What masts, extension and boom are you using? We might be able to help you save about 1kg there btw.
Select to expand quoteJakeNN said..Rob0104 said..
Thanks for all your comments, great laugh, and if I get round to visiting WA I'll be sure to look sail repair guy up, even if the end result is a smack in the mouth.
cheers all Rob
Thanks for all the sarcasm.
Do you really need to threaten the guy?
I'm pretty sure he's a far better windsurfer than you ..
www.pwaworldtour.com/index.php?id=7&tx_pwasailor_pi1%5BshowUid%5D=674&cHash=8f555190ccd4376aba35d53e6bf7ebda
The implication was I'd get the smack u muppet
Select to expand quoteRob0104 said..
I hope this clears up any doubts regarding my findings. I'm delighted to learn that our WA cousins are a lot more sensitive than we winey poms give you credit for.
Could be because heaps of the 10 pound poms jumped ship in Perth 
Select to expand quoteRob0104 said..
Hi All,
just back from the first Irish event of 2019, sadly not ranked as the call was made last night that wind forecast was too light, but fun racing would take place. Delighted to say I won thanks to my super lightweight footstraps, no other variable counted, sail size, board size , fin size , tuning all of the above or hours on the water practising in all conditions, more tuning , more practise , yet more tuning and practise. None of that mattered it was all down to the straps.
I've taken the time to read all your lovely comments ,finding it all very amusing. loving that healthy discussion is alive and well. Clearly I've rubbed a few people up the wrong way by dissing Sail repair guy for plugging his gear on this forum, I was deliberately going over the top for a reaction. I do agree with just about everything he said ,and to clear up any confusion the only advantage with a lighter board , straps and fin is when getting planning once up and running the weight saved is only a benefit when carrying back to the rigging area. I cant even fault the guy for getting a bit of free advertising via this forum, I'd do the same if I was trying to sell windsurf gear. A penny saved is a penny earned and all that crap.
Regarding this type of footstrap, if the weight saved was the only advantage I wouldn't bother with then . tonyk who earlier in this friendly discussion confirmed that they are durable is nice to know. I sailed with them once before customising them and didn't like them at all. All of the issues listed by everyone were very apparent on that first use. However, trimming , sanding and shaping the inside of the straps has for me ,addressed these problems. The nature of their design allows for this, as I suspect the designers allowed for. After all we all have different shaped and size of feet.
Traditional straps Like the Simmer Style (brand plug intended) also need a bit of adjustment to get right when new. It is a big advantage that these adjustments can be carried out at the beach. However as they bed in and lose some of their rigidity they will need tightened and become prone to squashing down if accidently stepped on , or am I the only windsurfer this has ever happened to. I like most people prefer softer traditional straps and thought I'd give the unifiber's a go, I will be getting another set for my mid slalom board but wont bother in any other boards. The main advantage as far as I can see with the lightweight straps is holding their shape if stepped on.
I hope this clears up any doubts regarding my findings. I'm delighted to learn that our WA cousins are a lot more sensitive than we winey poms give you credit for.
Thanks for all your comments, great laugh, and if I get round to visiting WA I'll be sure to look sail repair guy up, even if the end result is a smack in the mouth.
cheers all Rob
Were you at the Red Bull Storm Chase?
Select to expand quoteSparky said..Rob0104 said..
Hi All,
just back from the first Irish event of 2019, sadly not ranked as the call was made last night that wind forecast was too light, but fun racing would take place. Delighted to say I won thanks to my super lightweight footstraps, no other variable counted, sail size, board size , fin size , tuning all of the above or hours on the water practising in all conditions, more tuning , more practise , yet more tuning and practise. None of that mattered it was all down to the straps.
I've taken the time to read all your lovely comments ,finding it all very amusing. loving that healthy discussion is alive and well. Clearly I've rubbed a few people up the wrong way by dissing Sail repair guy for plugging his gear on this forum, I was deliberately going over the top for a reaction. I do agree with just about everything he said ,and to clear up any confusion the only advantage with a lighter board , straps and fin is when getting planning once up and running the weight saved is only a benefit when carrying back to the rigging area. I cant even fault the guy for getting a bit of free advertising via this forum, I'd do the same if I was trying to sell windsurf gear. A penny saved is a penny earned and all that crap.
Regarding this type of footstrap, if the weight saved was the only advantage I wouldn't bother with then . tonyk who earlier in this friendly discussion confirmed that they are durable is nice to know. I sailed with them once before customising them and didn't like them at all. All of the issues listed by everyone were very apparent on that first use. However, trimming , sanding and shaping the inside of the straps has for me ,addressed these problems. The nature of their design allows for this, as I suspect the designers allowed for. After all we all have different shaped and size of feet.
