Traction pad or no?

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Traction pad or no?

Postby kookextraordinaire » Thu May 24, 2018 3:38 pm

I currently don't have traction pads on any of my boards, and was wondering if anybody in the shortboarding community does the same. Sans traction pad my boards just seem to paddle better (although this is most likely entirely mental, the drag is probably minimal) and when surfing they seem more sensitive. Additionally, they are quite expensive, and I'm reluctant to spend 40 dollars on something which I can't imagine costs more than a few dollars to manufacture. And there is the added bonus of eschewing garish branding.

Thoughts?
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Re: Traction pad or no?

Postby dtc » Fri May 25, 2018 1:00 am

If you dont need one then you dont need one! I like having one (on a 6'10) because my back foot moves around a bit given the length, and the pad helps me put my foot into the right spot. But on a shorter board, your foot might only move an inche or two, so its not that useful re positioning. Its then only whether you think the ability to pressure the board by pressing against the traction pad bar/bump is useful (personally I think it is, but again a longer board requires a bit more pressure).

If you want a cheap pad to try out, buy through AliExpress. You can find them for $10-$12. I have one and its fine, perhaps 80% of the quality of a $50 version (just a bit less soft, a bit more friable), but the difference is pretty irrelevant in a practical sense
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Re: Traction pad or no?

Postby Big H » Fri May 25, 2018 10:28 am

I like the feeling of foot to deck but on fast waves my back foot tends to slide off when I pop up/turn out of the chute so I use one on all my boards under 8’.
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Re: Traction pad or no?

Postby Big H » Fri May 25, 2018 10:28 am

I like the feeling of foot to deck but on fast waves my back foot tends to slide off when I pop up/turn out of the chute so I use one on all my boards under 8’.
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Re: Traction pad or no?

Postby waikikikichan » Fri May 25, 2018 11:32 am

kookextraordinaire wrote:I currently don't have traction pads on any of my boards, and was wondering if anybody in the shortboarding community does the same. Sans traction pad my boards just seem to paddle better (although this is most likely entirely mental, the drag is probably minimal) and when surfing they seem more sensitive. Additionally, they are quite expensive, and I'm reluctant to spend 40 dollars on something which I can't imagine costs more than a few dollars to manufacture. And there is the added bonus of eschewing garish branding.

Not me but this person seems to be well informed on the subject already:
1) 40 dollars for a piece of plastic which likely cost a few dollars to make? No thanks. And yeah, pros use them, but they get royalties for their silly signature "pro" models.
If you want to know if your back foot is hitting the tail every time, only wax the tail and leave a big gap between the wax on the rest of the board If you fall off you'll know the reason.
2) That said, the answer to 99 out of 100 questions regarding the degree to which an accessory ( traction pad ) affects a boards performance is: negligible and barely detectable at our level.
3) I forgot to mention, they make tail-pads with the edges beveled in,
This might work for you and they are still fairly long. I think most companies offer a beveled in option, you don't have to go FCS if you aren't so inclined.
4) Quick fix here. Just remove the two side parts, keep the center arch and put wax in the space they previously occupied. I used to do that on some of my boards.
5) Get front foot traction. I use it on all my boards now. Pro-lite makes great stuff. Looks silly, but you never have to wax your board again...

You should listen to him.
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Re: Traction pad or no?

Postby kookextraordinaire » Fri May 25, 2018 8:49 pm

Great answers here, was hoping for some varied opinions. As for front-foot traction, I did have it on one of my boards a while back. It was pro-lite (they make great stuff, my pro-lite travel board bag has never let me down). I liked it when I was up and riding, but I found i tended to slip a bit when paddling. The chest panel on my wettie is slick, which caused it, no fault of the product itself.

I feel the same way about fins, for the most part. We are told that the latest V2 inside foils or titanium coated honeycomb finsw hich so and so pro uses will make us better surfers, but in reality, it's a way of surf companies to get us to part with 90 (90!!) dollars. A good example of this is Jordy Smith, who has his own pro-model but uses different fins. But Futures has no qualms about continuing to sell his model. I'm sure there are exceptions to this, as there are some truly proven templates out there (AM2's and K2.1's come to mind).

