I can see little dents in my pad where I crawled up and dragged the hook.
We used to get deck pad scars. A simple technique change fixed it. When you crawl up on the board, use your forearm/elbows to lift yourself a little higher so the hook doesn’t drag across the pad.
Without a hook, we tend to drag our fat bellies across the deck. Lift up a little higher, then throw the leg up. Never touch my deck pad. Don’t worry about the rail. Nobody has ever dinged a rail with a harness on my boards.