Traditional straps Like the Simmer Style (brand plug intended) also need a bit of adjustment to get right when new. It is a big advantage that these adjustments can be carried out at the beach. However as they bed in and lose some of their rigidity they will need tightened and become prone to squashing down if accidently stepped on , or am I the only windsurfer this has ever happened to. I like most people prefer softer traditional straps and thought I'd give the unifiber's a go, I will be getting another set for my mid slalom board but wont bother in any other boards. The main advantage as far as I can see with the lightweight straps is holding their shape if stepped on.
I hope this clears up any doubts regarding my findings. I'm delighted to learn that our WA cousins are a lot more sensitive than we winey poms give you credit for.
Thanks for all your comments, great laugh, and if I get round to visiting WA I'll be sure to look sail repair guy up, even if the end result is a smack in the mouth.
cheers all Rob
Were you at the Red Bull Storm Chase?
Hi Sparky , I went up for both days. Magheraroarty is my main beach for wave riding, I have sailed it in all conditions up to around 50ft waves so I know the beach really well.
On the 1st day it looked like a good fun day, up to mast high, good wind direction and plenty of it although it was bloody cold. I did feel for some of the guys who probably hadn't sailed in anything like the temperatures that day. Some super jumping, serious height 50+ ft easy.
The second day was a bit warmer plus all the guys were a bit hardened to the temperature. The conditions though were something else. A lot of the guys who were watching didn't truly appreciate how horrible they were. Some seriously nasty sets , the wind was not a great direction and gusting from 2.0 to 8.0 sail size, Kosher was on a 3.4 I believe. I'm not squeamish about going out in some wild conditions but to me it looked unsailable. I bumped into Oisin Van Geldern, probably the the best ever Irish windsurfer and he agreed (Oisin took part in the 1st storm chase allthose years ago)
To be fair to all the pros they really went for it. None of them held back, unbelievable skills , fitness and balls. While I have sailed there on bigger wave days I would not have launched into those conditions. This was proper storm unsailable superheroes only stuff. Respect to all involved.
I've Seen guys go out there in 1/4 as bad conditions, get mullered in the 1st 5 mins and never sail there again.
Sailing on cold days in waves saps your energy really quickly and they were out for 20 min sessions pushing it to the limit.
I must watch the red bull video, I took a few pictures and some footage the first day before deciding to content myself with the red bull camera crew footage.
If any of you guys ever visit our cold wet country I'll be happy to take you round whichever spots are working, some world class down the line when the conditions are right. Check out my review of the Loft Wavescape, the pictures are me at Maheroraty on the Friday 3 days after the chase.
cheers Rob
And of course you are very welcome to come out here and enjoy the warmth of sunny WA. You will probably get a good rate on some simmer gear down at our local shop.
Have you been before?
50ft plus the 400g advantage.
I'm wondering what straps are best for holding feet in as one backpedals?
Select to expand quoteRob0104 said..JakeNN said..
What's the weight difference when wet? They looked dry in your previous photo which is irrelevant.
I'm a bit bored with these obtuse observations and questions. Do you really think they weren't wet.
Not as bored as some of us.
Hate the lightweight ones, some of my Starboard Isonics came with them and they would rub my feet raw! Thankfully my new 2019 Isonic has the comfy ones!
Select to expand quotescottydog said..
Hate the lightweight ones, some of my Starboard Isonics came with them and they would rub my feet raw! Thankfully my new 2019 Isonic has the comfy ones!
Hi scottydog, I definitely wouldn't want to wear them barefoot. Starboard have always been fairly innovative , remember the Fish a few years ago, it was out there at the time. As someone at starboard identified that lighter had benefits , it's a wonder they don't offer a choice of either lightweight or comfy with their bigger race boards for pre orders given that there was always going to be an issue with barefoot sailors. Especially given the cost of boards these days. How do the new Isonics compare to last years?
hi all, sorry to bump this post back up, but I have another benefit with light weight straps to point out. They dry really quickly when back at the beach , as board manufactures don't recommend putting wet boards into board bags as it can lead to delamination , this can be very beneficial especially in colder countries where straps can be very slow to dry out.
cheers all
Hi Rob0104 Ive noticed on most stock straps after a while the neoprene wears very thin on the strap where the strap starts to bend upwards, close to where the screws hold it flat, and then the webbing gets exposed and rubs on the lower sides of my feet, just wondered how well padded is this part of the unifibre strap and how soft is the foam that rubs on the top of your feet compared to standard straps, cause the foam looks quite thick.
