Release binding (Reflex or other), long term storage?

[hemlock]

Just wondering for long term storage... should the shell be out?Or is it okay to leave the boot in? (Thinking about the spring mechanism)I'm guessing it likely won't make a difference, but just thought to ask.Thx!

[skialex]

@hemlock tension to the spring comes from the tension screw only. So if you feel that you need to protect the spring… you only have to back out the screw. But I wouldn’t worry about it much, the elements in the waterski environment, will drive you to change the spring or the release long before the load would damage it. I like to take my shell off anyway when I don’t use the ski. Dries faster and it’s easier to rinse it, we ski in salt water more than 50% of our sets, so rinsing well and wipe the ski and metal parts is important for longevity.

[Horton]

@hemlock I know a lot of skiers who store their gear with the release unlocked. The logic is that it is easier on the spring. @skialex makes an interesting point about the screw - IDK.

Personally, I leave my boot locked in the release most of the time and have never had an issue.

[dchristman]

Cut and paste of my reasoning for leaving it out from a previous thread:

I always remove my boot and I highly recommend you do particularly if you have the carbon plate.

One of my ski partners always left hers attached and had a couple pre-release incidents last year. She replaced the spring and still had a problem. I had her let me take a look at it before this season started and we ended up replacing both her boot and the plate with a G10 plate. My theory is that both items had taken a set to them from being attached constantly. The front toe-bar was tight on the plate, but it was angled forward a few degrees. The toe of the boot was flattened out a bit. This combination was non-optimal. The release system is composed of more than just the release mechanism - you need to pay attention to all the parts!

If you've had a carbon plate for any length of time take it off the ski and look at it. I bet it's not perfectly flat anymore.