only a few weeks into this foiling adventure and every thinks going they way it should be expect the footstrap issue . i have LF fish and can not ride with my back foot in the strap, i do use the front, the problem is when iam up on the foil and go to slide my back foot back to the strap , i have had to put in more deck plugs in the board and move the strap a long way forward one whole strap length , i am thinking that the strap set up may be just so the board can be ridden as a surfboard with out the foil , not sure what going on , one else foils around here to see what the go is ?????

Take the back strap off. Simple as that.
as you improve and you find that your back foot is placed in the strap position revisit it if you feel the need.
if you need a strap have a loose front one.

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RAL INN said..
Take the back strap off. Simple as that.
as you improve and you find that your back foot is placed in the strap position revisit it if you feel the need.
if you need a strap have a loose front one.

+1. Agree with Ral Inn. Just take it off altogether. It's much better to have the freedom to move your back foot where it feels comfortable for your particular stage in the learning curve. The front strap is really only needed to help tilt the board on it's edge for the water start. Make sure it is LOOSE so you can eject from the board during crashes.

I have one foot strap mounted sideways for the front foot just to assist in launching. Then I pull the front foot out and basically get a strapless experience.

I've been strapless from the start. However, I've only ridden very low volume boards - easier to sit on their sides perhaps.

Hit a plastic bag at speed the other day - board nose-dived and I kept travelling forwards and out of harm's way. With footstraps it could have been much messier.

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bigtone667 said..
I have one foot strap mounted sideways for the front foot just to assist in launching. Then I pull the front foot out and basically get a strapless experience.

I like your foot strap idea. I'm strapless but I think that would be the next best thing. Particularly when the wind is on the light side and you have to do more than one dive to get up. I might try that out. I like the BRM Paipo you're using too. Is that a Zeeko Carver?

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DukeSilver said..

bigtone667 said..
I have one foot strap mounted sideways for the front foot just to assist in launching. Then I pull the front foot out and basically get a strapless experience.

I like your foot strap idea. I'm strapless but I think that would be the next best thing. Particularly when the wind is on the light side and you have to do more than one dive to get up. I might try that out. I like the BRM Paipo you're using too. Is that a Zeeko Carver?

That's the carver..

You could try a foot hook facing forward on the back.

I've been using the lateral mono strap option too though I have mine quite tight so as only the toes go under it. After having some bad locked in crashes using standard straps this is working well, your foot never gets trapped.
Yes, I could loosen the straps in a hope to let the foot come out easily but then you loose the reason to have straps in the first place.
i use the outboard front strap bolt holes, makes for a nice wide strap that you can move you foot inboard and outboard like you can when strapless but still gives good board control in choppy conditions.

Plummet, best of both worlds, thanks Airsail for the advice, concave deck will allow foot to slip under the front strap nicely

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horey69 said..
Plummet, best of both worlds, thanks Airsail for the advice, concave deck will allow foot to slip under the front strap nicely

Nice. Is that the latest Dwarf Craft?

Front and rear hook for me. Rear hook is old Klinger type, not much lift , just something to press against.

I broke a hook and got forced to learn strapless, which works ok with some practice. But I prefer the ease of locking in on water starts. Hooks give nice safety for wipe out. Best of both worlds

Dukesilver
Yep the 54"
Juandesooka,
I started with two hooks but the front one was hard on my foot, plus being square on the board it was rubbing on my foot and just not that comfortable

Using the rear strap is a technique issue. You need to ride with more bent legs.

If you want to ride strapless that's fine. It can be more comfortable and is generally easier. There is a whole world of foiling you will miss out on being strapless. No jumps and your top end speed will be limited (not because you need straps to go fast, but because your stance will be less efficient).

The best thing to do is to leave the straps on but simply not put your feet in them. You can use them as handles and to position the board and all that and simply remove your back foot from the straps and go riding.

Not sure about the loose strap suggestion. I find there is a greater risk of your foot going in too far and jamming. I like the straps adjusted correctly so my foot goes in easily but not too far. That way I have good control over the board and my foot comes out quickly and easily in a crash.

The thing about foiling is everything changes with experience, and the change is not linear. You work things out and ride around and think you've got it wired, then you have an Aha! moment and everything changes. For me, so far that process has not stopped.

If you only use straps or hooks for ease of board positioning at water start then try strapless for a few sessions. It is not that hard to find an efficient way, using one hand on the rail and the elbow of the same arm pushing towards the rear of the board, while using your feet to press the board in position. Obviously the kite needs to be flows one-handed while doing so. Heavy foils will sind relatively fast hence you need to be quick in sending the kite after you let go of the board. Lighter carbon foils and high boyancy boards will give you more time.