Select to expand quoteR1DER said..
Hi Rob0104 Ive noticed on most stock straps after a while the neoprene wears very thin on the strap where the strap starts to bend upwards, close to where the screws hold it flat, and then the webbing gets exposed and rubs on the lower sides of my feet, just wondered how well padded is this part of the unifibre strap and how soft is the foam that rubs on the top of your feet compared to standard straps, cause the foam looks quite thick.
Hi Rider, the foam is thicker on the middle part of the strap and tapers thinner before the screw holes. I rounded the edges and took 1-2 mm off the foam at this thicker part. I haven't used them bare foot and don't intend to. As the foam is quite firm I suspect that they would be quite hard on bare skin but I really cannot verify this . I've been training quite a bit this past few weeks with them on my 116 and 135 slalom boards, wearing boots or shoes, I have a few different brands of boots and shoes but my favourite are Atan 3mm boots split toe or rounded , or their summer shoes. As they are latex they have a great feeling and enter and exit straps nicely. The only downside is their price. But compared to wearing holes on the top of my feet or sailing with feet like ice I'm happy to pay the bit extra. Having said that I have pro limit boots and really like them , they are probably 1/2 the price and preform really well.
It might be worth buying 1 lightweight strap and trying before committing to a full set. Personally I am liking them more as I've sailed with them longer. They won't be for everyone but like wearing shoes or boots when windsurfing once you get used to the feel the difference isn't an issue.
Select to expand quoteRob0104 said..R1DER said..
Hi Rob0104 Ive noticed on most stock straps after a while the neoprene wears very thin on the strap where the strap starts to bend upwards, close to where the screws hold it flat, and then the webbing gets exposed and rubs on the lower sides of my feet, just wondered how well padded is this part of the unifibre strap and how soft is the foam that rubs on the top of your feet compared to standard straps, cause the foam looks quite thick.
Hi Rider, the foam is thicker on the middle part of the strap and tapers thinner before the screw holes. I rounded the edges and took 1-2 mm off the foam at this thicker part. I haven't used them bare foot and don't intend to. As the foam is quite firm I suspect that they would be quite hard on bare skin but I really cannot verify this . I've been training quite a bit this past few weeks with them on my 116 and 135 slalom boards, wearing boots or shoes, I have a few different brands of boots and shoes but my favourite are Atan 3mm boots split toe or rounded , or their summer shoes. As they are latex they have a great feeling and enter and exit straps nicely. The only downside is their price. But compared to wearing holes on the top of my feet or sailing with feet like ice I'm happy to pay the bit extra. Having said that I have pro limit boots and really like them , they are probably 1/2 the price and preform really well.
It might be worth buying 1 lightweight strap and trying before committing to a full set. Personally I am liking them more as I've sailed with them longer. They won't be for everyone but like wearing shoes or boots when windsurfing once you get used to the feel the difference isn't an issue.
Thanks for all the info, I was going to buy a set, but overall I think I'm going to save my money, too many variables that may not work for me
When I used to make boards commercially, one of the most common requests was for the board to be as light as possible yet strong. When guys check out a board it's weight is a common topic. Other windsurf manufacturers are always promoting lighter boards, lighter sails, lighter masts. Lighter board are supposed to get planing earlier. I can understand there might be some early planing benifits if a lighter board. I'm keen to give them a go.
Anyone want to part/sell/give me some new or used unifiber footstraps??? 
Dakine used to make a lightweight version of the normal Velcro strap, look them up and ask if they're still available, I have used them and would be a better option for bare feet. I never weighed them wet but they were definitely lighter than normal straps.
Select to expand quoteR1DER said..
When I used to make boards commercially, one of the most common requests was for the board to be as light as possible yet strong. When guys check out a board it's weight is a common topic. Other windsurf manufacturers are always promoting lighter boards, lighter sails, lighter masts. Lighter board are supposed to get planing earlier. I can understand there might be some early planing benifits if a lighter board. I'm keen to give them a go.
Anyone want to part/sell/give me some new or used unifiber footstraps???
I agree Rider most like their gear light as possible from top to bottom and always have done, I don't think this will ever change in any sport or hobby
Hey if anyone is getting rid of their old straps on the back of these!! send me a PM. Just got a 50 dollar board and dont want to spend more than it on straps.
Dakine do have a similar lightweight strap which appears to have a cover, probably a better option for bare feet. Not sure of weight when wet, anyone got a set please let us know
