Attaching Foot Straps

I have some nice , I think, Dakine(?) foot straps to mount on my wings. they come with self tapping screws, but folks on the Catsailor Forum have advised against using self tappers. What have other 17 sailors used? What is the best method for attaching them? I want to get another pair to mount on the hull lips, what's best there? Thanks! Brian

Our Tiger guys just mount the foot strap over the end of the cross bar. Seems there are two rivet holes holding the end cap on. They used self tapping screws. Seems to work fine. That would work on an FX1 as well.

I would use stainless rivets if trying to attach to a wing.

We would recommend bolts, washers, nuts and some silicone if you want to mount further aft on the hull.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

DO NOT PUT FOOTSTRAPS ON YOUR WINGS!
You don't need them.
The mounting screws quickly corrode the aluminum and weaken the wing.
They also distort the wing tramps.

Look at pictures from last years 17 & 18 NA's.
I couldn't find a single picture of a 17 with footstraps.
I haven't seen one in person for years, though I have seen a few with corroded holes in the frames.

A footstrap on the hull may be usefull.

Please use aluminium rivets in any case if you want to bolt anything onto the crossbars.
The crossbars are made of aluminium and bolting any screw/rivet in it (even stainless steel) that isn't made of the same material (aluminium) will cause contact corrosion on the crossbars.
Even worse if you're sailing in salt water.