I took my V3 Severne Fox 105 out on the water for the first time this week. Absolutely loved the board, but wow - getting in that rear strap was an absolute menace. Once in both straps everything feels brilliant, it's just getting to that point is frustratingly difficult.

For context, I have all Fox 105 straps in their outboard settings. I'm also spoilt enough to have a V3 Fox 115 with outboard straps set up - and getting in the rear strap on this board is generally no problem. I have US/UK size 12/11 feet, which may be making things more difficult than they need to be - it feels like I'm actually having to briefly drag my rear heel in the water to poke the rest of my foot into the rear strap. I also have a range of other freerace boards, all with outer strap positions - and don't struggle too much with them either. I am doing the trick of resting my foot immediately beside the rear strap before making the switch to get the foot in

My straps are all set up Guy Cribb method for freerace setups - i.e. tight enough so only the toes are poking out.

I read on an old Severne Fox 105 Seabreeze thread - a brief comment someone also made about the rear foot strap being difficult to get into. Their suggestion was to bring the footstraps inboard, which to me seems potentially a bit limiting on a freerace board. Another possibility, would be to bring the rear strap inboard, but leave the front ones outboard. However, Guy Cribb suggests this is an absolute no-no - as it kills proper stance.

Advice please!

Do you put your front foot into the strap first, or into the back strap ? My guess is front-strap-first.... try the other.

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AoetearoaSailor said..
I took my V3 Severne Fox 105 out on the water for the first time this week. Absolutely loved the board, but wow - getting in that rear strap was an absolute menace. Once in both straps everything feels brilliant, it's just getting to that point is frustratingly difficult.

For context, I have all Fox 105 straps in their outboard settings. I'm also spoilt enough to have a V3 Fox 115 with outboard straps set up - and getting in the rear strap on this board is generally no problem. I have US/UK size 12/11 feet, which may be making things more difficult than they need to be - it feels like I'm actually having to briefly drag my rear heel in the water to poke the rest of my foot into the rear strap. I also have a range of other freerace boards, all with outer strap positions - and don't struggle too much with them either. I am doing the trick of resting my foot immediately beside the rear strap before making the switch to get the foot in

My straps are all set up Guy Cribb method for freerace setups - i.e. tight enough so only the toes are poking out.

I read on an old Severne Fox 105 Seabreeze thread - a brief comment someone also made about the rear foot strap being difficult to get into. Their suggestion was to bring the footstraps inboard, which to me seems potentially a bit limiting on a freerace board. Another possibility, would be to bring the rear strap inboard, but leave the front ones outboard. However, Guy Cribb suggests this is an absolute no-no - as it kills proper stance.

Advice please!

What size feet is Guy Cribb?
Seriously. I am size 9 and have boards with similar raised pads (AV Nuvolari), no problems.
But i If you are UK size 11 that's almost 2 cm. longer, about the distance between inboard and outboard strap settings?

I suggest you either open up your straps or use the inboard settings, which given your shoe size might be correct for you?

If you have to put your back feet in first something is off, either technique or gear setup.

Keep your back foot on the front screw of the rear foot-strap until you are fully planing. Then twist the foot to get the toes in first and then put the rest of the foot into the strap. The most important is how it feels when your in the straps and sailing at full speed, the rest is a technique thing...

Another thing I've recently tried, which seems to help, is sheet in by pushing on the front hand instead of pulling with the back hand. It helps you weigh the front more and get in the back easier....based off of Cookie's videos

Thanks for the tips! I'll have to try this 'twisting' thing into the rear footstrap - although the mechanics of it baffle me somewhat. If I put my rear foot on the rear footstrap screws - in such a way that I could actually 'twist' my foot into the footstrap - my heel on the Fox 105 would then be already outboard enough to be dragging in the water. If I have my foot on the rear footstrap screw, but with the foot inboard enough that my heel is not dragging in the water - I simply can't 'twist' into the footstrap. Either my feet are too big, or the footstraps are in the wrong place - or I'm doing something wrong, or the 'twist' is not possible.

Cookie's rear footstrap video on a freeride Carve does not show him doing a 'twist' into the rear footstrap either - his is more of a quick shuffle, the foot very quickly going slightly out and straight back into the footstrap. When I do this on my Fox 105 - my heel hits the water, which at planing speed, is a bit of a nightmare. The tail of the board is so narrow - and has a tail 'hump' which makes this even harder.

watch at 5:12

I'm pretty sure I already do the front hand pulling on the boom thing - head slightly upwind, rig back, body forward, I can get into the rear footstraps generally okay on my other freerace boards - which all have outboard straps.

It sounds like you might be digging the windward rail of the board into the water. Try to do the opposite, put your weight in the harness and be light on your feet, the board will then tilt towards leeward and the windward rail well out of the water (hence no or less risk of getting the heel into the water).

Hey mate, no sailing advice from me!
I had a V2 105 for about a year and really struggled with the back foot position. Been sailing a long time lots of different slalom boards but admittedly I prefer a single centre rear for the kind of conditions here ( choppy!)
gave up eventually went back to a JP magic Move ( single center strap. No refection on the board it was quick but something about the tail/fin/ straps I just couldn't live with.
Drove me nuts.. so no you are not imagining it, tho it could be we both just don't suit that particular back foot feel ( the JP was instantly comfortable)

The Fox front straps are too inboard in relation to the rear straps, making it more difficult, this will be exaggerated somewhat with large feet. Having your toes just poke through the straps is fine if your feet are small, makes no sense with large hooves, as your heel and rail will be in the drink. Loosen your back straps, then try hanging off the boom with your weight low, like a Monkey, front foot in, then back, then hook in.

