I came across this info on having a sanded surfboard deck or using EVA foam (I think it's the stuff found on bodyboards) as a traction wax substitute. Has anyone ever tried a rough sanded surface or EVA foam on the deck? I guess basically you just sand the gloss coat rough with a rough grit sandpaper and it is suppose to provide enough traction. Or gluing EVA foam strips is the other method. I have an old board I might give this a try with. Any thoughts?
The info is found halfway down the page.
You can buy full length EVA traction pads for longboards and SUPs online or at most any SurfSuperStore. Back in the day full deck traction pads were as common as flourescent Miami Vice colors on wetsuits. Today, not so much, although the colors are coming back.
A couple months back someone was talking about doing a lam over the finished board of 4oz cloth as a deck patch and leaving it “raw” without a fill coat or sanding. Someone else mentioned mixing granulated sugar in with a finish coat laid out as a deck patch, and then washing the sugar out with water after the resin sets to leave some texture on the surface.
Personally, I’ve been using some of the spray-on deck traction the SUPs use. They use 3 coats of the stuff for a no-wax deck traction, and that works; but I found I like using a single coat in lieu of a wax basecoat and then skim over that lightly with regular wax. Lots less wax usage and the coverage stays even for the duration.
Be careful with the use of an abrasive surfacant on a surfboard - it will sand your wetsuit for you. Ask me how I know.
i wouldn;t mind having a full sup style pad on my 5'1 summer board that i like to leave in my ute during summer for quick surfs whenever. It would certainly save wax dripping everywhere in the tray and making a mess.
problem is finding something that doesn't tear your nipples to shreds.
I’ve been using Versatraction on my black carbon fibre boards for a few years. Excellent no wax alternative. I like it because no problem with melting wax which migrates around in board bags.
Also grab the board and hit the water convenience. All I have to do is remember to do up the bung in the breather valve on the board.
I’m guessing you may be in Australia…they don’t have an Australian distributor atm but I know one Sydneysider who was keen to buy some so you could order together as I paid $40 in freight for the kit pictured above.
I can PM you his contact details if you’re interested.
Here’s a link to their site.
http://www.versatraction.com/products/Fish-Board-Traction
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Hey thanks
that stuff looks liek exactly what I'm looking for. Actually I'm in Canada so I will check to see if they sell here.
I'm tired of the melting wax too, especially if I leave my board in the car with out a bag or it makes a mess in the board bag like you said!
No worries.
Sure it would be cheaper for postage to Canada but they should have a distributor there.
I wonder if the hydro turf takes on any water?
The thing I like about the versa traction is it’s thin and impervious to water so no added weight.
Looking at it closely it has small diamond shapes in it’s grip pattern.
Hydroturf gets wet and soaks some water, but couldn’t tell you how much. The better and lighter option would be xtrak. Closed cell foam that does not take on water and its thinner than hydroturf.
For those downunder, looks like this is the distributor -
Mark Taylor, 260 Railway Pardade, WEST LEEDERVILLE Western Australia 6007, ph:0408 908529 Fax: 08 9381 1888
eb: www.surfsailaustralia.com.au
</span><span style="color: #ffffff;"> email: <a href="mailto:xtrak@iinet.net.au">xtrak@iinet.net.au</a></span>
I think Seadek is the parent company. http://www.seadek.com They sell it by the sheet and is a cheaper option if you want to cut your own stuff. Cutting it into small pieces with gaps in between is the way to go if you were goin to use it. Better traction than if you just slap a full sheet on it and it uses less of the traction to cover a board. Just go look on Standupzone if you need some examples.
Hah, funny this should come up. Currently undergoing testing, on a new HP 5’6 twin fin i finished last week from my backyard ‘production facility’ (hahaha). Full board coverage VERSATRACTION. First session yesterday 3 hours chest to head high windslop, probably 20-25 waves, so far surprisingly good. Very skeptical at first but as it grew on me - was pleasantly surprised with the grip. VERY Weird without the feel and texture of wax on the board! No shirt/wetsuit - direct chest contact - minor rashing at the lowest ribs. Will definitley continue to test it out. No freebies or sponsorship, I paid full retail & shipping to Hawaii for the traction.
