Re: Foot Straps - How do you actually benefit from it

So it seems the strap needs to be tight. What happens if you fall in the water, wouldnt that pose as a risk?

Only in surf.
Hank McGregor said that on the ski he uses (V10) the adjustable strap is such that his feet slide out quite easily while remaining tight enough that he can pull against it.
He did say specifically that you do need to be able to get your feet out of the straps easily - if you get taken out by a wave "you need to get away from the ski as quickly as possible!"

Are there any 3rd party adjustable straps that can fit other skis? Normally manufacturers only supply what works with their products.

Rob, you should start a poll a month from now. Just ask if the pulling on the strap technique has improved their balance. : )

I have added a poll up at the top of the topic. My Mako6 footstrap does not adjust so I have to make a plan (maybe get bigger feet ) and get back to you on the results.

The foot board angle affects the positioning of the strap. The V10 foot board angles forward towards the bow more than the Mako 6, this affects how easily you can slip your feet out in an emergency.

In the Mako 6 I have used a few straps.

• The V10 strap worked very well, but was tricky to slip out of fast when it is tight enough to pull properly. Easy to install, just remove the Fenn strap and replace it with the V10 strap.
• Currently, I have looped a Yakima roof rack tie down strap around my foot board with the rubber sleeve covered cam snug against the left side. On each side of the foot board I have looped the strap around the anchor point where the foot board attaches to the rails. This locks the strap in place. I then covered the strap where it contacts my feet in 3 mm closed cell foam fixing that in place with PVC tape, while leaving access to the cam for adjustments.

Huki has some photos of foot bars under the innovations section. I'll get some photos of my quick solution to post. www.huki.com/store/index.php?main_page=i...42e198c9bf17d8c85908

A Canadian company called Northwater was making straps a few years ago. I'll ask if they still do.

Alan

PS some K1 paddlers do tape their feet, or wear socks. The newer boats often have a well padded pull bar that is a custom fit to the paddler's needs

Just to make sure that there is no confusion with foot straps, those on a double footwell ski like the millenium cannot be used for the push/pull. They are only there to keep you in the ski when your bum gets lifted up and out of the bucket, or when you fall backwards. Those should be loose just the way they come. The single footwell skis like the V10 and the Mako 6 have a foot board and a push/pull type of footstrap can be used.

For my Mako 6, I've removed the floppy standard strap. I cut a 1 inch dia. pvc pipe to fit across the width of the footwell above the adjustable sliding track. Next, I wrapped the pvc pipe with pipe insulation (closed cell foam) and duct taped that down well. A piece of nylon webbing then runs through the pvc pipe and attaches to the screws that held down the standard footstrap. With this 'design', the 'footbar' is more solid to pull against. By being wider than the adjustable track, it rests on top of the track when your feet aren't in it so it allows you to easily slip your feet in and out of the footbar. And I can go faster and am more stable with my feet under a footstrap.

Just to make sure that there is no confusion with foot straps, those on a double footwell ski like the millenium cannot be used for the push/pull. They are only there to keep you in the ski when your bum gets lifted up and out of the bucket, or when you fall backwards.

The push (with heel) when drawing the paddle and pull on strap on the opposite side works on double foot wells too. The technique is not dependent whether its a single or double foot well ski. I have a spec ski and the technique works. It stabilizes me therefore Im able to apply more power to each stroke.

Can someone explain a good way to attach straps on a Fenn Mako Mil? I like straps in my K1 and would like to add them to the ski. Do you need to reinforce and what type of screw/bolt is best?

I can't tell you how to add the footstraps to the millenium for good push/pull. However, you might be able to cut an access hole infront of the pedals in order to get to the undersurface of the deck to secure a large washer to the screws. Alternatively, you might be able to lots of wrap pipe insulation and tape around the standard footstraps to 'move' them closer to the dorsum of your foot - I've forgotten how far the straps are away from the pedals and if this latter idea might work.