I go through stages where i really struggle on my Patrik F-Race 120ltr and stages where i don't think about it and it happens easily.
Plenty of good tips here to try next time.

Thanks all! Top tips here - and good to hear I'm not entirely alone in this. Will persevere :)

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AoetearoaSailor said..
Thanks all! Top tips here - and good to hear I'm not entirely alone in this. Will persevere :)

I have the same concern. Just got my new (to me) Fox 105 V2. The rear straps are *really* close to the rail. But the forward straps look (and feel) too far inboard. Has anyone with a Fox tried riding with forward straps in outboard position and back straps inboard position? From a geometry point of view (mastfoot to front foot to back foot) I can't see why this should be a no-no?

Interesting observation. I'm sure Guy Cribb would say that setup idea is an absolute no-no, but if the outer front straps are actually too far inboard, I guess it would make sense.

I also have the 115l V3 fox and for me when I'm in front strap it doesn't feel 100% secure. I'm having to consciously push and drive my foot into the strap, otherwise there's a feeling it might get pulled out, particularly over chop. I'm not sure if it's just a getting used to the board thing, but it feels very different to my 113l Rocket Plus, which feels very locked in, front heel wrapped over the rail.

The slightly frustrating thing about the v3 is the front foot strap pad 'ramps', which would be a great idea, were it not for how far inboard they are. The ramps look like they would really work for an intermediate rider using inboard foot strap positioning, but with my outboard setup, I can barely get my toes to even touch the base of the 'ramp'.
Otherwise - it is an absolutely brilliant board, very, very quick and capable. Just a few things to get used to!

Second time out on the board - and haha, much easier now. I think @SurferKris might've hit the nail on the head - I may have been dropping the windward rail as I desperately stabbed my foot frustratingly at the rear footstrap. A quick point of the front foot toes and also weighting the mast foot for a fraction of a second while moving my back foot smoothly but rapidly, seems to have overcome this issue. I'm getting into the rear strap more or less all the time now. Cheers!

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AoetearoaSailor said..
I took my V3 Severne Fox 105 out on the water for the first time this week. Absolutely loved the board, but wow - getting in that rear strap was an absolute menace. Once in both straps everything feels brilliant, it's just getting to that point is frustratingly difficult.

For context, I have all Fox 105 straps in their outboard settings. I'm also spoilt enough to have a V3 Fox 115 with outboard straps set up - and getting in the rear strap on this board is generally no problem. I have US/UK size 12/11 feet, which may be making things more difficult than they need to be - it feels like I'm actually having to briefly drag my rear heel in the water to poke the rest of my foot into the rear strap. I also have a range of other freerace boards, all with outer strap positions - and don't struggle too much with them either. I am doing the trick of resting my foot immediately beside the rear strap before making the switch to get the foot in

My straps are all set up Guy Cribb method for freerace setups - i.e. tight enough so only the toes are poking out.

I read on an old Severne Fox 105 Seabreeze thread - a brief comment someone also made about the rear foot strap being difficult to get into. Their suggestion was to bring the footstraps inboard, which to me seems potentially a bit limiting on a freerace board. Another possibility, would be to bring the rear strap inboard, but leave the front ones outboard. However, Guy Cribb suggests this is an absolute no-no - as it kills proper stance.

Advice please!

Man, I am so glad to hear I'm not the only one - I've also got a Severne Fox 105 and those back straps are a bitch to get into (strangely, the starboard tack seems to be significantly worse than the port tack). This has been my second summer with it and I'm not finding it any easier, despite trying all sorts of stances/tricks/positions etc. For years I rode a Tabou Rocket 105 (a couple of different models) and had no such issue, and I don't find it an issue on any of my other boards (JP FSW 94 and Tabou Thunder 110).

I'm keen to know whether things have improved for you and, if so, how?

It's probably because the straps are so far out and to the back. You can try putting them more inboard until you can reliably go into the back strap and then move them outboard in the most forward setting.

You just have to learn getting into them, it's not easy but you'll get there. I struggled back in the days on a F2 RX with similar issues. Persevere and you'll be rewarded. Have confidence and you crank that foot in there.

I have a Fox 105 V1 with straps in outer position - also struggled in the beginning to get into the rear footstrap. Show size 12-13 US, and I had my heel often touching the water when trying to enter the footstraps.

In the end, it is mostly a technique thing and a bit of adjustment
- make the rear footstrap a tad wider - forget Guy Cribb in that aspect.
- don't enter the rear footstrap too early when starting to plane. The Fox doesn't have the higher volume of a slalom board in the rear and needs some speed to get the tail more out of the water.
- just before entering the rear footstrap, bear away a bit downwind, wight in your harness. That puts more pressure on the mastfoot and shifts your weight automatically more to the front foot, making it easier and more controllable to lift the rear foot.

- do that thousand times, and it wont be a problem anymore :-)

best,
mariachi76