Hey all 
My old deck pad has started peeling of my kite surf board, so I decided to remove it as it was starting to get a bit ugly and annoying
Now it just got me thinking, and trying to decide if I should just put wax on the board, or if I should get a new deck grip/tail pad for it again?
If I only put wax on it like a "normal" surfboard, would it make a difference at all? Its a 5'5 and ride the board strapless.
any advice?
Cheers
elise 
For surfing I like wax for the front foot but for kitesurfing, deck pad for sure. It cushions the board - kitesurfing hammers boards more than surfing. Also, you push harder in kiting so wax tends to move more than in surfing. Besides with all the set up in kiting, which you don't have in surfing, who wants to also wax up every time.
I'm starting to wonder about deck pads as well, wax just doesn't grip for very long :/ anyone have special tricks or brands of wax they use?
pads all the way, spreads the weight from the toe and ball of the foot, prevents much damage from heel dents. I ride an Almerick Flyer and did try using wax to start with however having to rewax every half session is a pain in the arse, plus messy hot wax in the car is a red thumbs 
Select to expand quoteaustin said..
pads all the way, spreads the weight from the toe and ball of the foot, prevents much damage from heel dents. I ride an Almerick Flyer and did try using wax to start with however having to rewax every half session is a pain in the arse, plus messy hot wax in the car is a red thumbs
x2
Any recommendations on deck pads? ie: Do you just use ordinary surfboard (Gorilla Grip, Dakine etc) pads for front and rear feet, or one that covers the whole board?
thanks for the replies guys
Took my surfboard out today as the seabreeze at the start of the session was a bit light (but turned out to be an awesome session
). As I had obviously already stripped it from the old deck pad, I put some wax on it as a temporary solution.
Now I have ridden it with the wax, I can see where you are all coming from, definitely more grip with a deck pad compared to the wax.
Just a question though, what is the best stuff to remove wax with, and what tail pads (i want one of those that covers most of the board) would you recommend??
Thanks again
elise :)
... the duty cycle on wax with surfboards to kiteboarding is very different, much higher on the kiteboard, in that, your standing on the board alot longer while kiting than surfing so wax just doesn't last long enough.
It took only 5 minutes for me with wax to wear out and get all slippery so becomes a pain in the neck and don't get me wrong, wax feels great but just doesn't last, pads is great.
cheers for now,
Robbie
i use wax. so when im in mangrovey mud and stand in it. then i get back on the board its mega mega slippery so i gotto like shake each foot trying to free some of the mud before i put it on. injury imenent i decided to only twintip at these spots. if i had sticky foam pads i imagine this wouldnt of been an issue so +1 for deck pads from me. unfortunatly i cant put any on as mines a towboard :(
I also prefer Pads , i find as above,wax tends to get slippery , and helps to stop denting , like clean look
I love wax, but only on the front foot. As stated, youve just gotta have a back pad when kitesurfing. I find, because we put our feet all over the back 2/3 of the board, 1 front foot pad is not enough, you still have to wax between.
To get wax off the board, ive found the scrape down and then rub with kitchen roll, using your wifes hairdryer gets rid of 99%, then steal her nail polish remover.
Now heres the trick. If you use it all, put it back in exactly the same place, with the lid slightly loose. If she asks. Its her fault, it evaporated......
hahaha dave.. if only we had nail polish remover in the house (I dont use it, neither does my man... hehe...), btw, isnt that heaps aggressive on the board's material though??
cheers:) elise
To clarify. Using acetone based nail polish remover is pretty harsh. But it gets off the last remainder of wax and your deck grip will never fall off.
The scrape with a hairdryer, then rubbing the remainder off with good old kitchen towel, gets it in showroom condition. Applying a deckgrip is another story.
A good tip. When applying deck-grip, get a texter and draw around the corners when lined up before taking the backing off.......
The nail polish remover will get any marks off
To remove old wax I have always scraped off the wax, using something soft like a bit of plastic with an edge on it or a piece of wood beading, anything that has an edge really, and then used turps on a rag to remove the residue....clean as.
Give it a once over with metho and bob's your mum's brother, and your deck pad will be well stuck.
cheers
Select to expand quotePuetz said..
... the duty cycle on wax with surfboards to kiteboarding is very different, much higher on the kiteboard, in that, your standing on the board alot longer while kiting than surfing so wax just doesn't last long enough.
