Hexatraction

[surfcowboy]

I can't see doing the combo "Malibu Laird" deal with a small pad for paddling in the center of the board and hex at nose and tail. (Guys out here use wax on each end.)

Keep the knee dents down, have a soft spot for the long sessions but have the feel and responsiveness elsewhere. Weird that it doesn't stick for prone but I sort of get it, less pressure than on your feet.

[addapost]

It's unfinished under the pad. The ones I stripped had board weight with sharpie marking under it. It's ugly under there.

Shit! ok thanks

[madeinsantacruz]

Took some getting used to but i'm happy with it's performance.  Was told the grip can wear off quickly but already many sessions in and haven't noticed this.

MISC

[covesurfer]

After considerable experimentation with the Hexatraction on my regular surfboard, I settled on application to the nose of my surf-SUP. I really like it up there, it's barely visible and doesn't screen the graphics the way wax does. In testament to how good the quality of the Hexatraction is, I reapplied the material to my surf SUP nose after removing it from my surfboard. I've had it on my SUS board since October and it may has well have been brand new when I applied it second hand. It adhered perfectly and works great. For me, it's just personal preference, I like wax for regular surfing, and I really like having a pad on my SUS. Hexatraction is perfect for the nose of my SUS board though. I wish it worked for me elsewhere, waxing is a PITA sometimes, especially when putting a board in a contaminated bag in hot weather. Your perfect wax job comes out of the bag looking pretty bad sometimes. But then, I'm kind of OCD.

[PonoBill]

Kind of??!!?? Yeah, like I'm "kind of" ADD.

[JP4]

After considerable experimentation with the Hexatraction on my regular surfboard, I settled on application to the nose of my surf-SUP. I really like it up there, it's barely visible and doesn't screen the graphics the way wax does. In testament to how good the quality of the Hexatraction is, I reapplied the material to my surf SUP nose after removing it from my surfboard. I've had it on my SUS board since October and it may has well have been brand new when I applied it second hand. It adhered perfectly and works great. For me, it's just personal preference, I like wax for regular surfing, and I really like having a pad on my SUS. Hexatraction is perfect for the nose of my SUS board though. I wish it worked for me elsewhere, waxing is a PITA sometimes, especially when putting a board in a contaminated bag in hot weather. Your perfect wax job comes out of the bag looking pretty bad sometimes. But then, I'm kind of OCD.

Hey thanks for spiffing up my Jimmy Lewis before I get there Cove! I know you did it for me since you are a hard core proner now and never ride that thing. Not to worry though, I rarely ding boards. 
JP

[covesurfer]

Kind of??!!?? Yeah, like I'm "kind of" ADD.

My kaiser doc won't give me anything for the OCD. I think opiates would work but no can.

As for you JP4, you must be on drugs arreddy if you think I'm putting you on my JL.  Be happy with my nice glass DP Maui (and the F14 for downwind) or go get a demo, we might want to split the demo and then I might trade back and forth with you on the JL. But, you're right, I'll probably regular surf. I'm hopelessly addicted while I can still bend my neck and back enough to do it.

[PonoBill]

Enjoy it while you can. Last time I surfed on my Kenny Tilton I couldn't sleep laying down for two nights.

[surfcowboy]

Interesting thread here. I've only been on SUP once in like 4 months. I figure while I can I'd better enjoy it and try to get barreled before I retire.

I'm curious about this on a prone board as I hate wax. Cool to see that I can try it and move it if I don't dig it. Seems right on for any performance board, like that sweet L41 posted above. By the way, is that the board from Costa Rica?

[covesurfer]

Surfcowboy: It's a personal thing. If you hate wax, you might make the Hex work for regular surfing.

When there's any decent swell, I found I got knocked around too much when paddling to feel like I had the connection to the board that I needed. I didn't mind the Hex at all once I was up riding, it was getting moved around in the soup and when paddling out through significant surf that didn't work for me. With wax, I feel very connected and planted on the board. I did like the simplicity of the Hex and it looked really cool on my board too.

[PonoBill]

I can't believe you didn't get the spacing even. You probably gave up on it because you couldn't stand to see that crowded nose and the loose middle. OCD light.

I routinely add a little wax to my pads--makes them work better. I'd probably try a little on the hex if I thought it needed it. Surely it would hold wax better and longer than polished fiberglass.

[covesurfer]

Yeah, that spacing drove me nuts. I almost had to check myself into a 'facility'. Trouble sleeping, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I did use the spacing template cut out that RSP provides but you can't evenly space all the tiles and still have it work with the curves and shape of the board. At least I couldn't.

I think adding wax to the situation would have helped the stickiness enough so that I could have left the Hex on. Again, OCD problem. I just couldn't handle messing up the surface with wax after going to all the trouble of installing the Hex. It was one or the other for me. I just decided waxing was part of my surfing ritual and made peace with that.

[ron.c]

I choose the less is more path.

Getting any closer to the nose hasn't really happened in 3 years.

Look close, night was falling on a total solo session in dearly December.  Not only on my own, only 1 other person was seen on the beach.

[Beasho]

Trying it out on the new board.  Hexatraction in the front.  Under foot I have had NO PROBLEMS.  It sticks even to my surprise.

When laying on the board with a wetsuit, or on my knees it can be slippery.  Has me concerned about scrambling in whitewater trying to avoid being bashed on the rocks.  But this is just a fear at this point and may be unfounded. 

I wish I had this stuff on my old waxed board, certainly in the tail section and upfront where I never lied down or sat on the board with my knees.

Moved some of the Hexatraction around. Pulled it off from under my left foot and added a Sun.  Ideally this should help with the sliding around when on my knees or laying down.  Otherwise the Hexatraction works when standing.

[surfafrica]

I put Hexatration on my longboard. Applying it wasn't hard, but it did take a bit of time (less so if you weren't focused on getting a clean layout). Using the trick of applying it over water that they show on their “how to” video helped (thanks Beasho).  As mentioned above, taking the Hex off is pretty easy so if you misplace one on application, you can easily fix it. I do like the look of it on the board—very clean. It pretty much gets out of the way and keeps the focus on the board.

On it's own, it wasn't quite grippy or sticky enough with bare feet for me so I put a very light skiff of base coat wax over the Hex and it felt pretty good. It handled the Mexican heat without a problem where it's tough to keep wax under the standing position on all-wax setups. The Hex was a bit rough on my belly when I pulled myself up on it. I think up here at our local breaks, it'll be great with my wetsuit and booties (I'll get a chance to test that out mid-April). I still think FCS dimple pad in the standing position is my favorite setup for grip & comfort. I will likely throw Hex down between the tail pad and center dimple pad on my other boards. But for this longboard, I was keen to keep the clean look of the deck.