transitioning from bindings to foot straps

[Guest]

I have been riding a wakeboard with bindings for the past 10 months or so and I am now switching to footstraps to learn new tricks(one/no foot etc). Will I be ok by just sticking foot straps with baseplates and changing my 1.25 inch fins to 2.0 on my Jimmy Lewis dominatrix vulcan II 137 by 15? I weigh 185 lbs.
My first impression is that I would need a board that is bigger and has more fins. Anybody with experience or advice in this area?

thanks in advance!

[Marley]

I am a die hard binding guy but if the switch is what you need then get switch style bindings. This means buy ones that are not directional. Make sure you can put your feet in by either side of board this way not limiting yourself to full 360 board spinning. 180 360 540 won't matter. Center them straight and when puting feet in twist to lock in. This will allow for easy entry when one foot no foot and easy re-entry and then a foot twist to get ducked again. Save yourself lots of landings and more variety in air. That's what I learned. But still learning. Dakine makes a great Pad for this. ez RHDF

[Guest]

I think you will need a bigger board. Your jimmy Lewis Vulcan 137 is too small for your weight.

[Guest]

there is no reason to get a bigger board if anything you might want to go a little smaller or narrower becuase you won't have quite the same leverage when edging as you did when you had the calve support of a binding. I'd just try your existing board for starters then get yourself a new Slingshot SX series when they come out.

[Guest]

I think the thing about bindings giving you better control when overpowered is BS.

Stick your feet in some bindings and try to quickly point your toes like you are leaning way back to get your weight as far as possible over the rail.

You can't do it becuase the binding makes your ankle too stiff!

With bindings you have to bend at the knees to shift your weight farther over the rail but with straps you just point your toes and bend more at the ankle.

Try using bindings once on a board that is too wide for your kite and conditions. Then swtch to footstraps and you will see what I mean.

[Dwight]

On 2002-10-03 22:58, Anonymous wrote:
I have been riding a wakeboard with bindings for the past 10 months or so and I am now switching to footstraps to learn new tricks(one/no foot etc). Will I be ok by just sticking foot straps with baseplates and changing my 1.25 inch fins to 2.0 on my Jimmy Lewis dominatrix vulcan II 137 by 15? I weigh 185 lbs.
My first impression is that I would need a board that is bigger and has more fins. Anybody with experience or advice in this area?

thanks in advance!

I rode bindings for 2 summers. I finally made the switch to straps after 3 failed attempts previously, to like them. I also owned a custom JL Dominatrix Vulcan II. I have since moved on to other boards, but not because of straps. You can edge just as powerfully in straps. What I suffered most from, was excepting the wobbly ankles, and floppy loose feet. The solution for me was rigid straps with no flex. The Dakine Contour strap mounted to a slingshot sandal plate worked for me. I also built one plate using an old binding base and sticking the SS pad on it. You can see pictures of it on my web site. You don't need big fins to use straps.

I installed my countour straps backwards, with base twisted. It locks the foot better. You have to try it to see what it does.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Dwight on 2002-10-04 04:33 ]</font>

[Dwight]

On 2002-10-04 04:18, Anonymous wrote:

Stick your feet in some bindings and try to quickly point your toes like you are leaning way back to get your weight as far as possible over the rail.

Try using bindings once on a board that is too wide for your kite and conditions. Then swtch to footstraps and you will see what I mean.

Why would you point your toes? That's the opposite of what you do. With bindings, no ankle flex is good. It drives the heels deep when you lean back. That's good, pointing toes is bad.

You can edge a wide board better. So good in fact, it will burn your legs out with all the insane power you make. You'd be nuts to think riding the board flatter using straps is a good thing.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Dwight on 2002-10-04 04:31 ]</font>

[Guest]

Dwight,

Thanks for the input. What size was your JL vulcan II? How much do you weigh? Mine is 137 by 15 and I weigh 185. I bought some of the slingshot assym footsraps with the base plates. Some thought I would need a 139 by 15 and 1/2 or I would be nursing the board too much. Also, I notice that most riders with footstraps have more fins than the standard 4 that a JL allows.
Do you think a different board would benifit me?

Thanks!

[Royce]

Hey , firstly there is no real advantage to having a board that small. If you live somewhere it blows 30 knots all the time then maybee but in my opinion for your body weight you should be on something between 145 and 155. The idea behind big jumps is moving resistance to the rail and loading the fins up at the moment of launch. A board of any type with as short a rail and only 4 small fins will never hold the edge as well as a longer more finned board.There are virtually no competition riders on boards that small ( even the guys that weigh 100lbs ride bigger than that). The smaller the board the smaller the wind range the harder it is to get upwind and the less rail you have to load up. Go try as many boards as you can. There is a magical board out there for you. Alot of my friends here have tried to transition their wake boards to footstraps but found they needed a true twintip with a little more flotation and rail length to justify them swapping their bindings. I think you will have a terrible time trying to learn footstraps on a 135 wakeboard. Very different theory behind how it all works.
Aloha Royce.
Let us know how it goes.

[Guest]

How about a board that you can switch.. bindings..to footstraps..footstraps... to bindings? One board two styles? I keep hearing about the wave tray.. What do you think? I ride a vulcan ll and bindings.. but the weather is changing and I will need booties soon.. not to mention I want to learn new tricks too.