Hello, I have read all I can find on this issue. I have pulled one side out and have moved the strap a space for a quick fix. I am looking for the best way to repair the stripped one. There are various remedies online - using a Helicoil for plastics seems to be a best practice fix(then use machine threads). Has anyone used liquid nails to glue a plastic masonry wall plug in place? If it would adhere to the insert and the plug it would be a tough remedy. Its uses description does say:

*Pre-test plastics to determine compatibility. Not for use on polyethylene, polypropylene, Teflon, silicone or polystyrene.

The insert is intact so the blank would be protected - does anyone know what the plastic the inserts are - and have thoughts on this? My board is a Starboard Isonic.

Bigger screw would be the easy option or helicoil or fill is with something like epoxy put the screw in coated with grease or something so you can undo it when it's dried.

what ever happened to footstrap inserts with metal threads and machine screws? Going back 25years all my boards were done this way and it worked great

If adding something like a plug you would need to drill it out and it is not big enough to facilitate such (the smallest I can think of is almost the size of the insert in the board.)
Plus, they can split and you never know whats going on inside so no way would I drill and glue in a plastic insert like a rawl plug.
Go with conventional wisdom of sticking a bit of toothpick, bamboo skewer, line trimmer line (thick fishing line) or plastic noodle in it then use same screw.
However liquid nails does set pretty hard so if the thread is almost intact, using liquid nails on the screw and bunging it in there may just be strong enough as-is

1. Bigger screw, be sure to have it straight in and press fairly firmly down to engage it correctly.

2. I used a wall anchor with epoxy glue. First roughened the out side of the anchor trimmed to the depth of the hole. Then, hammered it in down (gently) all the way so it's firmly pressed in. I finally use a washer where the screw barely passes through to keep the anchor from riding up. If you have access to the hole forward you can use it as safety to grip the corner of the strap.

3. Replace the insert.

Thanks for this info Manuel7 and others. I'll see if I can use the longer screws as the next step. I am also considering using a lower profile footsteps at the fixing point as at cursor glace it looks like a good length of the screw is void because of this - aware this might be accounted for in the specs but I think there is some unused length in the hole.

I wouldn't go longer - there is only a few mm of extra stuff under that screw before you hit foam and end up with a board full of water.
That' s partly why the Cobra made screws are blunt ended
If its a normal board, the screw is 28mm, the insert is 25mm ........... That 3mm extra depth is not much when the footstrap compresses the EVA deck pad.

No way would I go longer unless great care is exercised. Go fatter (with care) as per the many time-proven suggestions above

Don't use epoxy in the screw holes as it will not bind with the plastic. I tried araldite in Futura holes and it balled up when a screw was inserted.
The board had M6 x 28mm screws, but Starboard has used M7 x 32mm for the last ten or so years. These held securely.

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Frodo said..
Don't use epoxy in the screw holes as it will not bind with the plastic. I tried araldite in Futura holes and it balled up when a screw was inserted.
The board had M6 x 28mm screws, but Starboard has used M7 x 32mm for the last ten or so years. These held securely.

Mine held up really well maybe I lucked out. I like my straps very tight so using a washer to prevent the wall anchor from riding up from the inside possibly helped with this. Also, screwing it down slowly or step by step as friction will heat up and soften the wall anchor.


In regards to screw size you definitely want a wider one not a longer one unless you are sure of overall depth available. The pad will flatten completely. The strap some too.

Thanks for the extra note of caution Mark _Australia - Ill measure everything first and if there is any doubt I won't proceed. What I am looking at is how much of the screw makes it into the hole and at what depth?

Grab a footstrap and the screw you are using and screw it on any piece of wood. Then use a toothpick to see how deep the hole is. If the thread is not in too bad of a shape, I think that a ticker screw (bigger diameter) could work as some suggested. If possible, go to a bolt store and ask for screws with big threads, something like this ones:

chinooksailing.com/products/footstrap-screw-cobra-set-of-2?_pos=5&_sid=bde33f746&_ss=r

I just stripped foot strap thread - JP SLW 2020 board, and fixed it, here is my experience:
After reading all kinds of advices I tried the three part lockite thread repair kit as most advertised - did everything as described, but that did not work even for one tightening, the epoxy that forms thread is too bristle and it simply shattered into small pieces as I was getting screw in after thread was formed and epoxy hardened.
Here is what worked like a charm for me, takes just 5 minutes, is permanent and does not degrade:
1. Get an EZ-LOK 400-4 threaded brass insert, "knife" type, it has 1/4-20 thread inside for respective machine screw, you can get analogs in hardware stores like Menards (which I did). This insert is 1/2" deep.
2. Drill 25/64 hole slightly deeper than the height of the insert at the position of the stripped hole. Be careful as regular drill bit keeps snapping into plastic, so keep pulling the drill bit out, go slowly. Mark the correct depth on the drill bit with tape.
3. Use a shorter 1/4-20 screw with some tubular spacer (drive tool), screw it into insert from top, and using it as a drive screw the insert into that hole. Keep it vertical and apply pressure to get it in straight for few turns, after that it just goes by turning screw. Get is slightly below the board surface. Also make some stops after each few turns, I was told plastic can overheat. Once there simply unscrew that "driving tool", the insert will remain in.
4. Use 1/4-20 1" (or 1 1/8 length) screw with flat head to attach your foot strap. It is definitely much more robust than screwing into plastic.
You can also do all that using metric parts.
I also added some flexible caulk to the bottom of the hole before putting in insert, just in case there are any cracks, enough for insert to get in touch with it once in, and I also caulked around the insert top once it was in.
It was essential for me that I can attach and detach footstrap often as I use JP SLW for foiling without rear straps, and for windsurfing I put them back (this is why it stripped the thread).
PS: I am new here, so I am not allowed to post pictures nor links to parts...

