VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

Check these out: http://www.martintechnologies.com/
I'll hopefully be testing some of these for windsurfing. Any local kiters using these? No velcro hassles, seem easy to adjust from booties to barefeet in seconds.

yep, those look nice n' comfy ... def what my delicate, tender feetz need ... let us know how you like em?

btw, congrats on the promotion to 'amateur' doc ... but we all know that you're really the big kahuna/local legend! ... HOLLAAAA

I think Darwin picked up similar straps for kiting... Very nice!......N.S.I...But I had the same idea as KUS..

for those budget conscious ones, you can strip the suspension strap outta the newer construction hardhats (they have a similar ratchet knob now) and bolt them into existing strap covers, ha! McGiver style

The obvious question being, where can we find a bunch of construction hats? Any loosly guarded developments in your neighbour hood

wow, that's being REALLY budget conscious....since you can buy a hat for 6-10 bucks, a replacement suspension for 1/2 that. See example of ratchet mechanism http://www.cleansweepsupply.com/pages/s ... 22985.html

I kinda figure moving the straps forward and center or back/out is the bigger pain tho

Hey those look cool. I seem to switch from barefoot to booties a lot in the summer and these would be great for that. Plus I'm always accidentally doing "board off" tricks. A few comments:

- I wonder how they work in salt water? I'm not one to rinse my gear after use. They could get kind of crunchy after sailing at Florence for a few days!

- I guess you want to make sure your feet still release on a wipe out to avoid ankle or knee injury.

- They are expensive $80us per pair ... so $120us for a 3 strap setup? If they work it would be worth it.

I'll look forward to your review Winddoc!

It seems obvious now, but seeing Winddoc tighten his straps with his feet in them first sure has helped me. I was always adjusting the straps, trying them, then adjusting again etc. What was I thinking? I always hated switching from booties to bare feet since it took forever to get the straps set up again...now it's easy.

Check out their 'maintenance' page: Not only they need to be rinsed, but they need lubrication almost every use. Sounds like more work than experimenting with coloured thread and a needle to mark the velcro at the right length. Someone needs to buy some and try them out!

score another point for the hardhat, all plastic, UV resistant, cheap but unproven strap sounds like a project for the board modifiers yout there with their hydrofoils, split rails etc

I like Kus's idea. You could market them under the name "DaHate".

Sounds like the rinsing of the Martin straps is more precautionary to reduce the effects of sand or dirt on the dial mechanism. This isn't much of a problem on our rocky beaches.

On a tangent, Dave's point about straps releasing the foot at the right moment is a good one. I've been running my straps bigger and bigger over the years to help with carving and now, looping. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I had my first ever foot injury from getting stuck in the back strap during an over-rotated forward. Partly I think this happened because booties seem to stick or lock the foot in the strap a bit easier. I've had this happen on lots of over rotated backloops as well, where you get around, realise that you are still too high and let go of the sail. The mast goes downwind and points to the water and the foot is effectively pinned between the strap and the board. Having the strap too small creates other problems as well, such as less control and a tendency to have the foot come out when you'd really rather have it in the strap. So which is better? Tighter or looser? Should a strap be wider or narrower? Both set ups present different safety/comfort issues. The top wavesailors and freestyle guys all seem to sail with large straps (lots of foot in the strap). I've heard good arguments for both. What do you all think?

I had a set of wide Neil Pryde 3D straps which looked like velcro versions of the Martins. They were the most comfy straps I've used but they absorbed a ton of water and the velcro adjustment straps would let go on jump landings, making the straps open too much. I got rid of them for these reasons. I also tried the DaKine Core Contour straps and they were fantastic for their connection to the board, but they would turn the top of a bare foot into a chain of raw, oozing, bloody volcanoes from the friction . They were also stupidly expensive for a piece of plastic that likes to savage your feet!

Strap technology seems way behind the other techy areas of windsurfing. It's cool to see new ideas develop. This is why I'm a bit more interested in the Martin straps. Hopefully I get to try 'em soon. I'll keep you posted.

i like em semi-loose without the oozing volcanos please and say NO to bootays