Hey.
I'm sure this has been posted a few times, but I'm keen to get into the waves over the winter.

I like the idea of getting a board with foot straps, so I can boost etc, but all of the posts I see about wave riding say strapless is better.

Why?? Is it a pride thing (ie better rides do it without straps)??

What do you reckon?

Also, I'm 105kg with a bit of surfing background (not much) what size do the good people on seabreeze recommend??

Cheers

There gunna come after me but I say straps defo for a beginner I ride many places with strapless guys they can't handle power of the kite constantly body dragging the pro strapless guys rip the other 90% don't I spend my sessions strapped rippin the surf to shreds on a wave then launching huge airs,rolls,loops on my way back out the fellas say strappless is more like the surfing feeling if you want the surfing feeling go surfing when big wave riders get towed in there strapped cause of the power produced!! The kite produces a lot of power why waste it I might seem biased but Theres so much strapless movement I'm for strapped for straight up fun either way do whatever you want stuff the hype

Strapless allows you to move your feet.... Both on the wave and in general riding.

It's surprising just how much you do move them....

^^^^^^^^^^^^^ agreed 100% but learning to tack out, land air off waves and jibing takes time and can make you swear lots. Cabrinha soft straps are best cause they're small, loose, and you can stand on them when you need to. Front strap is the main one you need and you can move your back foot around and still land air but 2 straps is easier for air landings, worse for upwind. Always a compromise somewhere. Tip 2. wear a leggie, body dragging to the shore everytime you fall off is a drrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaag

Dont wear a leggie, falling off is the motivation to not fall off...surfboards get airborne pretty quick if your not holding them down so adding a leggy is just asking for it to come back at you at high speed with angry fins leading the charge (especially if you want to catch airs..)

If your struggling learn some where flat to get better at the action of jibing, then go to the ocean on smaller swell days and do down winders (when falling off doesnt matter).

Or just never jibe and shred at toe side (also easier without straps i find)

do both

I ride strapless, have ridden straps and did not like the feel, surfed a lot when i was younger so actually feels more natural for me strapless.

also strapless airs are feel pretty awesome.

I hated my board with straps. Thought it was the worst board on the planet. Took the straps off and moved my feet to where they felt like they should go and loved it!!

Thanks for the info guys... I guess I'm just starting to get some big boosts and reasonable airs I really want to have my cake and eat it too.

Hows toeside riding with straps? I get what people are saying about moving your feet. Is this the issue?

Riding toe side strapped...i ride front foot strapped loosely in and find i can really leaverage off the top of my foot, the nice part about having my back foot free is that i can position it really close the toe side and turn my body a whole lot more forwards than if the back foot were fixed

I do something a bit different to you guys, it can be annoying if it gets sandy but it tends to do the trick.

Cover your board in the fluffy bit of velcro and then wear shoes with the hooked velcro.

That way you can move your feet around but still feel attached. Obviously there is a lot of customisation to make it feel right,
If you want your feet to be more open you can change to using thongs or sandals (i found the adidas thongs with one thick strap feel like normal straps)
You can also adjust the amount of velcro on the bottom of your footwear. More gives you a locked in feeling while less lets you move more. once again i find a little bit under the ball of my heal and the ball of my big toe is best.

With this combination heaps of people think I am a good surfer as it appears I can do strapless s bends and mobes. I often hear comments like "Woah he is really good", "i wonder how many sponsors he has" or even "when I grow up I want to be like him"

Sometimes I feel guilty but at the end of the day I have a massive grin, and you know what they say: winners are grinners.

Hope this helps!

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flyingcab said..
I do something a bit different to you guys, it can be annoying if it gets sandy but it tends to do the trick.

Cover your board in the fluffy bit of velcro and then wear shoes with the hooked velcro.

That way you can move your feet around but still feel attached. Obviously there is a lot of customisation to make it feel right,
If you want your feet to be more open you can change to using thongs or sandals (i found the adidas thongs with one thick strap feel like normal straps)
You can also adjust the amount of velcro on the bottom of your footwear. More gives you a locked in feeling while less lets you move more. once again i find a little bit under the ball of my heal and the ball of my big toe is best.

With this combination heaps of people think I am a good surfer as it appears I can do strapless s bends and mobes. I often hear comments like "Woah he is really good", "i wonder how many sponsors he has" or even "when I grow up I want to be like him"

Sometimes I feel guilty but at the end of the day I have a massive grin, and you know what they say: winners are grinners.

Hope this helps!

Yes, but do you wear socks with your Adidas sandals

^^^^^^^^^ i've read this a few times and can't tell if you're joking!

Piss funny in any case!

If anyones gonna claim strapless velcro mobes on a surfboard they'd better post a vid as proof!

funnily enough someone else recently posted a video of me in the general forum
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Kitesurfing/General/Strapless-skills/
you can see the velcro on the board and as for my feet I use the fully open option of putting the velcro directly onto my feet.
This is a bit more wasteful but it really fools the locals + you get the respect from people who rave on about being "one with the board"

in and out

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flyingcab said..
funnily enough someone else recently posted a video of me in the general forum
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Kitesurfing/General/Strapless-skills/
you can see the velcro on the board and as for my feet I use the fully open option of putting the velcro directly onto my feet.
This is a bit more wasteful but it really fools the locals + you get the respect from people who rave on about being "one with the board"

Yeah, just watched that video. Awesome skills, but doesn't help me.
Cant say that bloke is a "newbie".

I think I might invest in a board that I can go both straps and strapless. Best of both worlds hey?!?

sounds like a good idea. That way it will also be beefed up so it won't snap from the load kiting generates, in comparison to a normal surfboard.

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eezeegowin said..

Yeah, just watched that video. Awesome skills, but doesn't help me.
Cant say that bloke is a "newbie".

I think I might invest in a board that I can go both straps and strapless. Best of both worlds hey?!?

Get two boards: strapped and strapless

My experience is if the wind is up (flat or waves), I am be too busy setting up to kite to be bothered removing straps.

Both strapped and unstrapped have their own rewards and limitations.

Surfing unstrapped is a lot of fun, but going out through larger waves in a decent wind can be challenging. Also falling off the board means you will be body dragging!!!!!

Surfing strapped means there are lots of launch pads (awesome awesome fun with BIG stacks) and it is initially easier to get over white water etc. Crashing off your board means you only lose it about 50% of the time because the straps help keep it secured (not quite a leg rope but infinitely safer!!).

Straps
Easier to learn to ride surfboard
Great for boosting over waves (lose board less)
Great for tricks like back rolls.
Easier for water starts
Great for downwinders - can fly kite high and jump/skip off waves
Make gybes and tacks harder - they get in the way

Strapless
Better feel of board on water - more like surfing
Easier for gybes and tacks
You need to fly the kite lower to keep pressure on your feet
Put your feet wherever you want on the board
Easy to lose board in surf unless you were a leash (which introduces danger - also need a helmet).

A agree with bigtone667, its best to have one of each. Taking straps on and off is fiddly.

I think its best to start with straps and take them off once you are confident