Why wax a surfboard

September 11, Powered by Shopify. Degree 33 Surf Blog. September 08, 1 Comment Surfboard wax provides grip and traction for your feet on your surfboard. How to wax a surfboard. Timothy Capra May 07, This is great info for surfer starting. Subscribe Sign up for epic email content and special offers! Ride it and love it or we'll buy it back! Furthermore, these are generally harder than other wax temperatures. Waters with temperatures between 58 and 75 degrees require Cool surf wax is available for use in waters between 58 to 68 degrees.

This is designed to keep the maximum grip on your board, even when temperatures drop low. Most surf brands provide their popular options with all temperatures in mind. If you live in colder locations, your local store will typically hold the right product, same goes for tropical locations, you'll typically find tropical, and warm wax.

Wax combs are tools typically used for combing your slick hair-do OR if you're not playing a joke on the new surfers, they're used for maintenance or removal of wax from surfboards. These combs contain a jagged edge that can be used not only to remove old wax from a board bust also to comb newly-applied wax for increased traction.

Image source: kuntiqi. Though wax combs are not required for either wax application or removal, many surfers find them convenient and remark that they provide for a better surfing session. Knowing when and how to apply your surf wax is crucial to having a positive surfing experience. For starters, if you do not apply enough wax, you will find it difficult—if not impossible—to stay upright on your board. This is especially important for beginners who are looking to get the hang of the sport.

On the flip side, putting too much wax can make your board too slippery. This is a popular misconception. The length and frequency of your surfing sessions, as well as the type of wax you use, will determine how often you will need to apply.

In general, the wax application comes in a series of steps. As a rule, you should first apply a base coat to your board. This coat will help you gain traction and hold the top coat in place. The top coat, which is often just a thin layer of wax, is the final layer of the application process and should ensure your board is surf-ready.

Image source: guide. As you might expect, surfboard wax removal can be messy. The more you surf, the less effective your wax will be. This is especially true if you are using the wrong type. There are several methods of removal. Some surfers find it easiest to just cover their boards with sand and leave them for a few minutes.

The sand will interact with molecules in the wax and loosen the substance from your board. After a few minutes, simply come back to your board and wipe it over with the sand covering it. This should provide you with a top-notch clean.

If you're still at home you could lay your board on some grass, or cardboard and use a heat gun to melt the wax. Once melted it's much easier to wipe off—yes it's hot, use gloves and a thick rag. Image source: sloutdoorsmag. Wax combs are very effective at removing wax from all types of boards. Simply run the comb down the surface of the board, clearing away as much wax as possible. To achieve a high-quality clean surface, you may find it necessary to use cloth as well.

Leftover residue from your previous application can interfere with your new job. These tips could help you get your surfboard waxing right—the first time and every time.

This means that you should crosshatch. In order to do this, start with a diagonal pattern going in one direction down the length of the riding surface of your board. Your lines should be within an inch of each other. Once you have completely covered this surface, make more diagonal lines going in the opposite direction until you have formed a cross-hatch pattern. This pattern will prove useful later in forming small bumps on your board and adding traction for when you surf.

In general, you should only be waxing those areas where you will put your feet. Start from around the middle of the board and work your way to the lower end.

This will ensure that you have the proper traction where you need it—and not anywhere else. This is a question without a direct answer. Unlike regular surfboards, they have enough built-in traction to keep you upright and steady as you ride the waves. That being said, there are some people who wax their foam boards just for extra security.

Once you have applied wax in a cross-hatched pattern across your board, begin to rub in circular motions along the length of the cross-hatched area. This will help you form a strong foundation and top coat that will keep you steady in the water. In general, you want to keep your circles small. As a rule, hard wax is good for applying your basecoat.

You want a strong foundation for your board so that you maintain optimal balance as you ride. You can also make your own surf wax.

If you longboard and plan on doing some nose riding, apply wax down the entire length of the board so you can walk around with ease. Starting with your base coat, form a diagonal crosshatch pattern on the riding portion of the board.

Next, apply the top coat in a small, circular motion over the crosshatched area until obvious bumps form. To remove the wax, simply cover the waxed portion of your board with a generous amount of sand and leave it in the hot sun for a few minutes until it melts. When you surf, you are constantly in the water.

Imagine driving your car during a rainstorm. How does the car react when you apply the brakes hard to avoid an accident? The car slips. Surfers have to exercise care when surfing, so they make some extra precautions to avoid accidents. Why do surfers put surf wax on their surfboards? Surfers put wax on their boards because wax prevents surfers from slipping off their surfboards.

They use surf wax for traction. Surf wax is a sticky substance and helps keep feet stuck to the surfboard surface. Surf wax repels water but does not have a slippery feel like car wax. When rubbed on the surfboard, the wax is softened by the rubbing motion when applying it. Surf wax adheres to the surfboard deck and is barely noticeable on the surface of the board.

Surf wax has undergone several ingredient changes in the last few decades. Surfers represent the American dream, but not for surfing. It is the pursuit of what you believe in, and the general acceptance that you can focus on your destiny no matter what it is.

Surfers are challenged and when they get to be surrounded by the spiraling vortex of a massive wave, there is an untranslatable feeling of accomplishment. Surfing is about overcoming obstacles and the obstacle surfers face is nature. As such, most surfers have a passion for the environment and will refuse to use any product that contains ingredients that will damage nature.

The top-rated environmentally friendly surf wax on the market today is Mr. Its all-natural ingredients include paraffin wax, petroleum jelly, and microcrystalline wax.