foot straps [jsc]

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jsc wrote:

can someone advise me as to how tight the hiking straps should be. Mine seem to be slack even when tightened to their limit.

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Charles replied:

Mine are the style with rope as opposed to velcro fasteners, which never seem to be tight enough.

I have mine pretty much bar tight, so it's fairly easy to get my toes under.

You could try getting yours cut down at the forward end & loops re-sewn to give you more adjustment.

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steve willis replied:

It is important to get the footstraps and the trampoline tight. Whilst the trampoline holds the boat together the combined tension should allow your toes to go under the starps but not your ankle.

We had a near miss a couple of years ago when someone capsized when their foot was through a strap beyond the ankle and they fell twisting and ended up hanging from the footstrap by their ankle with head potentially under water upside down - tests your situp capability! Luckily the patrol boat got there quickly to help extricate the helm.

As Charles says the ones where you use a rope to tie it off on the main beam give the best tension - there are different ways of tieing it as well.

Whatever, beware putting your foot under the straps more than about half your foot length.

Steve Willis

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jsc replied:

thanks for the comments. They confirm what I felt about my straps and about the danger of getting caught up in them during a capsize