To clarify on double vs single footwells for push/pull, the "standard" straps that come on the millenium, Icon, Mark 1, XT, etc, overlay the ankle or lower leg and are too far away and too high to use to pull against. Some other skis like MFB's spec ski might well have standard placement footstraps close to the pedals to allow for a good push/pull, but I don't believe that's the more common setup.

simple. just put a stainless bolt through the middle of the slack in the strap. get it as tight as you want.

holy thread resurrection batman

I've been paddling some of the Genius skis (CLK and Blu) from Knysna Racing Kayaks. They have single footwell, but double footstraps.

Initially I couldn't see the point - but in a race last Friday found myself doing the push-pull thing as I rotated. Having a strap over each foot seems to make it easier to pull; certainly I've never done that on any ski that has a single footstrap.

I also find double straps more comfortable and maybe are efficient wrt push/pull as Rob mention.....but with my knees/toes naturally pointing out, the double strap contributes to slightly negative ergonomics.

Without any modifications my toes tend to be spread, while my heels slide together. The net result is then, that my knees tend to move outward as I rotate the hip and bend my knees. And outward moving knees are bad for stability.

I solved this by padding the side and middle space between my heels with small minicell squares (just taped with duct tape to the foot board) to ensure parallel feet.

So, with my body flaws, I like a single strap and snug fitting when paddling elite boats because it helps my biomechanics and stability, although it may not be as comfortable.

fredrik wrote: I also find double straps more comfortable and maybe are efficient wrt push/pull as Rob mention.....but with my knees/toes naturally pointing out, the double strap contributes to slightly negative ergonomics.

You could try flatten the bottom of the foot well are your heels with some foam also, could help keep the feet square if the surface under them is square.

The only double straps I have used, I liked.

With a single strap, it has to be loose enough to twist the second foot in when mounting.
Then it is really too loose once both feet are in.

The double setup never suffered from this and they were much more useful being a little tighter, but without the drama of trying to get my feet under the single strap when it was tight.

From memory, I think it was a Think ski that had the double straps, they were done very well.

Thanks for the suggestion. So far I have flatten the foot plate angle with minicell but not the bottom.

I have just made a few extra holes in the foot strap of the Uno and that works great. Makes a fast option to change from single to double strap.

Hated the single strap set up in the Epic, had to stiffen the whole thing up with a strip of plastic taped to it, trying to get the feet into it quickly during race starts on the beach resulted in more than one swim/blown start with the strap flopping around, getting caught under the feet.

Love the double strap set up of the Stellar SES. Don't even give it a second thought.

Yeah, I hated the floppy single strap on my V12-U, as well. So I modified it.... I cut all the threads holding the velcro to the neoprene pad, threw the pad away, cut a clorox bleach bottle to create a plastic stiffenning strip the same length as the original neoprene strap, and about three inches tall. Made a new neoprene strap cover from an old wetsuit to surround the plastic strip, sewed everything up with an industrial sewing machine to much as it originally was made, but with the plastic strip inside the new, taller neoprene cover. Now, the new strap never flops down, is quite rigid in the best sense, and allows me to easily slip my feet into a tight strap without any fumbling. It was so easy to make that I don't understand why Epic and other manufacturers haven't done it this way.

Pulling on the strap is like pulling on a bar, but with much more comfort.

How about a pic or two to show what it looks like?

Ok, so I lied. I didn't use a Clorox bottle. But I did use an cylindrical isopropyl alcohol bottle. A clorox bottle would do just as well, though the tighter radius of the alki bottle makes the strap stand out better, though with pre-bend during sewing, the same can be achieved. The picture below shows the original strap assembly with webbing and velcro still attached on the left. The new neoprene cover is on the right, and the plastic insert (alki bottle) is above the new neoprene.

The plastic insert was inserted into the neoprene tube that I made from an old wetsuit. I think I just cut off the bottom of a leg and used that as a tube... convenient. Before inserting the plastic, I sewed one end of the tube shut, pulled the tube inside-out, then placed the plastic inside the tube, and sewed the remaining end. I pulled off the old webbing and velcro from the original strap and reattached in same manner to the new neoprene, sewing through plastic insert as well. A good sized machine is required, either that or fingers of steel. Attached are some pix of the installed strap... much higher profile than the original, and never droops down and always holds its shape for the easy and fast insertion of booties or unclad feet.