Surfboard Grips

Surfboard Grips

Most shortboards and some longboards have surfboard grips / pad, traction pads, deck pads – whatever you want to call them, they’re the grippy rubbery bit towards the back of the deck.

The purpose of surfboard grips is to give your back foot better traction on the board so you can pull harder maneuvers relying on more than wax. Some surfboard traction pads have ridges at the back to give your foot even more control for aerial spins and harder snaps.

Manly Surfboards has a range of grips from brands including Tools, Gorilla, Creatures, FK, Balin and On a Mission. They come in a wide range of colours and designs, just keep in mind the lighter the colour, the grubbier it’s going to get.

DIY traction pad application

Approaching your beautiful new board with a slab of sticky-backed rubber can be pretty daunting, but take it slow and steady and you’ll do a great job.

Remove wax

If it’s a new board, no worries, just make sure the surface is carefully wiped and dusted before you begin. If there’s wax on the board, leave it in the sun for a few minutes to soften the wax, or pour hot water on it. Then scrape away the wax from the area with a wax comb or other soft plastic edge (your old credit cards work well) and finish with a wax remover. If it’s winter, you can take a hairblower on a LOW setting and blow the wax until it is soft enough to remove. Make sure that you wipe away all the wax remover and bits of wax.

Placement

Figure out where the pad needs to go. Some surfers like to have the rear kick-up ridge positioned either directly over the front of the centermost fin, others like to have it right in front of the leash plug. If this is your first traction pad, a safe bet is to put the rear ridge over the center of the middle rear fin. If you’re using several pieces, try some double-sided tape to get the pieces in the right place.

Mark it

Mark off the placement with a pencil, using the board’s stringer to ensure the pad is centred.

Stick it

Peel off the adhesive, ensuring the glued area doesn’t touch anything other than the deck, then press down for 20-30 seconds to bond the adhesive.

Wait

Yes, we know, you want to get yourself out amongst it – but give the adhesive some time to cure. Let it rest about 12 hours before you head to the surf.

Can you remove surfboard grips?

Yes – but it’s not easy. If you have an epoxy board over a fiberglass board your chances of getting the surfboard grips off without damage is much higher.

On a fiberglass board, however, you risk delaminating the board – pulling the glass away from the foam – and the board is, potentially, ruined.

If you really, really have to remove the pad, do it incredibly slowly and carefully, a small amount at a time. If you’re not replacing it, you’ll need to clean any residual adhesive with a little paint thinner on a rag. If you’re replacing with a new pad, leave the residue and position the new grip over it.