Moving from a 7’2" fun board to a retro fish. Is there a need for the traction pad? or is it more personal preference? Curious what you all have to say.
I’d say no.
i grew up on singles, then early 80s twins, and was always shifting stance forward into trim. doens’t really work too well on thrusters, where you’re pretty much alway surfing off the tail. more than anything else, more than traction, the pads helped keep me on the tail. like a reference for my back foot.
i’m back on TK Fish and single fins… don’t feel i need them at all.
no traction on retro fish. Tract pads are more for judging exactly how close you are to the tail on boards that must be ridden off of the tail. a fish normally is small enough, and designed to be ridden far enough forward that you aren’t as far back.
Thanks for the responses…that’s exactly what I was looking for!
I put a pad on everything as a crutch to help remind me where the back of the board is.
I have a bad habit of trying to do all my business from the middle…personal preferences.
generally my feet are across the pins so the pad would be to far forward. this is the reason i dont like fish. i rekon they are better off perhaps left square across the tail so you can get your foot back
you could notch a V into a mal tail pad. thought about doing that. my back foot is always slipping off those friggin fish
my advice is forget about fish. simon invented the thruster for a reason
they go better
before i say absolutely not i will disclaim it. my neighbor lets me surf his twinny sometimes with a pad. it can be nice in choppier waves when you need some footing. generally they retros shouldn’t have a pad.
No
Cheers
Mooneemick
Personally I havent used a traction pad for a while now. But I do feel they are good for preventing either delamination or pressure dents from your back foot.
I’ve been using a Versa grip traction pad which is basically opaque when out of the water but fairly clear when wet on my carbon fibre board.
So you have no worries about melting wax and good grip to boot.
Doesn’t look at odds with old school fish style either.