have a slight offset.
The single strap V configuration is also ideal as a third option, with the same effect as the 45 degree angle v-strap.
One of the tricks with installing this is that you would use your washer and screw, and you would not use your plastic washer set for the center mount.
To get started, get your front foot screw in loosely, and then you take your second screw, setting it onto its mounting position, and you wait until the screw starts to bite as you get some tension into the insert.
Once you have the part tensioned, then you can offset the angle as desired, and tighten the part up from there. This allows you to really get the strap in tight to avoid it from pulling out. Put the next strap into your preferred position, and tighten that down. Then, taking your other strap, you tighten that across the top, getting it as tight as possible.
Once that is done, you can connect the front straps to the desired position.
Moving towards the back strap; the back strap option generally has a center mount, or an offset to the left or to the right, and that would be with using your standard single strap…
And that is your foilboard footstrap setup in a nutshell…
Featured Product
Phazer Foilboard
Ether Footstraps
Ether V Footstraps