Who rides there surf board with straps?

I'm mainly a strapped surfboard guy because to me kiting is a combo of windsurfing, snowboarding, surfing, and a little bit of motocross. That said, I do like strapless, especially learning how to do bigger jumps and light wind wave riding. I'm on an older than dirt Cab, the only era where the boards didn't fall apart from my abuse.

No straps for me, I move my feet all over the board and change weight depending on what I'm up to.

If Im keen for the straps they're on my TT

Yup My surfboard has straps. Came from a 30 year windsurfing background so when I started kiting 4 years ago I started with a north wam.

But I bought a nugget last 6 months and am thinking straps are useless on coz it does not jump or wave ride very well.

Funny how threads like this go now days, go back 6 years or so on SB (or anywhere) and the thread title would be the total opposite, some people might just even insult your intelligence for wanting to ride without straps hahaha.

Unstrapped - "Trending".

That being said I think everything has it's place, it's all depends on what you want to get from the gear.

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sir ROWDY said..
Funny how threads like this go now days, go back 6 years or so on SB (or anywhere) and the thread title would be the total opposite, some people might just even insult your intelligence for wanting to ride without straps hahaha.

Unstrapped - "Trending".

That being said I think everything has it's place, it's all depends on what you want to get from the gear.

really, I found most of the insults came from strapless riders questioning the intelligence of those still using straps?

The only time I move my back foot is when Im going upwind toeside trying to gain ground, for kiting waves on downwinders Im strapped as I don't need to move my feet around ,my board is 5'8 so where am i going to move them,I don't move them much when I'm surfing as you know where the sweet spot is on a short board,bit of pressure adjustment at most ,most surfers plant their feet in the one spot,now if I was kiting on a mal well that would be different.i know it takes more skill to ride and jump strapless but when you only get to kite now and then due to fickle conditions Id rather be riding than swimming while getting strapless sorted and Im not that skillful.

Lose the straps,feel the freedom fellas!

Some conditions i think are defo suited to having a strap or two,but I prefer moving around the board alot. Will admit some lads throw some serious strapped in hacks tho

What ever keeps the stoke going

Ok I don't have a surf board yet but my comment is still relevant haha. I have a big light wind board I made. It has straps but I take my feet out of the straps a lot especially when I'm playing on small waves. I can distribute my weight better. And when the wind is strong, I take my front foot out of the strap so I can get more of the board out of the water for more speed. But in such cases my back foot normally stays in. But it depends. I rode that board in some serious chop without straps without a problem. I love strapless for cruising and surfing a bit but I like my straps when I'm boosting or pulling a lot of tricks.

Depends...cross off unstrapped as the waves are so smooth and generally no boosting. Side or cross on it's usually pretty bumpy and I prefer straps, especially at beach breaks where hopping over white water makes getting out easier. I keep my straps quite loose as it helps slide the back foot around. When I am tacking up wind back foot is never in the straps. I also love a good air with straps. Don't really ride twin tips anymore, they tend to give my knee more issues. I don't think I will ever go down the strapless air road, too many injuries in my life and I don't really feel like a nice sharp fin up my back side on a stuffed up landing. I sure enjoy watching the dudes like Leo and Surfingboye hit their strapless airs, a real thing of beauty. Just not for me...

@jkimbler, thats one of my favourite movies, and John Bilderbeck is one of my favourite photographers too. When you look at all the riders in that clip, they are all ripping and handling that epic wave really well and I could not care less if one had straps on or not, BW has always ridden unstrapped really well and Reo looked very comfy in straps, same with Alldrege compared to the other strapped riders. Up home here, its about 60+% strapped and the rest unstrapped, mainly younger guys in the strapless team.

