some people have suggested it like on this thread from Paul Jensen:
http://www2.swaylocks.com/node/1028693
but, has anyone actually tried it?
if so, any tips? 1/8" or 1/16"? what glue did you use? how's the grip?
i'm thinking 1/8" with 3M super 90 spray adhesive.
I can’t imagine it would be durable enough. And if it started crumbling, you’d have a real mess on your hands.
I’ve seen cork tiles being sold for flooring, so there may be something that is durable. The stuff I use for rails is not durable enough to stand up to the punishment a surfboard deck gets.
As an experiment I ordered foam from an online store (can’t remember) in 1/2" thick rolls. I bought what they called their gymnastics pad which is the same stuff wetsuits are made from and I bought something else that was I think polyethylene? It was supposed to be closed cell so I glued that to the deck of my sit on top paddle board. It is very light and spongy, but it will suck water along the cut edge. I have not used the other roll yet. It’s at least twice as heavy. I used epoxy resin the glue the foam on, then I covered the deck with hollow tile blocks.
Way back in the mid 70’s Oneula glued up a 1/8" sheet of wetsuit material on one of his Iggy boards as a traction pad. We all laughed, but I guess he was way ahead of his time. He used contact cement, and it eventually lifted off in some spots. I don’t remember how long it lasted, but by the time I bought the board from him, it didn’t have the pad.
One of my problems I have with traction pads is the abrasive rash I get from them. My knees would get rash from rubbing them when I paddled. I think I only have one board with a pad and I don’t ride it anymore. I know they help get that perfect rear foot placement, but I don’t like them.
I wonder if Slater and all the rest would be able to surf as well as they do if they were on a board without traction pads? What would surfing be like if we didn’t have all these crutches like traction pads, and leashes?
[img_assist|nid=1049042|title=cork tracpad|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=640|height=541]From Synergy Surfboards and they hold up great.
I have the HD cork flooring tiles and the soft cork sheets for rails if you want to play around.
after talking to you about those, i think i'm going to get a couple from SynergyTodd if he's got some left... i'm thinking about doing a front foot patch with the flat stuff. if you've got some, i'll take it off your hands and be the guinea pig. thanks