I’ve been using a sanded deck on my flatwater sup for the past year and it suits me fine–no slipping problems with booties or barefoot, but a little slick on wetsuit. Granted, this board was sanded to 400+, I suspect it would be even better if I hadn’t gone so far (but it is wood and I like to see the wood through the glass, heavy scratches would be kinda a bummer). I haven’t tried any of the spray on traction stuff, but I’ve considered it–building exclusively wood boards, showing off the wood is key…
mike
Hi Mike
What do you mean by slick on your wetsuit? I was thinking of a 40 grit finish if I do end up trying a sanded finish so that should provide lots of grip.
thanks
Andrew
[quote="$1"]
Personally, I've been using some of the spray-on deck traction the SUPs use. They use 3 coats of the stuff for a no-wax deck traction, and that works; but I found I like using a single coat in lieu of a wax basecoat and then skim over that lightly with regular wax. Lots less wax usage and the coverage stays even for the duration.
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You say the spray on stuff works good. I was thinking about picking some up.. does it still hold in cold water? Also does it come in different colors? Sorry havnet really research the stuff just stumbled acrossed it one day, and have been debating picking some up now.
The spray I’ve used is transparent - no color. It’s like an acrylic spray with a sand-like abrasive, which is why 3 coats of it will sand your wetsuit for you or rash your skin. If the gloss level on your deck matched that of the spray you wouldn’t even be able to see it at all.
I use this on my shortboards,totally flat,very thin.Grips very well and it won’t damage your wetsuit at all.I haven’t tried it without a wettie but i think it would be fine.I always wear a lycra top for the sun anyway.
On the longboard y use Versa traction for the front third and a mix of gecko grip pads for the rest.The versa traction is nowhere near as grippy and it feels very abrasive in comparison,but it is nice for noseriding.
The only complaint i have with Geckogrip is the precut pads,i wish they sold it in rolls by lenght.Covering a longboard is complicated with the pads.
I can report back on a few things. I tried some EVA bath matts that were really inexpensive, used some 3M spray adhesive to gue it on. Works great but the only problem is I think the EVA isn’t that strong and some of it tore off after a few sessions (not the glue), I think some actual EVA sheet would be better. Next I tried on an old beater board, added a new thin epoxy coat to the deck, then with some 20 grit sandpaper I pushed really hard to get deep scratches. I was able to get a nice pattern by sanding in two directions. I am really surprised at how well the sanded board worked, especially paired with a pair of neoprene booties. It is probably my favorate of all the methods, goodbye wax LOL.
I have a roll of 2mil textured neoprene, that I’m going to try and glue on as strips. I don’t think I really like this idea as it covers the board too much. Too bad I ordered it before I tried the sanded method, I have like 8 feet of the stuff. Thanks for all the suggestions, the spray on stuff sound interesting.
I recently used Re-dek from Surfsource.net on 2 boards. Its same as the spray on stuff except applied it with a roller. Dint sand it down at all and scuffed up my knees pretty bad. Wet sanded it down, in not so important spots, and it worked great. I did 2 layers of the stuff on each board, and still have enough for another board. In the future ill only do 1 layer I dont think 2 layers is necesary.
Has anyone tried Yoga mats? They are EVA foam and you can get them pretty thin. Sould be stronger than a bathroom mat and are still pretty cheap. You can get a nice sized rolls for like $6-10 sometimes online. If anyone has tried a yoga mat out let me know, kinda scrapped for cash at the moment, and they are 10-20 bucks in the store.
I have also used gym floor mating, found at like sport stores, good grip, and durable but they are a little thick. I picked a roll up for $30 that was i think 8'x30". I would keep using this but like i said they are just a little thick for my taste.
vesradeck is just a shelf/drawer liner,you can get it at ikea for a 10th the cost.
not very good for traction though,but it low abrasive. it's heavy and doesn't float.
versa is mfg. in eastern euro.
hydroturf floats,,, is lighter per square foot,,, and is a much better form of traction.
unfortunately it is more abrasive to the skin,but weighting out the two,hydroturf wins hands down.
i've been using the drawer sheet stuff for 20 years..........that's how long it's been around.
hyroturf has alot of promise in and out of the watercraft industry.
versa will always be great drawer sheets.
hey if you contact hydroturf drop my name and you'll get treated very well.
herb
hydroturf only takes on surface saturation and is 100% waterproof.
herb
I have thought of using some clear adhesive spread on the deck. Tape off a design, Speard out the adhesive let it cure over night. seems that it would weigh less then a pad and give good traction