When I first kitesurfed it was on a surfboard with straps, with Bob Dawson in Sawtell, using one of his awesome and horrible giant 2 line stunt kites, I still have it, its about 15' wingspan at the tips. We just bolted straps right through the board, then came the early Naish and stonker directionals, everyone rode them, and almost always with straps, but there were strapless pioneers from the very beginning for sure.
Began to look seriously at surfboards again about 5 years ago, and began using a Cab Skillet poly board with no straps, which was fine learning the technique in Botany Bay's flattish water. Then 2.5yrs ago moved to an awesome wave spot on the far north coast of NSW. Then I copped about 3 fin chops and broke my big toe trying to get out through big whitewater, and I was forever chasing my board to the beach, for the slightest mistake, riding a wave or heading out. Then I eventually put straps on all my boards, and this is what my quiver looks like now. One of the Axis boards is sold, and I mainly ride the Firewire Vader 5'2" and the Axis Rakau 5'7" (inegra), but still love to ride the Delta 5'9" and the Smook, as well as the 5'4" Axis new Wave when its really windy and small waves. Often ride with my back foot in front of the rear strap, when heading out and upwind, but both feet in straps when on a wave.
No more injuries, no more fin chops and a lot less pain in my knees and have almost stopped riding TT's (don't have any normal sized ones at the moment)

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Puetz said..
... I started out strapless when I went to surfboards purely to see what all the fuss was about and found it easy enough but I also rode slower than I normally would, especially when it was choppy or windier. Eventually I put one front strap on and I found not only could I ride faster but I had more options in sh!tty conditions especially as the lumps of water got bigger and steeper. I ended up leaving it on, use it probably 50% of the time now or as I said, when conditions get sh!tty.

Cheers,

Robbie

Wonder where you got that idea from,

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Gazuki said..





I'm a bit of a fence sitter, just the one strap/hook up front. (I took the back one off)

I'm along way off strapless airs but I think it will help me to transition. It is great for those solid bumpy days also.

... excuse my ignorance but are those one sided straps facing the right way,,,, just wondering is all!

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Gazuki said..
^^^ Board porn!! Love it!!^^^

You have quite the harem there

The centre two get the most lurve, second on the right is sold and will go to a new home very soon, the Smook, might be a tad frisky for me (bit on the small side, but works well in stronger winds) and the Delta is a favourite old girl, was my first proper strapped board made by the legendary Marty Littlewood from margaret river.

Contrary to what a lot of the "unstrapped cult" are trying to brainwash , there is definitely nothing one has over the other when it comes to actually riding waves. For airs and the new niche of unstrapped freestyle surfboard riding (a lot of which happens on flat water, not on waves), then clearly you cannot have straps on your board, but the consequences of getting some of those tricks wrong can be painful to say the least.

For actually riding waves with a kite, which is not the same as surfing a wave with a board only (and never will be), then there is really just a choice and respect to each for their choice. I definitely rate people like Sir Rowdy, Keahi, BW, Alldredge, Patri, Reo and Surfingboye, etc, etc as extremely skilled unstrapped, but they are also very skilled surfers too. The stars of strapped riding are being ignored in the media, because the media thinks that only pics and vids of unstrapped riding are worthy of publication, but thats just BS and a case of the blind trying to lead the blind. Some of the best strapped kiters I've seen charge Margaret river when its pumping, but there are heaps of strappers all over that rip, especially muchly as the waves get bigger.

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Gazuki said..

Hey Puetz,

Yeah it looks a bit odd I know but its just what feels right. I like to be able heal pivot out of the strap etc. Make Jibing easier too. When it gets bumpy or jumping I just slide back and the hook clamps so even when the tail is hanging it still holds.

The photo is a little deceiving, the front looks really far forward buts it's not, just over half way.

Terry as far as next board I think the Vanguard be the pick, everyone who has them loves them.

Have you got inserts for straps in that board or did you just get special inserts for those foothooks? If you have inserts, try putting the foothook into the front screw holes and puts some more deck grip down, you will still be able to heel pivot, and I think you will find it easier to get your front foot in and under the hook easier quicker?

The Vanguard ( I incorrectly called it a Vader in my original post) looks so different, its easy to be fooled that it does not ride well or like a "proper" surfboard, but it is the most fun board to ride in small surf and lighter winds. I've tried it many times with quad and thruster, and really prefer quad, however others like the thruster setup more. I'm using NSI stick on straps, they work really well, both the boards in the centre (my favourites) have stick ons. They have both been through a summer, and are now approaching 12 months. I sanded off the heel arch in the rear pad, and used tefgel on the screws, no sign of corrosion at this stage (inserts are brass, screws are stainless). Cabrinha or dakine non adjustable straps, set loose so my feet can move in and out of the straps easily and quickly too when I crash on wave.

Also do your research on sizing, I'm 77kg and the 5'2" is perfect for me, but most of my other boards are 5'7" to 5'9", although similar volume (approx 22/23ltrs)