Surf Wax - help me out please :-)

[Brent]

People,
I don't know much about wax, to me it's always been just stuff I rub on & then go surfing. But being the proud owner of a nice new springsuit I want to keep it clean & wax-debri free for a change.

Is it true that wax intended for warmer/tropical waters is harder and has a higher melting temperature than colder water wax?
If so - if I use this wax will it be less likely to be gooey like cold-water wax and plaster itself over my new wetsuit?

What do ya'll use, what keeps your wetsuits, springssuits, rashies clean?

Brent

[nz girl]

my wax of choice is mrs palmers cold water wax. it comes in a box so i don't get wax all through my bag, you can keep a mini wax comb in the box as well and its extra sticky. sex wax is ok, not as good though. every wax i've ever used has left wax traces on my wettie. and you can't keep your stick pretty for ever, mores the pity. if you wear booties though, you don't really need wax so if you really want to keep it clean, just wear booties and get some grip deck.

[Brent]

Hey NZ Girl.
We don't need booties up here :-)

I have been using front Gorilla grip on the front of all my boards for several years, but the pads seem to "polish off" after 4-5 months constant use, and I slip around on the deck when I'm paddling. standing up is fine...because my weight is pushing down on the deck pad in a specific spot, but paddling with my weight spead over the area.. No good.

So I'm trying wax again...just to see what I prefer before I fork out $60 a pop for new deck grip. Wax is much cheaper I figured why not experiment abit. Plus I got my brand new custom wettie pasted with wax big-time yesterday :-(

So, my question people is. Hot/Warm water wax, I imagine it's less viscous - is it therefore less messy than normal wax?

[jonny]

yes warm water/tropical wax is much harder than normal wax.

Your wax shoudl not be so gooey that it gets everywhere when you surf at all. A bit on your wesuit now and again but certainly not plastered!

[hawaiiSUCKSexceptsurf]

softer? my sex wax constantly melts in my car. sometimes it gets on the seats and all over the dashboard.i want to make my own that comes in a deodorant container like thing where you twist the bottom to make the wax rise, and it might be less wastefull (if youve ever had your wax melt then try to scrape it off and mush it back together you know how bad it falls apart) and easier to apply too. i think it would sell pretty well, espetually in hot places where ppeople might have the same problem as me.

[Guest]

Yea....i have the same problem. I might try that idea with an old bar of chicky bumps. My wax melts even if i flip my board over :P. Try putting the air conditioner on high in your car. Wait dont you use a rack?

[nz girl]

hey brent
i get wax all over my wettie each time i go for a surf too, but it washes off pretty easy so its not a biggie. just one of those things eh? not sure if i got this right, but i thought cold water wax was softer so that its sticky enough to keep you from sliding all over the place, not cos theres less need to worry bout it melting (ha ha like that would ever happen in the
bl--dy south island!) tell me how you get on with your tropical wax experiment.

[Guest]

Yep, Hot water wax is way less messy, it is harder and melts at a slightly higher temperature.
I scraped off the viscous peanut-butter like rubbish I had on...it was terrible, I couldn't even pick my board up without getting it on me. What a damm mess. I suspect I just had a bad batch or something.

I'll use hot water wax from now on, I may have to comb it each surf and put it on more often, but that's a small price to pay for not having my shiney new custom wetsuit looking like a pair of house-painters overalls.

On that topic of cooooold water NZ Girl today booked ferry tickets for October. I'm comin home to visit the Whanau, and enjoy the balmy pleasures of St C, B-head and the Spit etc for a couple of weeks...better buy me some booties I think ;-)

[nz girl]

october? it might even be getting "warm" again by then. a couple of the local guys have told me that the water should be down to 4 degrees by the end of this month...they're f..king with me right? i mean you've surfed winters down here aye? i can't imagine that it could get colder then it is right now!!!!!i might have to invest in some gloves...anyhow let me know when you're down, we could go for a surf aye?

[Guest]

In the Bay of Plenty here it's 14-14.5 mid winter going up to 24 mid summer, sometimes 25 depending on tropical currents and el-nino.
From memory Duds is 10 degrees in mid winter to 12-14 degrees in mid summer.
Nope, those nasty boys are pulling your leg. If it was only 4 degrees I'm sure there would be icebergs floating past white island.

Gloves are good in winter down there, actually gloves used to make the whole winter thing there bearable for me. You need booties too. If you have warm hands & feet...you're much happier.
Me, I'll need a bloody dry-suit.
Yep we'll tie up & go for a surf. That'll be fun....I'll need someone about who can rescue me when my heart stops with shock when I go in for the first time :-)

see ya

p.s - Did you know Speedie has his own website now ????

[hawaiiSUCKSexceptsurf]

i have a soft rach but its annoying when it rains it causes my roof to eak, so i leave it in my car. even if i have the rack i leave it in my car when i go to school because my favorite surf spot is a block away from my college. anyway its not much of a problem melting off my board, the big problem is it melting on my dashboard. ive never heard of hot and cold wax.. but i live in hawai so maybe its all tropical? i se mr.zogs original.

[Guest]

Wax is temperature rated in about 5 degree increments. (That's Celcius for me in this country) I imagine it'll be 10 degree increments for you people who're in imperial measuring countries.

I've neve been to the islands, but being tropical...I'd buy Mrs Zogs Tropical or hot water wax. That'd make sense to me.

I'll still melt inside your car thought...nothing could stop that...leave your wax in the boot to avoid that wee mess.
I know a guy who got an old beer cooler off his Dad and he leaves it in the trunk....he sticks all his wax in it and just leaves it there.
Never melts in there.

[nz girl]

i've got booties and a hoodie now, i reckon that makes a huge difference, like i don't have to worry about passing out everytime i get cought on the inside :-). havn't got gloves but might eventually just start improvising with polyprop gloves with dishwashing gloves over the top, looks pretty silly, but i'd rather spend money on beer then 70 buck gloves! they're all too big for me anyway. i'm glad its not gonna get down to 4 degrees, i think i'd die. was 8ft out at st clairs this morning, i was all geared up for a dawnie, but it was just too messy. so now am moping at library instead. ah well, need to get on to my diss anyhow....didn't know speedy had his own website, might have to check that out..typical, christchurch is famous for its wizard, dunedin? we got speedy...soughta says something about the deep south methinks. anyway let me know before you come down and we'll go for a surf.

[Guest]

I hope the dishwashing gloves are bright pink. Go Barbie Surfer Girl !!!!!!

Catch Ya :-)

[nz girl]

i was thinking more along the lines of yellow so i can accessorise with my yellow leggie :-) besides pink dosn't suit my complextion. (am kidding)

[peeps]

People,
What do ya'll use, what keeps your wetsuits, springssuits, rashies clean?

Whoa! Someone outside of the southern US said y'all! Awe, that makes me smile