RideEngine hoof hooks falling off Slingshot dwarfcraft

[Bennis123]

I just got started foiling and I find the ride engine foot hooks really helpful during waterstarts. But during my first few sessions the attachment screws has been ripped out of the holes in my Slingshot-board. I've tried remounting them in different locations, but the material in the board can't seem to withstand even the softest of crashes.

Could it be that the supplied screws are too short? They seem to only enter a layer of quite soft plastic in the board.

Attached are some pictures of the screws and board.

[richy-c]

Hi yes they look much too short. Id say go double that length. I bought some stainless steel pan heads from a DIY shop

[Bennis123]

Thanks! Are there any risks with using too long screws? Is the core of the board supposed to hold the screws, or are there some reinforced material to hold them. The holes seems to enter the core under the thin layer of plastic.

[BWD]

If the screws are longer than the hard plastic inserts they will get into the soft/light/weak eps foam core and let your board rot from inside out once you remove the screws. Thats the risk.
What you might need is screws the next size up, e.g. No. 12 size instead of No.10, but NOT a lot longer.

[kitelife]

Had the same problem on a slingshot dwarfcraft with slingshot foot hooks. Came off three times. Got fed up body dragging after them and jamming them in my pocket during rest of the session. My recommendation is to give up on them and just ride strapless.

Strapless Water starts are a little more challenging with a 90cm mast but easy to learn. Much easier to learn with a 60cm mast.

[richy-c]

Thanks! Are there any risks with using too long screws? Is the core of the board supposed to hold the screws, or are there some reinforced material to hold them. The holes seems to enter the core under the thin layer of plastic.

I cant remember at present the exact screw length but i did research before buying mine. I asked houston kiteboarding who are very knowledgeable with slingshot gear. Ill try find a screw and measure for you.

[Wazza Foil]

Simply hold the hook over the screw hole, poke a nail through to the bottom of the screw hole in the board.
This will give you the maximum screw length however allow for a bit of compression of the hook.
Buy a 316 screw and cut to length if required.

[juandesooka]

If they are screwing into plastic inserts, looks like you're not getting enough grip. Once there's tension on the hook, the screw will rock back and forth a little, then not enough to grab and it'll pull out. So agree with above, you need them a little longer (not a lot, don't screw through the bottom) and a little fatter.

But if the play causes them to pull out too, then you may need to try and repair the hole ... for example, could pour in some epoxy and re-drill them (smaller hole, so the screw has more meat to grab). Or some variation on the old woed working tip: if a wood screw is loose, you shove in as many toothpick that will fit in the hole, snap them off, and then when you put in the screw it fills the voids and is tight again (for a while at least).

PS Looking again, just realized your screws/bolts are probably going into metal inserts in the board? In which case ignore above -- I was talking about the inserts where you just screw in a wood/metal screw directly into the reinforced plastic. And yes, answer is that the screws are too short. But also, the thread looks pretty wide, are these the proper bolts? Could also be you are using too coarse a thread ... if it was me, I'd go to the local hardware store's bulk screws/bolts section with my board, and start screwing in various ones til you find the right fit. The clerks love that.

[SENDIT!]

Or some variation on the old woed working tip: if a wood screw is loose, you shove in as many toothpick that will fit in the hole, snap them off, and then when you put in the screw it fills the voids and is tight again (for a while at least).

My father is a residential contractor (semi-retired now, with most of the work onto my brother's shoulders) and I learned that from him many years ago. Saved me on a lot of wood projects around the house.

[oregonkiter]

Too short. The earliest Hooks were shipped with too short screws. Windance, the local SS shop in HR had replacements ready to go. I am sure SS will send you a pack of new screws. If you have a SS shop nearby they may have the replacements. You can also get stainless screws at a hardware store and they don't cost much. Use the nail trick suggested above for length, and if possible a slightly bigger diameter would be good at this point.