I have one board where the footstrap screws rapidly unscrew themselves. They need tightening a few turns before each session. The holes aren't flogged out as I can tighten them quite firmly each time. Is there a trick out there short of loctite to stop them unwinding?

Spring or star washer. Toothpick.

Did fish oil drip when you were oiling your fins?

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Sparky said..
Did fish oil drip when you were oiling your fins?

Do try to be sensible! Everyone knows fin oil is only needed in summer to stop them drying out.

It may come down to thread pitch. The finer the pitch, the less chance of weakened thread.
But, if the plugs are damaged, the cost of new ones would be far cheaper than soft material helicoils.

A dot of superglue on the screw before tightening. Itll hold no problemo, n can still be undone if needed.

You did not say whether the threaded inserts are metal or plastic.

If metal, try something like Loctite.

If plastic, what I did was change all the screws from the dreaded Philips to square-drive. It is too easy to wear out the Philips tops to where the screwdriver fails to get enough grip. The square-drive tops never slip, so you can really tighten those puppies. I do this to prevent twist on single-screw footstraps.

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Shifu said..

Sparky said..
Did fish oil drip when you were oiling your fins?

Do try to be sensible! Everyone knows fin oil is only needed in summer to stop them drying out.

Some people have no idea.

See photo. Not a Phillips in sight.

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Shifu said..

Photoshop skilz need a bit of work

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Shifu said..
I have one board where the footstrap screws rapidly unscrew themselves. They need tightening a few turns before each session. The holes aren't flogged out as I can tighten them quite firmly each time. Is there a trick out there short of loctite to stop them unwinding?

Let me guess, is it a Starboard?

Use these, Goya footstrap plates:

One day the major brands will see the light and put 2 screws at least at one end of the footstrap, problem solved forever.

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mr love said..
One day the major brands will see the light and put 2 screws at least at one end of the footstrap, problem solved forever.

I insisted on this with a recent board. There is no twisting problem.

With my own boards i put two in each end. Better and you can use smaller screws,

Unless you have the nicely designed starboard strap insert this could be useful:

Next, be sure to tighten them holding an underhand grip as opposed to overhand for max torque. You can use a piece of inner tube over the screwdriver handle as shown here near the end:



In regards to having 2 screws instead of 1. I welcome the added flex from 1 screw only for the front foot. We can also play with the angle of the strap sides for a more comfortable fit.

^^^^^^^^
Noooooooooo, not the rubber tube, anything but the rubber tube.

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Pacey said..
Use these, Goya footstrap plates:

Those things bend and then they're useless.

Rotating strap is not same as screw undoing....?


segler where to you get those square drives? I have not been able to but a stainless PT screw the same as Cobra ones ANYWHERE after searching for two years..... except in limited amounts at the crazy prices board brands charge.

Mark _australia said..
Rotating strap is not same as screw undoing....?


segler where to you get those square drives? I have not been able to but a stainless PT screw the same as Cobra ones ANYWHERE after searching for two ears..... except in limited amounts at the crazy prices board brands char


I got hex button heads, (and grantMac said was not correct). So far they work fine, have tightened 1/4 turn twice since first installed some months ago.

From other post:

From me:
I use 304SS M6 30 hexagon socket button head self tapping screws, available on Aliexpress for US$4 for a pack of 10. Might take 4-6 weeks to arrive from China

www.aliexpress.com/item/32920019122.html

From grantmac

20 Jul 2020 1:54AM
Self tapping is the wrong thread type for footstrap inserts. It will work but isn't as strong.
Probably okay for double inserts.

Yeah that is why I asked, the screw is a PT (Plastite - name of the company that invented such a thing for plastics) not a normal self tapper.
After two years looking I found one place in Europe who sill supply, but have to manufacture them so min buy is 10,000

If segler is easily buying those pictured, I'd love to know where.

I have the advantage of a company named Tacoma Screw. They have everything. I get the square drive screws there.

Torx would work just as well. Also, internal hex drive if you can find those. Anything but Phillips.

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segler said..
See photo. Not a Phillips in sight.

Just the even more ridiculous Robinson head

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segler said..
I have the advantage of a company named Tacoma Screw. They have everything. I get the square drive screws there.

Torx would work just as well. Also, internal hex drive if you can find those. Anything but Phillips.

I can't find PT screws (ie: with thread like the factory ones from Cobra), with ANY head / drive system
Do you have a link I can't see it on Tacoma's site.....

Thanks

www.tacomascrew.com/Products/Tapping-Screws#!Tapping-Screws

www.windance.com/Footstrap-Screw-Cobra-1-1-8%22/22361/

Sorry I know this is in the USA small parts go in the mail cheap.

segler on the Tacoma website they just look like normal self tappers, not the aggressive / deep threaded PT screws

It was hard to see from your pic but I thought the one you showed originally was like a Cobra style screw

Should be 6mm OD and 4mm minor dia. That is a much coarser thread than normal self tappers

gwarn yes we can buy them individually at windsurf shops here too, but I want to buy in bulk.

www.fastenright.com/products/general-fixings/thread-forming-screws
Mark
Found this company based in the UK
Hope its helpful.

Mark, you are right. However, since these screws go into plastic inserts I have not found them to be any problem going in and staying in.

The Phillips head is a much bigger problem than the difference of thread types, I think.

On the Swindy link the only one I would consider is the 6 lobe screw. The others are Phillips.

Swindy, no stainless in the larger sizes. I went through all their stuff online .....

segler I reckon you have been a bit lucky as the reason all the major brands went to PT / thread forming screw long ago is the Chinook self tappers ripped out often when jumping. I have used the same ones as you, but only had success with double screws each end and in brand-new Chinook inserts )which have a hole about 0.25mm smaller than the more common / standard inserts used by everyone else).

The annoying thing is the screw seems to be specially ordered by Cobra and Unifiber and then they sell individually at an obscene markup