How I put rail tape on my DW board.. [pics]

[DavidJohn]

Here's a few pics showing how I did my 14' downwind board for those who may be confused about all these rail tape application methods.. I'm not saying my way's right and the others are wrong but this way has worked well for me..

1.. I first worked out the correct position for the tape to be on my board by checking how far I reach forward with my paddle at the start of my stroke.. You need to make sure the tape is forward enough along the rail to protect this area.. I also positioned the tape more towards the top half of the rail because that's where most paddle hits are.. and I used a few pieces of duct tape to hold it in position..



2.. I started at the front by pealing back the backing paper and lightly pressing down only the centre part of the tape..



3.. I then worked my way along the rail pealing the backing paper as I go and again only lightly pressing down the centre part of the tape.. Doing this will allow you to easyly lift the tape and reposition it if not straight..





4.. Once you've got to the end and you're happy with the position go back to the start and push down the sides by pushing from the centre out to the edge to avoid getting bubbles.. Do this along the top and then along the bottom..





You will be amazed at how such a thick tape can be so plyable and how the tape goes onto a doulde bend radius of a rail without any wrinkles.. It's that easy..

[surfinJ]

Did I miss your vid on this here?  It's quite enjoyable.   

[HanaSurf]

Looks like you did a great job.Thanks for the install tips. In 7 yrs of paddling I've never needed rail protection because I tour so my strokes are slow and smooth.  Because of losing some places to put my board in I'm using a public floating dock a lot. The posts and floating foam have barnacles (salt water) on them. In winter with cold water I would like to put all my attention on getting on the board safe and dry from the dock. Would this Rail;Saver Pro protect my boards from being up against the barnacles as I get on so I can concentrate on board mount and not worry about damage?? THANKS

[blueplanetsurf]

Nice job DJ, it's not easy to get the air bubbles out with the clear railsaver pro tape.  Starting from the middle and slowly working up and down is key.  I find that paddle strikes are higher in the front but at the widest point of the rail in the middle of the board, so I like to start the tape higher in the front and then go lower, centered on the widest point of the rail in the middle of the board.

[blueplanetsurf]

We made a little video to go along with DJ's photos- Kevin shows how he applies Railsaver Pro clear tape at our shop:
https://youtu.be/jYZF8uFwmos

[headmount]

I use a wooden spoon to rub it out from the center ... which works well.  If you do get a bubble you can poke a hole with a seam ripper or needle and rub it out.  I used to go so slow rubbing carefully as I went but PBill showed me the quick way and you don't get that many bubbles.  At any rate bubbles don't create any problems anyway.  Rubbing the tiny ones out is just being obsessive.  I am, PBill not so much.  He's a get 'er done type of guy and after you've banged up boards the way we all have you stop worrying about every little nick.

[eastbound]

boards, like cars (certainly living here in brooklyn), will (certainly in my case) look like shlt in a year or two regardless.

i use rsp more so my boards dont ding and get put out of action, less to preserve aesthetic

that said, i wish rsp would make a full perimeter length. with protection for the nose and tail as well as rails. rails get paddlewhacked, but nose and tail get bumped by stumbling exhausted careless happy moron post-session. there'd need to be a special cut pattern for nose/tail, but totally doable.

[Glowmaster]

The RSP protection is working great to protect the rails on my new Banh Pho.  I knew where to put it by seeing where  the light carbon whacks were deglossing the paint.  Application was pretty easy.  Don't forget to put a Coca Cola on the deck during application.  I learned that from DJs video and picture above.

Here is a cool shot my Wife took from a bridge over my run. RSP gonna keep that paint job intact.

[TN_SUP]

Hey Glow, how do you like your Pho? I've been considering a board from them.

[PonoBill]

Gotta say, those Bahn Pho boards look ideal for 14', even for heavyweights. Love the rails, love the tail, perfect nose. Look where the bow wave is coming off. That nose will penetrate. And no pushed water, no splash. Like a 18' Speedboard only shorter. What's not to like. Well, I'd like to see a deep footwell with drainage off the back, but still... Tempting. 

Yeah, I'd love to see full protection RSPro. It would probably be more than a hundred bucks, and a little tricky to put on, though Carles and the manufacturer he uses obviously know how to make complex shapes work. The stuff is bulletproof. Game over as far as I'm concerned, I won't even try anything that doesn't have those little protective pillows. I just bite the bullet and pay the price.

Eastbound, the RSPro protects against the rocks here in Hood River. I set my board down on it's rails on the gnarliest Basalt you'll ever see--sometimes it lands a little harder than I had in mind with the wind whipping at 35+. Never a nick. Can't say the same for anyplace on the board that doesn't have RSPro on it. I'm gonna have to hide my Bullet from the SIC guys if they come up for the Gorge Paddle Challenge.

[Glowmaster]

Hey TN SUP.  My board is everything I wanted.  Fast, light, and super stable to side to side and fore and aft waves. Motorboat wakes have yet to shake me off her, even though they sure try!

I will write a more complete review on a different thread now that I have about a 100 miles under her.  This is about RSP and it is highly recommended.

Go Pho it!

ed

[stoneaxe]

Not to continue the hijack of DJ's post on RSP (I'll never get another board without protecting the rails with it) but I'm definitely going to have Patrick make me a board one of these days. Beautiful work, great craftsmanship and they are seeing lots of podiums. You can tell he loves building every one. He's definitely going to build my granddaughters 1st real board some day. She wants his Hello Kitty board. All that and you get to be a member of the Hobo Squad....

I had very little issue with applying the RSP to my boards. 1st one I went pretty slow, got some bubbles but just pulled it and started over. That's one of the great things about it. You really can't screw it up because you can reposition it, a very workable adhesive. The texture makes it so easy to follow curves too. I thought for sure I was going to have problems with the clear wide on my 8-4 but it went without a hitch.....just go slow.

I'm a terrible rail whacker. I think it's because of my crappy balance, every board I have has bad marks, chips, cracked hot coat, etc. I had the Foote out twice before I got the RSP and had whacked the rails all over and hard enough a couple times to chip it. Since I put it on I've been on it 8 or 10 times and there isn't a mark. It made the board look brand new and it still does....on the rails anyway. Not many products work better than you expect but this is one of them. Great looking stuff too. I think it actually improved the look of my Foote.