Water ski bindings are important because they ease the entry and exit of the water ski, help achieve maximum performance, aid in proper control and improve stability of the ski. Bindings are located on the ski and are between the skier’s foot and the ski, making them an important piece of equipment for skiers. Used by all skiers, bindings are responsible for holding the foot in the ski, in the correct position to avoid injury to the skier. They generally will have thick rubber that achieves extra lateral support, which will eliminate unwanted movement.
To make adjustments to the bindings, first get the foot and the bindings wet. Now remove the binding from the ski. Locate the horseshoes under the plate and unscrew the rear one. Achieving the correct fit, by pulling or loosening the rubber overlay, is important to the skier. Bindings can be moved .5” in either direction, but it is recommended that they be placed in the center of the ski and adjusted from there. Moving the bindings toward the back of the ski causes the tip of the ski to rise out of the water and the ski will lose angle across the wake. It is also recommended that the bindings not be moved forward of the original settings, even if it feels like the water is not breaking correctly. This is especially true for first time beginners. Making a forward adjustment causes problems with the turning of the ski. It is best to ski on the ski in question with the skier adjusting their weight and bringing the tip down by adjusting the fin, not with a binding movement. After the binding adjustment have been made, the horseshoe is now ready to be replaced and the binding can be screwed to the ski, using a #10 stainless steel sheet metal screw, 5/8” in length. The binding adjustments made can be test while skiing.
Installing the bindings to the ski begins with placing the front binding on the ski in the position determined by measuring the ski.
Now the binding are ready to be screwed into this position using the sheet metal screws and a power screwdriver with a #2 Phillips bit. Drilling a pilot hole is not necessary. Be careful not to over torque the screws while screwing them in with the power screwdriver. Hand tightening the last few threads of the screws will keep this from happening. After installing the front binding, install the rear one using the same steps that were used for the front bindings.
If the bindings are being remounted on a ski, check and make sure that the new screw holes are at least ¼” from the existing holes. Never allow a ski to have more than 24 holes, which are usually two sets of bindings. If a ski has more than 24 holes, it is likely to break, possibly causing an injury to the skier.
Water skiing is a very popular sport and can be safe as well as fun if the equipment is taken care of. Bindings are an important part of the equipment and should be treated as so.
