i need a shoulder strap on my board because i’m a skinny wretch and hardly have the strength to drag the thing 5 feet much less an inch further. the board in question is a 12-6 starboard. i’ve also performed a similar operation on my jimmy11. and now so can you (more or less)!
The finished product on my shoulder — the easiest way to get where you’re going, especially if rocks and cliffs are involved! (please to notice the dents in the board right next to my hip and elbow. i tend to fall a lot, on my knees, right there…)
First thing I did was cut away a square piece of the padding where the insert will go. Don’t use Acetone to clean the area — it takes the paint right off. If you look closely, you see where I smudged it. Whoops!
Take the pad bit off carefully; you’re going to glue it back down once the insert has been installed.
Here’s the insert I used — made by Chinook, it’s a 1″ sailboard footstrap insert and costs .38 at http://www.fiberglasssupply.com/Product_Catalog/SurfSailcom/surfsailcom.html. Next to it is my trusty hole saw.
I used a hole saw to drill into the board. Go only to the depth of the plug. Then tape the area off so that no epoxy gets on the surface of the board.
Okay, so I filled the hole about 1/2 way with epoxy, shoved the insert in, put some plastic wrap on top and a weight on top of that, to keep the insert flush w/ the board. The next 3 shots show the insert after i pulled the tape off.
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I forgot to mention that you have to sand around the hole down to the fiberglass, so when you glass over the insert, the glass sticks. it won’t stick to paint or so i hear!
Here’s the color-matching guitar strap i bought. i was going to go w/ a jerry garcia one but common sense prevailed.
Close up of the insert after it’s been glassed on. I used 3 layers of glass. Ooops, i forgot to mention that you have to drill holes in the insert and plug them with masking tape before glassing. i drilled out the tape after all was said and done. with all these oops you can imagine the kind of craftsman i am. hey, i’m having fun and that’s what counts!
Before putting the pad back down, i made holes in it with toothpicks just as you see. genius level thinking on my part, what ho?
This shot and the next three show the finished product. This is one heavy board so i’m still a little concerned that something’s going to give, but at least i can get the thing down the rocks and into the water now. I know a growing number of boards have handles on ‘em but it’s the shoulder strap that really makes carrying these boards easier. I’m sure i left out a step or two, so if something doesn’t make sense, that might be why. Got questions? Fire away! And remember, when it comes to drilling into your brand-new 1000-bucks-plus-by-far board, no guts no glory, so tighten down the chuck, damn the torpedoes and let that white foam fly!
Nice job. I want to add a bunch of hard points to my Starboard. Now I have the nerve to drill. You may have created a monster.
LOL…I was thinking the same thing. Great job Linter.
That’s pretty ballsy to drill like you did. Keep us posted to how it holds up after a few months.
Linter,
I noticed that they sell one with a stainless steel threaded insert.
R65-5491 Single Post Foot Strap Insert, Northwest Surf Products
Pictured just below the one you bought.
You had to drill holes in yours? I’m not planning on a carry strap. I want some hard points to put lashings on for holding gear and for the fishing setup I’m making. Did yours have ribs on the sides? I can’t tell from the picture on their catalog page.
the 5491 looks great for easy-duty hard points. i just though, wrongly perhaps, that two holes would be better than one. that said, while my plugs have ribs, they’re not anywhere as nice as the 5491. i’d get those, maybe, if i do it again.
otoh, the inserts that i think might be the best, and the easiest to install, are these:
. i had a few of these for a bit but gave them back to my shaper pal in favor of the chinooks; but i’ve since been told that they’re the best. i might try to get ‘em back ….