It took only 5 minutes for me with wax to wear out and get all slippery so becomes a pain in the neck and don't get me wrong, wax feels great but just doesn't last, pads is great.
cheers for now,
Robbie
Scrape off wax, then boiling hot water and mineral turps to finish off
Found a site that suggested scraping the wax off followed by rubbing the leftover with a woollen cloth with coconut oil on it. Once you don't feel any friction from wax residue you just buff it up with a clean rag. Worked well for me.
great tips thanks all:)
pearl, that deck pad looks good and is the kinda shape im after
may have a look at the shop here locally though to make sure it looks/fits right, prefer to support the guys here in Adelaide when I can
ill get a pic up of my padded stick tonight, she's a ripper, love the lightness of a proper surfboard, tried going out on my WAM the other day and it was a heavy pig
Select to expand quotevendeavours said..Puetz said..
... the duty cycle on wax with surfboards to kiteboarding is very different, much higher on the kiteboard, in that, your standing on the board alot longer while kiting than surfing so wax just doesn't last long enough.
It took only 5 minutes for me with wax to wear out and get all slippery so becomes a pain in the neck and don't get me wrong, wax feels great but just doesn't last, pads is great.
cheers for now,
Robbie
Scrape off wax, then boiling hot water and mineral turps to finish off
... yeah boiling water did the trick for me too, clean as a whistle in seconds, couldn't believe how quick it came off and how clean it was after, no turps either for me!
Wax is the way to go "E"
Once you remove the wax you can recycle it and do the bikini line
i love deckgips until i borrow my board for a rash vest free lie down surf for full nipple removal. i skinned my shins and smashed my knees more than a few time with wax . Then i did the splits a few time OMFG - out for a week at least a couple of times- feet slipping - i even wax the 1 inch behind teh tail pad now 4 backup. Makes much more of a difference if you are not in real warm water too - way more slippery/wears out faster...
some deckgrips are way worse than others - some kinds are kind of oily - best is sanded eva, i'd even scrub it with detergent.....
Select to expand quotehigh as a kite said..
Wax is the way to go "E"
Once you remove the wax you can recycle it and do the bikini line
hahaha never fail to make me laugh this time ill be taking my kite sb (with or without wax) when I come to see ya in january ;-) there better be wind cause Im hanging for another valley session hehe...
have you had a seabreeze down there yet?? we had a few good ones this week, yeeeeeeeeooooww!!
Creatures of leisure do a 60 x 60 square deck pad that you can trim to any shape. Perfect for the front foot pad. Covers most of the deck. Bit exy at $60, but works a treat.
Select to expand quoteKozzie said..
i use wax. so when im in mangrovey mud and stand in it. then i get back on the board its mega mega slippery so i gotto like shake each foot trying to free some of the mud before i put it on. injury imenent i decided to only twintip at these spots. if i had sticky foam pads i imagine this wouldnt of been an issue so +1 for deck pads from me. unfortunatly i cant put any on as mines a towboard :(
wah...?
you can buy deck grip by the metre and trim it to suit
its a no name camo pattern, hell of a lot cheaper than creatures
can't think of the link, maybe on the shapers.com page
heres a tip for young players...
wax, the best you can buy is Sticky Bumps.
Get the base, warm and cold water wax and apply in that order.
Go kiting and you will be punting higher than Ian Alldredge...
No worries...
Select to expand quoteKyter said..
Creatures of leisure do a 60 x 60 square deck pad that you can trim to any shape. Perfect for the front foot pad. Covers most of the deck. Bit exy at $60, but works a treat.
OMG too right it si a bit exxy...... windsurfers who make boards have been using EVA sheet with texture cut into it for years .......... various sources and that price gets you about 3x as much.
Anything for surfing is a rip off, expand ur googling fellas.........
Hydroturf from australian jetski parts (seadoo aust)
deck tread from pjbowers.com
et al
Cheers guys yep, ill probably go a tailpad cause of raised ends on them, and then get something to go on the rest of the board that ill buy by the meter if I can find it. Wax just will get too slippery I've noticed ;-)
What are all you guys are doing while kiting, jazz dancing or something??? I've never had any more of an issue kiting with wax than surfing with it. Wax over front deck grip any day! Front pads are like trying to surf in booties.
depends how much you ride rowdy and style, 3hrs a day 7days a week would keep the wax company's very happy!
