The traction pad on my pump board is separating on me upper traction layer is peeling off. Iʻd like to replace the whole pad, but was wondering if anyone knew of a better replacement than the standard surf board traction material. It has so much padding to it. I need the traction, but not the padding.
I’ve use anti skid powder mixed with epoxy and then squeegee to the deck. It was rougly a 2:1 volume ratio (epoxy : antiskid). The powder was a Rusteoleum polymer antiskid.
Its perfect, not to rough, not to slippery.
I hope it help!
1 Like
This is super cool.
I used EVA foam boat flooring. It’s not super thin but it’s been really grippy and I’ve had no problem with the 3M adhesive unsticking.
Something along these lines was an idea I was having. Would it still be comfortable to paddle on? What kind of epoxy were you using? Iʻm only familiar with the two-part JB Weld you buy in small tubes. Iʻm curious what type and dry time would be the best for this. Think this is a bad idea for things like drop starts?
I just looked into this. Itʻs about a quarter inch thick, which is probably double or more what I was hoping for. Too bad nobody makes grip tape thatʻs not straight up sandpaper. The epoxy pour sounds like a great idea. Just worried about ruining my board.
How about the Hexa traction pads? they’re sold as an alternative to wax, providing traction but not cushioning.
Gibbon,
Blue Planet has the Surfco 6 in by 6 Hex pads. It is so good, the same stickness of wax, but doesn’t wear off. It is the stuff people put on the bottom of their boards for paddling out. I would think it would be great for a pump board.
you could do a sugar-coat.
very thin layer of epoxy on the deck. cover with Caster sugar / Baking sugar. Let epoxy cure. Rinse well so all sugar dissolves. leaves a perfect grip.
1 Like
i’ve used a thin layer of epoxy and peel ply. That left me a perfectly structured surface, and i’ve never missed a pad in any way.
Works great for dropstarts btw.
1 Like
If you don’t want to mess with epoxy, you can buy the Hex pad. They should be better than the foam pad.
If you want to try epoxy, do some test panel on scrap pieces. I’ve never tried the sugar trick but it will probably work and be a less expensive then the Rusteoleum Antiskid Powder (20 CAD$).
All I do is drop start and don’t have any problem with my Antiskid technique. Because I pump foil with booties when the water is too cold, I find that a peel ply finish is too slippery with booties. The peel ply finish is ok with bare feet. I haven’t paddled it bare chested yet because the water is still cold but it should be fine.
Here’s a picture from yesterday.
