Swapping the pads — regular / goofy

Swapping the pads — regular / goofy

Watch the walkthrough

Watch on YouTube ↗ · JETSURF USA — new owner series #4. Timestamps below follow the video's on-screen counter (0:43–3:36).

A board ships set up for one stance — regular or goofy. To switch it (or to share one board between riders with different stances), you turn both pads around so they end up on opposite sides. It's a straightforward job; the two things to get right are the bolt lengths and not cross-threading anything.

Tools

• 4 mm Allen key (the hole-cover bolts)
• 5 mm Allen key (the pad bolts)

Steps

1. 0:43 — With the 4 mm Allen key, remove the small cover bolts from the unused mounting holes. (They're only there to keep sand and dirt out.)
2. 1:11 — Switch to the 5 mm Allen key for the pads. Each pad has four bolts.
3. 1:24 — Undo the four bolts on the first pad and lift it off.
4. 1:32 — Because you're changing which foot is forward, each pad moves to the opposite side — the left pad becomes the right pad and vice versa. A pad won't fit correctly on its original side turned around.
5. 2:01 — Set the pad on its new side and line up the screws carefully with the holes.
6. 2:10 — Start every bolt loosely by hand first. Cross-threading here is easy — use the hand Allen key, not an electric driver.
7. 2:26 — Once all four are started, nip them up until they're tight enough — no more.
8. 2:35 — Match the bolt lengths: the front bolt is slightly longer than the back bolt, because the strap sits under the front mount. Right bolt, right hole.
9. 2:51 — Fit the second pad on the other side the same way.
10. 3:00 — Line up the first hole loosely, then drop the next bolt in. Turning a bolt backwards a couple of turns first helps it find the thread without cross-threading.
11. 3:27 — Put the cover bolts back into the now-empty holes to keep sand and dirt out.