Agree with Gorgo straps probably have their place for boosting and for racing. I prefer to learn proper foiling without injuring my ankles and will perhaps put straps on if I get to a high speed and want to race around at some stage. For the time being strapless is just great as I can fine tune booth foot positions depending on conditions and what I am trying to do. Boosting on a foil does not appeal to me. So really it depends on what you are after, but don't disregard strapless perhaps, just try for a few hours.

I used a very loose front strap when learning. I still got caught up in it and had a few "oh chit" moments. As soon as I had control of the ascension I ditched the straps. When I shaped my first Paipo I had to learn a new technique to get on the board, but 20 minutes or so of frustration I was able to ditch the straps for good.
As it now I just got hold of the Zeeko Spitfire foil and have mounted it on the Paipo and had a quick go in some onshore lightwind conditions. I was getting bucked off straight away as the lift is different. Not ideal conditions to try and relearn a new foil. The pressure I would normally put on my back foot as I loop the kite is way different due to the rear wing being the larger of the two. I went back to my car and grabbed a strap and mounted a loose front one. It helped keep the board in position while I powered the kite up. In the end the wind was too light and too onshore so I gave it up for the day. Weather doesn't look promising for the next week, and the following week I am out for a month due to a surgery that I will undergo next Monday. I am so keen to get on this new foil and get riding in waves.....but it will have to wait. Bonus is that if I don't really like the SP I still have the Stringfellow which has been awesome for riding around the bay.

I use 2 straps for the Spitfire
in relation to the Green&white Zeeko foil the Spitfire is one hole further back on front strap. And back strap in normal position. However on the Green&white I have my rear foot resting outside of strap but touching in front.
the Spitfire crashes are softer and I have given up worrying about feet getting caught and now ride out crashes with feet in to muscle it into start position.
if I am getting eaten by a wave then yes that's eject time.

while everyone will find their own preference I hope this helps those just starting on their Spitfire.
the new normal.

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RAL INN said..
I use 2 straps for the Spitfire
in relation to the Green&white Zeeko foil the Spitfire is one hole further back on front strap. And back strap in normal position. However on the Green&white I have my rear foot resting outside of strap but touching in front.
the Spitfire crashes are softer and I have given up worrying about feet getting caught and now ride out crashes with feet in to muscle it into start position.
if I am getting eaten by a wave then yes that's eject time.

while everyone will find their own preference I hope this helps those just starting on their Spitfire.
the new normal.

Where is your backfoot on the SP in relation to the mast? The vids I have seen with riders on the airwave etc have there back feet in straps that look like they are over the rear wing and not the mast.

How do you guys get on in a 3-4m swell with cross chop and 20+ knots of wind without straps?

I find strapless easy when you have easy water conditions. But when you chuck in a lumpy angry sea I need the straps to not get chucked off.

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Plummet said..
How do you guys get on in a 3-4m swell with cross chop and 20+ knots of wind without straps?

I find strapless easy when you have easy water conditions. But when you chuck in a lumpy angry sea I need the straps to not get chucked off.

Exactly why I have the one lateral strap. You only need bad chop and wind swell to make it difficult.

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Plummet said..
How do you guys get on in a 3-4m swell with cross chop and 20+ knots of wind without straps?

I find strapless easy when you have easy water conditions. But when you chuck in a lumpy angry sea I need the straps to not get chucked off.

I don't foil in those conditions, I got into foiling so I could get out in lighter days, ride around the bay when I would normally not be able to kite. When the swell ramps up it's all about the surfboard for me which has always been my primary focus. I do like riding the foil in 20plus knots with a tiny kite, but I prefer to ride with what the conditions dictate. I honestly can't see a day where I would chose a foil over a surfboard when it gets over 3 foot.

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bigtone667 said..

Plummet said..
How do you guys get on in a 3-4m swell with cross chop and 20+ knots of wind without straps?

I find strapless easy when you have easy water conditions. But when you chuck in a lumpy angry sea I need the straps to not get chucked off.

Exactly why I have the one lateral strap. You only need bad chop and wind swell to make it difficult.

Hey Tone, can you shoot me a pic of your Paipo setup with the SP on it?

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Plummet said..
How do you guys get on in a 3-4m swell with cross chop and 20+ knots of wind without straps?

I find strapless easy when you have easy water conditions. But when you chuck in a lumpy angry sea I need the straps to not get chucked off.

Same as dafish, but I get your point, large waves would make strapless water start a little hard. The original post starts with "a few weeks into foiling" though Plummet so I assume Kaos is not learning in massive swell...