Forums DIY and Mods 2 Easy Ways to Stiffen Strap Bindings Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total) Author Posts March 1, 2006 at 6:24 am #567573 SanFrantastico 1514 Posts Apologies in advance for a long post, but I had to indulge my inner geek… When I first set up my split I was pretty unhappy with how sloppy the connection was between the binding and board. I think that part of the problem is that the bindings overhang the slider plate by about an inch on each side, which creates leverage so that you can really torque & twist the binding’s base plate. Also, I think that Voile put too much rubber between the board and the bindings, which contributes to a sloppy connection. Here are two cheap & easy fixes that stiffen things up quite a bit. First, I ditched the slider track gaskets: There is already rubber underneath the pucks, and most bindings have some rubber or foam damping under the foot, so I think that the slider track gasket is overkill. And since it is right under the base plate, next to the overhang, you can really mash this gasket, which introduces a ton of slop. If you ever get a chance, grab the highback on your binding and tweak it see how much wiggle there is. Unfortunately, without the gaskets, the mounting screws stick out beyond the T-nuts, which you can see here for one of the T-nuts: That makes it so the slider track won’t slide over the pucks. I fixed that by doubling up the washers on top of the disk, so the screws would’nt stick down so much. The washers cost 25 cents each, so this project cost $2.00 and took 20 minutes. I did this with a pair of Ride bindings that have a good, stiff aluminum base plate. The metal-on-metal connection is 100% solid and the only flex is in the board itself and a little bit in the rubber gaskets under the pucks. You get very nice edge control with this setup, in my opinion. I also have some Burton Mission bindings and for them, ditching the slider track gasket didn’t help at all because the plastic base plates are so @#! flexible, especially mounted on the slider track. Here’s an easy way to stiffen up plastic bindings: I just drilled two new holes through the base plate and screwed the heel of the base plate down to the slider track using a pair of T-nuts. It was really easy because the base plate is plastic and you can use the holes in the slider track to guide the drill. Use a 5/16†Putting the poo in swimming pool since 1968. March 1, 2006 at 3:54 pm #587168 Ecobrad 2068 Posts Sweet dude, good work. March 1, 2006 at 4:30 pm #587169 TEX 2486 Posts Thanks SF, I was looking at my set-up over the weekend and was wanting to do something just like that. Hows the surf been up there? March 1, 2006 at 4:52 pm #587170 powderjunkie 1669 Posts nice tweak. I’ve stopped using a plastic baseplate for a split for that exact reason – too much slop and lifting. March 1, 2006 at 7:35 pm #587171 mergs 100 Posts i have the same setup (voile and missions) and i noticed the same flexiness. that is a nice mod, and thanks for posting it! March 1, 2006 at 7:45 pm #587172 SanFrantastico 1514 Posts Hows the surf been up there? We got our ‘Fabulous February’ this year, where the skies cleared, a hot wind blew offshore and the big west swells came rolling in. I got three epic days in but missed out on some of the action because I was in the mountains. You know your lifestyle is dialed-in when you find yourself agonizing over whether to go surfing or snowboarding, but I don’t have to tell you that… PS I hope your California Splitfeast happens this spring… I pledge 3 dozen Tomales Bay Oysters for the barbie and a 1/2 case of Pacifico! Putting the poo in swimming pool since 1968. Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total) You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
