Surfboard Wax 101
Surfboard Wax is exactly what it sounds like - wax
for your surfboard. Ohh, no great revelations in this section
then!. There are many different types of wax out there and
they all do exactly the same thing - they stop you from slipping
off the surfboard when you are either paddling or up surfing.
At the beginning of a surf, Surf Wax is applied to the deck
of the board in the positions where the feet will be placed.
It can also be applied to the rails where the hands will be
gripping for duck diving or popping-up. (Completely lost by
surfing terminology, or just by the word terminology?, well
check out the
Surfboard and the Surfing
Terms pages to make the last bit vaguely readable. Perhaps
I should mention that the word terminology will not appear
in either section and if you really want to know what it means
then ask your Dad).
Need to buy some Wax? Click Here
Surf Wax Application
Here are the 3 essential steps for applying surfboard wax
to your board. Ignore them at your peril!.
Step 1 - take the plastic off.
Step 2 - rub it on your board (the wax - not the plastic bit).
Step 3 - go surfing.
Yes, it is as easy as that. Anyone who says that you need
to apply the wax in a circular motion from the tail first
or any other rubbish is a buffoon (and probably working elsewhere
on this site). The advice we'll give is that as long as you
apply plenty of wax then you should be OK. Oh - and never
apply wax to the bottom of your board. That said take a look at the video guide to the ultimate board waxing job - courtesy of Mr Zog himself!
Deck Grip
There is an alternative to having to wax your board time
and time again when you could be out there surfing and that
alternative is Deck Grip. Deck Grip is a permanent
stick on pad that is applied onto the deck of your board.
There are Deck Grips for both the front and back foot but
most surfers who use Deck Grip will only apply one pad for
the back foot. Find more info by clicking Deck
Grip
Surf Wax Maintenance
Instead of applying wax each time you go out you can revitalise
your old wax with a quick comb with a Surf Wax Comb -
available at any surf shop. After a surfing session all the
nice wax you applied at the beginning of your surf has been
smoothed out and your board has magically become slippery
again. A quick comb will see that wax become much more affective
again. If course this only works up to a point and you will
inevitably have to fork out some more money for your next
block of wax.
Once your board weighs more than 20 kgs you may realise that
the time has come to remove all your old wax from the board
and reapply some new wax. To remove all the old wax use your
Dad's or older brothers credit card to scrape the deck of
the board clean.
(Surfing Waves accepts no responsibility
for any subsequent loss or damage to any person or item of
property that results in following the ridiculous surfboard
cleaning advice given above!!)
A whole section on surfboard wax, who would have thought
it. A pat on the back all round for a job well done. If anyone
would like some more information on wax that is not listed
on this site then go and have a long chat with the owner of
your local surf shop and pester them to answer all your questions.
I am sure they will only be too happy to help you out.
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