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In search of the perfect RTP..


Wish
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I was using double hard shell Reflex like Terry Winter until this past fall when I just started using the R Style Reflex with a full thin Reflex liner. I like it. I can tighten it up over the top of my foot and feel almost as secure as a the rear boot without the rear binding plate hardware drag. I can slip my rear foot out without difficulty both during a crash or upon finishing a set. While I’m still trying to figure out the ideal rear liner, (The Reflex R Style liner is pretty thick and the Reflex thin liner is unnecessarily tall) skiing has continued to improve, I feel safe & in control. Not recommended if you need or want to drag a foot when getting up.
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The second from left looks like one I made up back in the late 1970's before I went to double boots. I really liked that, it let my heel come up but didn't move left to right. I have been thinking of going back to something like that instead of wearing my back Radar boot loose. I really felt weird in just a RTP without the heel.
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@Wish I thought posting that video was fun, the RTP is an adjustable radar with a thick footbed, heavily modified. Front of the footbed was cut to allow the foot to come as close to the front boot as possible. The rear was cut to fit a cut down Wiley’s heel piece.

The guy’s rear foot is smaller and leg shorter after an accident years ago and he couldn’t find any RTP that fits right. Thick footbed compensates for the short leg and the heel piece keeps the foot in place. ccirgoa9o2t5.jpeg

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@Wish I’m not sure what your point or question is here. My “dislike” was because all your pics have a really thick footbed. IMO the best kicker has a very thin, or only nonskid between your foot and plate. The best rtp will allow you to jam your foot in for a very snug fit and hold the front half of your foot firmly. Simpler is better

If it was easy, they would call it Wakeboarding

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Bruce, no questions just seeing what people think of diff style RTPs. I'm riding all of them. Look closer..2 of the plates are as u describe..really thick. And 1 is thin and 1 is thin-ish. It's a mixed bag. Feel free to undislike.? Tried the thick lace one today. I have to say it was a surprise and that's after coming off a thin one over the past several weeks. I'll sorta run them down once I get passes on each. I will definitively say double boots can hold a skier back, Reflex Rstyle is better but a straight up RTP is now showing way more promise having transitioned to and skied on the Rstyle for a yr now. It's still an adjustment even from the Rstyle but man...there IS improvements to my skiing. Surprisingly so.
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@Wish where have your biggest improvements been

I've also been on double boots forever and double reflex for the past three years. Every pro or pro coach I ski with says get rid of that rear boot. So I finally picked up a Wiley's RTP and will start on it next week.

I think I'll be lucky to make a deep water start

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My three rear plates, Radar HRT on the right. Half boot hardshell, half boot semi hard and HRT. The semi hard and HRT have bungee laces. All three work equally well for me. I am most comfortable with buckles instead of laces, personal preference. But after using double boots forever, I changed and agree, I ski better without the full rear boot.

bttiuju1akbd.jpeg

I use a very low cut liner in the two shells to free up my rear ankle movement.

Mike's Overall Binding

USA Water Ski  Senior Judge   Senior Driver   Senior Tech Controller

 

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@DSP you can buy them. Friend of mine had one. She felt the durability was questionable and now has a tall one. She uses a Velcro strap at the top to keep it closed around her upper ankle.
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@jimski took me 3 months to get back to where I was or at least close. And that was using a Reflex Rstyle with a tall insert strapped at the top to "feel" like I had a double boot. But now the transition to a straight up RTP is progressing quickly from one set to the next.
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@Rednucleus the short answer is that the rear boot can adversely affect your stance on the ski, resulting in an inability to get your center of mass over your front foot. Most current ski designs require more front foot pressure and less rear leg input to maximize performance.

Mike's Overall Binding

USA Water Ski  Senior Judge   Senior Driver   Senior Tech Controller

 

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I like my HRT. Bad thing is that its pretty much 1 size fits all. If you have a smaller foot it can result in more space between rear foot toe and front heel then you may want, since the hrt will have heel pushed all the way back. I cut off the excess padding on the front and remounted it more forward on the plate to allow rear toe to almost touch front boot. Once you do that, its great.
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@DaveD I was on a Wiley rear boot since day 1. Tried rear vapor a few years back but could not keep tip of ski down. I had some foot issues with circulation problems last summer and @RAWSki sent me a HRT. 2 sets in and I was loving it. I just have to make sure it holds the base of my foot down. Switching from the string to the BOA should help. I did not expect the success I had with it.
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That’s comforting to know. I got one over the winter but @RAWSki had me a little nervous with his poor experience. I’m also coming off a Wiley’s rear boot.