^^^ I think the seabreeze crew could have saved you a lot of effort......

When I was just starting out, I was told by an long time windsurfer that whenever you put a foot strap screw into a used hole, to turn the screw first counterclockwise until you feel a click, then stop and turn screw clockwise to screw it in. The click tells you that the screw threads are aligned with the cut threads in the foot strap insert. I have always done that and never cross threaded a hole.

A lot of the board nanostructures have changed from m6 to m7 sized screws, perhaps that is all you need. I changed some of mine because they failed due to overuse.

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Mark _australia said..
I wouldn't go longer - there is only a few mm of extra stuff under that screw before you hit foam and end up with a board full of water.
That' s partly why the Cobra made screws are blunt ended
If its a normal board, the screw is 28mm, the insert is 25mm ........... That 3mm extra depth is not much when the footstrap compresses the EVA deck pad.

No way would I go longer unless great care is exercised. Go fatter (with care) as per the many time-proven suggestions above

So I recently bought a tabou 3s board of 2019 that came with 3 footstraps when I took out yhe footstraps I realize that we're 32 mm long that means 4 mm longer than it should, also the person that fit that screws tight them really hard , so now I am wondering if there is any damage in the board insert,

Is there any way to check without to have a board full if water?

If there is a damage how I can repair it ?

The weight of the board is 6.85 kg without the footstraps when tabou gives it as 6.8 +-10%

The difference between an unused hole and a used one is that the used one is 2mm longer (I still see the platinum at the bottom)

Note: the person that used that board seems that she did not use any other holes , so if it needs repair I need to repair just 6 holes (of course I'll use shorter screws)


Thank you in advance

Suck air with your mouth from each hole.

Make the air inside the board to expand. in winter, leave it outside for an hour with the plug open, close it and bring it indoor. Put a little bit of soapy water over the suspected areas and wait to see if there are bubbles coming out. In summer, take the board outside instead and do the same with soap.

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fannan said..


So I recently bought a tabou 3s board of 2019 that came with 3 footstraps when I took out yhe footstraps I realize that we're 32 mm long that means 4 mm longer than it should

Not all boards are the same, I had three fanatic boards the same range (falcon) from 2014, at least two of them had the longer 32mm screws. They were all M6, some newer boards are I think M7. If they are the proper PT screws, chances are they the correct length.

I'm quite sure it was only Fanatic and some Starboards using the bigger screws so its doing to be worth checking the Tabou inserts are intact as WillyWind suggests.

Or, a tiny bit of soapy water in each hole and leave it right way up in the sun on a very warm day, you'll see in only a couple mins if theres air coming up.


If anyone has a definitive list of which boards changed to the bigger screws recently I'd be interested

Hello first of all thank you for your replies
I contact tabou and they told me that they are using 28 mm screws definitely smaller than these that my board had


Now I did the test that you suggested, the day is not very hot (around 20 degrees) but no bubbles appeared with or without the main screw of the board

I am thinking to put some epoxy (2 or 3 mm) if is something damaged inside to fill it

Do you have any better idea?

It is very hard to get epoxy to the very bottom. I think it is worth doing. Use the most runny epoxy you can find and warm it up a bit too. NOT 5 min epoxy.....
Using a very fine wire or similar, drip a little in each hole so there would be perhaps 2-3mm in the bottom. Worth it to be safe.

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fannan said..


Do you have any better idea?

How about PTFE tape, around the screw thread? That works for plumbing applications around you home.

^^^^ think he meant in case it is split at the bottom from longer screws. (Not the original question)

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Mark _australia said..
^^^^ think he meant in case it is split at the bottom from longer screws. (Not the original question)

True

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Mark _australia said..
It is very hard to get epoxy to the very bottom. I think it is worth doing. Use the most runny epoxy you can find and warm it up a bit too. NOT 5 min epoxy.....
Using a very fine wire or similar, drip a little in each hole so there would be perhaps 2-3mm in the bottom. Worth it to be safe.

Ok ill try that I'll let you know


Thanks again guys!!!

So I made this syringe to put the " warm" epoxy inside the inserts
after that I use the new short screws and now I ll leave the epoxy for a 12 hours to dry, hopefully everything will be fine after that