Deck pad material source

General Discussion
1

So I found a source for EVA foam sheet at reasonable

prices with a small minimum order. I needed to make

some deck pads for lifeguard paddleboards because I’m

tired of fixing deck delams caused by thin decks and

knee paddling.

Metro Industries in Grandview, Missouri, carries all

kinds of foam and rubber. This is the price list for

foam:

http://www.metrogasket.com/sponge-sheet-prices.htm

And this is the properties list:

http://www.metrogasket.com/closed-cell-sponge-rubber-specifications.htm

I got 2 full 49" x 90" sheets of 4 pound per cubic foot

density EVA foam in 3/8" thickness, in grey. I believe black

is also available, but I wanted to cut down on heat buildup

while the boards are sitting out in the sun. It feels like

pretty much the same stuff from which my Force Field

lifeguard competition board’s knee pads are made.

Their minimum order is only $45, which is waaaaay lower

than the other suppliers of foam I’ve found. The EVA foam

is available in sheets from 1/16" thick to 2" thick, and

they carry a few blends of neoprene foam, too.

I ordered the foam, it showed up here on Cape Cod about

a week and a half later. No problems.

2

Good find. Did you try these guys?

http://www.canalrubber.com/

I haven’t ordered yet so don’t know about minimum order, but they do have good prices and carry a lot of colors.

3

Try this source; lots of colors and textures. Bond it down with contact cement.

http://www.northshoreinc.com/deckpadz.htm

4

Are you guys crazy?! There’s MONEY to be made with resources like this! Now all you need is some packaging with cool graphics, a distributor and bingo!

5

I bought some sponge rubber in the camping dept of my local sporting goods mega-retailer. Its used under sleeping bags and does not absorb water…convoluted on one side about 1/2 thick. A sheet 2.5 by 6 ft costs $15. I trimmed to size and use it on my paddle board…a mint condition 9.5ft eps/epoxy slalom sailboard that costs me a whopping $30…this board probably cost $800 new…a literal steal.

6

Every year I have somebody who comes by the surf shop:

“Hey, man, you wanna buy a (windsurfer/sailboard/insert sailboard brand name here ) ?”

me: “Ah, nah, man, not my market, y’know?”

“Well,” they say " you want it for free?"

I don’t know if it’s planned obsolescence or what, but it seems like you (literally ) can’t give them away after they are just a few years old. It seems like all the cars that were going by with sailboards on top now have those roto-molded kayaks on 'em instead. Sic transit gloria mundi, I guess…

doc…

oh, and Patrick, let me know how those deck pads work out. You and I both know how many lifeguard paddleboards there are around here in need of deck pads. Let alone the recreational paddlers. And I’d be ( evil grin ) delighted to send 'em to ya.