Hey All,
Kind of doing a public service announcement for Liquid Force and for everyone out there.
All 2009 Liquid Force bindings come with a mounting plate with a six inch spread hole pattern. They WILL fit on any previous year boards with a 7" or 8" insert pattern, however stance options will be more limited. If you use the new 6 inch plate bindings on the old 8 inch spread boards (without their retrofit locks-sold separately) then you can put the boots in the 2 central options for stances. You will not be able to go all the way out, or all the way in. If you use the new bindings on the 7 inch spread boards (without the retrofit locks-sold separately), you will have the inside and center stance available. You will not be able to be all the way out.
In order to achieve the full range of stance options on all previous model year boards, or boards from other manufacturers (not using a 6" spread), we are offering the 8" Retrofit Angle Locks (image attached). With these, you don't loose anything versus the old plates when mounting to a 7" or 8" hole pattern. Basically, the Retrofit Locks turn your plate into a 7 inch plate if you use one of them, and an 8 inch plate if you use both of them, so they enable the new bindings to fit onto old boards exactly the same way that an old pair of bindings would fit. The retrofit kit is available at this link
http://www.perfski.com/Wakeboards/Wakeboard-Boot-Parts/2009-Liquid-Force-Retro-Lock-Kit.html?CFID=4430286&CFTOKEN=24398137 and retails for $14.99 for the set of four.
I'll attach a summary sheet of all this below. Hope this helps and saves you some aggro down the line. Its a good change...but you need to know the facts up front.
Bill @ Performance.
www.perfski.com First: their reason for the change:
Why has Liquid Force continued to narrow the insert spread and plate width on our boards and bindings?
1) A narrower plate has less leverage to pull out an insert in case of a loose or lost mounting screw. The wider the plate, the more leverage the binding can exert on the board. Think about using a long bar to pry up a heavy object versus a short one.
2) Also, the wider the plate, the larger the "stiff zone" created
in the board. This reduces natural board flex and creates a weaker point under extreme stress.
3) Finally, a narrower plate weighs less and looks better! Bottom line - Narrower plates are stonger, and keep your board stronger and flexing more naturally thoughout the length of the
board.