 

Do you recommend starting off the season with the HRT or make the change after dusting off the cobwebs?

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I might need a different thread for those who drag a foot and have to kick into the rear toe before the course. Because of lower back reasons I went to that some years back. I had an old HO RTP that worked like a charm kicking in, but the rubber finally tore out and I haven't found a replacement yet that kicks in as reliably and holds the foot in place all the time every time.
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I tried the Radar HRTP last summer and kind of hated it. I find with the HRTP I could not get my foot forward enough even after grinding the crap out of the plate and drilling new holes. Complete waste of money for me personally. Especially after I destroyed the plate for resale. :D

 

Additionally I do a lot of dock starts especially early and late season. I found the HRTP was not ideal for this. If it was loose enough to jam my foot in after dock start it was too loose for skiing. If it was tight enough for skiing it was too tight to get in once on the water.

 

I tried a bunch of stuff after that and ended up going back to the most basic Connelly rtp I could find.

 

I think it kind of comes down to taste and style. Learned my lesson ... only cost me like $300 when all was said and done. :D

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@ALPJr I love the Carbitex boot I run one as a front. I am a RTP guy but my issue with double Vapors (one of my ski partners uses them) is that it can be hard to get your feet close enough together. Looking at his bindings even with them as close as they can go because of the thickness of the outside boot, liner, gaps between the two and potentially not having your toe touching the front of the liner I think it can be hard to get the right separation. I would like to see the guy we ski with try something else but I don't think he will.
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@jercrane - do you have the same problem with regular radar RTP's? There is zero difference in where the front of the HRT plate mounts and where their RTP plates mount.

I start on one foot and then jam the rear foot in - however I don't want it tight. I use it so that I don't blow my rear heel out.

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@oldjeep I actually tried the boa regular RTP next and had some of the same issue but it was better. Still had to grind the plate but I could get close enough. The issue with the HRTP is that you can't start with your foot back but on the ski and then slam it forward. I like a pretty tight hold on the rtp strap. I skied on the boa rtp for like a month and then gave up on that too because of the thick foot bed and inability to attain a consistent foot location. I'm just better off with the basics I guess.
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a4tpdzznka7e.jpg

 

I use the Intuition liner with a rubber band (bicycle innertube with clips) holding the liner on my foot. The hardshell is cut down enough to kick in and the rubber strap (binding material) keeps a solid feel while still allowing the foot to kick in.

 

This tricks me into feeling like I have hardshells but still allowing the movement of a toe kicker. It is a bit difficult to kick in in a short setup but I got pretty good at it. Hurt my knee and needed to get up two footed and it worked for that as well. Not sure what I'll do this summer regarding one foot or two foot starts - good option to have.

 

I liked double boots for the safety of both in. Now the release of the front foot matters. Pair the front boot wisely with any RTP.

 

Eric

 

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The plate on the HRT shouldn't need to be trimmed, just the foam and plastic footbed, then the whole hrt can be moved forward on the plate. I did also have to trim out some of the foam to now access the top of the mounting screws once it was moved forward.

 

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Yes the Boa version only comes in the feather frame or did last year anyway. It has points that stick out the front. That’s the one I had to grind. I also had it on a Connelly GT so I had to grind the predrilled holes a bit to make it work. Yeah I totally mangled a pretty expensive RTP that turned out to be useless to me personally.
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I’ve been a double hard shell guy since 2005. Through out the years I’ve ran the rear shell looser and looser to try to get more mobility. I always wanted to try a kicker again but thought that there was no way that I would like it. This year, on a whim, I bought my better half an HRT feather and myself a HRT boa. I have one set on it so far, so far so good! I really like the boa and the heal cup. So far the only weird is that my ankle and toes got cold. Obviously I’m just taking it super easy now but all in all I think that it’s going to be an easy transition. Hopefully the Colorado weather will allow me to try it again this weekend.
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I did the same as @ScottScott with my HRT and it works fine that way, but I agree with @jercrane - kicking in is not really an option as long as you don’t like the binding to be very loose on your foot.

Luckily I start both feet in.

BTW - the HRT BOA is also available in the aluminum plate version.

It’s a bit costly though.

https://www.perfski.com/radar-2019-hrt-boa-aluminum-plate-standard.html

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