Toe straps

[cedric]

I have been upgrading bits on my new acquisition and notice that the toes straps are rather frayed. While they are probably strong enough I would probably have more confidence in new ones but looking at the boat it looks as though I would need to completely take the boat apart, unlace tramp and split the boat so I could slide the new ones into the rear beam.
Is this correct as it seems a lot of effort to go to?

[George Stephen]

Hi Cedric,

Unless you have a really old Spark (which had a different method of fitting different toe straps) you need to take the cat apart to remove the old toe straps and fit new ones.

Mine wore around the harsh metal fitting through which the toe strap material passes. When I got new straps I placed some car selt belt material between the metal and the toe strap to take the bulk of any future wear - I can replaced this cheaply as needed. I happened to have this car seat belt material to hand, but I wouldn't expect this to be common! Use some strong material which you have to hand....

Note that some vintages of Dart 15 were fitted with toe straps that went round fittings attached to the front beam with velcro to secure them. I still use them, but others have reverted to the normal ones that are tied round the front beam and through the tramp. So if you order some new ones, make sure you order what you want, including "string" if necessary.

If you leave it too long, you may find a toe strap parts just when you're hiking like mad in a Force 6......

[Charles]

Cedric

Also make sure the toe strap material is thick enough, I had some which were manufactired by a well known firm, but were about 1/2 the thickness of my old ones & they just curled up so it was like putting your feet under a rope, not comfortable. I reverted back to my old straps & haven't bothered looking for new ones.

Charles.

[Bob Carter]

Hi Cedric
You are right - you do have to take the boat apart to change the toe straps and it does seem a fag - especially to a new owner. People that do it regularly (like Erling & others from the Isle of Wight) get really quick at it but most of us have trailers and do it infrequently. What I suggest you do is to buy a replacement set of toe straps and keep them at the ready for when an opportunity to fit them arises. On boat 1201 they should just be the simple toestraps that are currently available. The ones with Velcro that are referred to above are no longer available & were rubbish.
Cheers
Bob
PS I hope that you get to Angmering at the weekend - it is very local to you and it will be good to meet the fleet and to compare boats & pick up tips.
PPS Charles - it would be good if you name & shame the supplier who sold you the thin toe straps. That way others can go elsewhere.

[Brian Phipps]

Better than name and shame may first be let the manufactures know, may be they are not aware of the problem? Certainly if it was us at Windsport we would want to know and look to put it right.
Thanks
Brian

[Carl from Gurnard]

One of my toe straps broke (when I had a 3 minute lead in a race in the Sport Nationals) due to the metal part that is attached to the plastic bit that goes into the rear beam being filed too thin. I can only assume that this was done to ease its insertion into the beam slot. The Windsport replacements were not filed down and look considerably stronger. However they were a very tight fit into the slot and required banging into place with some considerable force. Now they are in position they do not look like they will slide or break and I am very pleased with them.

[cedric]

I fitted the new toe straps after I got back from the ODC on Sunday with no troubles, it was interesting to see how the boat was fastened and I think I got it back together OK!

[Bob Carter]

For general information - the toestraps from Windsport (South Africa) have reverted to the bolt rope fixing at the rear (like the old boats). Cedric should not have noticed a difference on #1201. So the rear slug fitting has been removed. This was a consequence of the failures of the slug (as described above). The Dart 18s agreed to this as they were having similar failures and Collins wanted to keep both boats as similar as possible.