Best SUP Handle that's available?

[PaddleSpot]

I'm a big fan of E-Z Stick-On Plug on my custom 14' SUPs.

[Garmize]

I work for WL Gore and the plugs are designed for airflow in both directions.  It is the way the PTFEe is manipulated to allow air but not water.  I am actually surprised no one has wrapped a board with EPTFe since it has a lower coefficient  of friction than glass or any other board surface.  You will also have 0 dings since it is a much more durable material.

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[blueplanetsurf]

I work for WL Gore and the plugs are designed for airflow in both directions.  It is the way the PTFEe is manipulated to allow air but not water.  I am actually surprised no one has wrapped a board with EPTFe since it has a lower coefficient  of friction than glass or any other board surface.  You will also have 0 dings since it is a much more durable material.

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This material sounds very interesting, how would you go about wrapping a board in EPTFe? 

http://www.gore.com/en_xx/products/venting/packaging/eptfe_membrane.html

[Garmize]

Gore has unique abilities to adhere EPTFe to all different types of materials.   A board company would have to be interested and the market would have to be worth it, but it could be done.  The process might also add to much cost to the process which would make the board cost to much.

Cheers;
Gary M.

[photofr]

I thought I was having a nightmare when reading that the Goretex was a one-way valve ONLY letting air out of the board. Thanks for Blueplanet for standing up.

When the board cools back down, the board will be drawing air back in. To keep it simple, here's an image:
During the day, air will escape your board (as it gets hotter).
During the night, air will enter your board (as it gets colder).
Note: Hollow boards are even more prone to this.

Back to HANDLES… that I don't know much about:
What do you guys think of the SIC Maui handles?
To me, they seem to make sense. Any pros and cons?

[PonoBill]

Back to HANDLES… that I don't know much about:
What do you guys think of the SIC Maui handles?
To me, they seem to make sense. Any pros and cons?

You mean the big hole with the bar across it? Toe grabber. Other than that they're great.

[Subber]

I will say that a strip of deck pad on the inner edge of any handle makes things a lot better.

Thanks for the tip Cowboy - totally makes sense.
I'll be trying it tomorrow.

Works very well.
Big improvement for little effort.

[surfcowboy]

Glad it helped. I need to add some more to mine.

[hbsteve]

Nonskid strips available at hardware stores work good also.

[blueplanetsurf]

For anyone interested in retrofitting a board with a SUPGrip handle, we just posted a new video showing the installation process, it's fairly straightforward if you are good with a router and using epoxy.  The video is posted on this SUPGrip handle product page:
http://blueplanetsurf.com/products/sup-grip

And here is the direct link to the video on youtube:

[PonoBill]

Holy buckets, that's a lot of glass. The handle strength must be mostly the glass overlay. Clever. the weight won't be much because it's just an outline.

[blueplanetsurf]

Holy buckets, that's a lot of glass. The handle strength must be mostly the glass overlay. Clever. the weight won't be much because it's just an outline.

Yes, lots of glass.  I asked Alex about this.  He said he intentionally installed the handle slightly below the deck glass level, then beveled the edges of the deck glass and added a lot of glass on top to bring it up to above the level of the deck glass.  This allowed him to sand down the installation to be nice and flush with the deck glass without a bump at the edge yet still be strong with a thick layer of glass connecting the handle to the deck.

[peterwSUPr]

Sorry to bend this thread more toward the vent again, but are there vents available that have the membrane at the deck level like you might get if you used one of the vents in the gore info sheet?  I've always been troubled by having a vent in the bottom of a hole since it can't pull air in when full of water.  I'd much rather have a vent that is a bit proud of the deck, (and be careful not to strap the board down on a rack right onto the bolt head).  Looks like those gore vents use a metric thread, so I don't think I could retrofit one of those to my board without new threads.

EDIT:  After looking online just now I noticed that there are a couple of these available now, which I don't recall being available when I got a couple vents a couple years ago.  They tend to be recessed into the deck a bit, but not as much as some vent systems which could stay full of water.

Peter

[magentawave]

 I have never heard about a board that blew up in the water so what difference would it make?

I've always been troubled by having a vent in the bottom of a hole since it can't pull air in when full of water.  I'd much rather have a vent that is a bit proud of the deck, (and be careful not to strap the board down on a rack right onto the bolt head).

[blueplanetsurf]

I have never heard about a board that blew up in the water so what difference would it make?

As stated earlier in the thread, the board won't blow up but when it cools down it creates a vacuum in the board that can suck water in through the tiniest pinholes and can cause caving in.  A vent plug that is not covered by water could let air into the board without causing damage.

I had a hollow SIC board with a screw in plug (non venting).  I had the plug unscrewed on the beach (hot) and then screwed it in before going into the water.   The deck by the nose collapsed and cracked along the rails on both sides from the vacuum inside the board as it was cooling off in the water.