I probably sound like a bit of a curmudgeon and a conspiracy theorist! I don't actually complain this much in real life, but I just get really worked up about marketing.

Does anybody else share this sentiment? Or has anybody found a fin which does what it says on the tin? Interested to hear some thoughts.
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Re: Traction pad or no?

Postby waikikikichan » Fri May 25, 2018 9:02 pm

kookextraordinaire wrote:Great answers here, was hoping for some varied opinions. As for front-foot traction, I did have it on one of my boards a while back.

You do realize the person I quoted the 5 comments on, was yourself.
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Re: Traction pad or no?

Postby kookextraordinaire » Fri May 25, 2018 9:15 pm

Oops!! That's a bit embarrassing. Haven't been on this website for a few months, and I have the memory of the goldfish these days. Apologies.
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Re: Traction pad or no?

Postby kookextraordinaire » Fri May 25, 2018 9:31 pm

I should have recognized my own writing style. Rambling sentences and overly long!

My query about fins still stands though. Looking back at an older post, waikiki, you seem to be an avid proponent of K2.1's. Any other fins you really like?

I'd include m5's in my list of fins which work as well.
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Re: Traction pad or no?

Postby waikikikichan » Fri May 25, 2018 9:55 pm

kookextraordinaire wrote:My query about fins still stands though. Looking back at an older post, waikiki, you seem to be an avid proponent of K2.1's. Any other fins you really like?

I basically only use the FCS glass flex or the Futures composite fins in free surf and competition. I like the flex and response. It might be my weight or the way I turn, but I don't or can't turn the stiff(er) carbon / honeycomb thingamajigs. As for the K2.1, those are great "next" fin after learning on the go-to M5. ( by the way, the Futures Fins "WCT" model is basically the K2.1 ) The sad fact is for most "half-good" surfers, you could probably switch out one fin from a different set or flip flop the pattern, and they wouldn't know.
Side note on FCS2 fins, I ran REACTOR fins and felt they went no where. Was on the PERFORMER for a bit and still was missing some oomph. So I basically thought it was the board, and told my wife I'm going to sell the board. Then just recently I got the the CARVERS, and man, the backside carves and round houses were crazy. My wife saw one of my waves on it and later told me, " Well, I guess you're keeping the board now."
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Re: Traction pad or no?

Postby kookextraordinaire » Sat May 26, 2018 3:16 am

Funny you should say that about the carvers. I just looked them up, and they have a lot of base and tons of rake. A lot like the am2's, except without a smaller trailing fin.

Not entirely sure what this means though: "New Linear Flex: 3D Twist and roll action delivers a smoother feel". Did they seem smoother? You sound like you have a grasp on sensitivity, whereas most of the time I can't really tell either!
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Re: Traction pad or no?

Postby waikikikichan » Sat May 26, 2018 5:24 am

kookextraordinaire wrote: Did they seem smoother? You sound like you have a grasp on sensitivity, whereas most of the time I can't really tell either!

Smoother ? No. More controlled Power ? Yes. The Carvers allowed me to place the power down When and Where I wanted it to be. The Reactor seemed "not there" and the Performer was "okay".
If you can't tell or feel the difference between fins, I would just go for the cheaper stock FRP fins like the FCS Glassflex M5 two tab, FCS2 Performer or Futures Fins Composite F4. And since you can't feel the difference in using a traction pad or not, fins might not matter either.
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Re: Traction pad or no?

Postby kookextraordinaire » Sat May 26, 2018 5:51 am

"Most of the time" was the operative phrase in my post. In larger and steeper conditions the rake and wide base of AM2's give me lots of drive out of my bottom turns, and no other fin gives me that kind of projection, In mushy, sub-par conditions, which I surf here most of the time, I can't discern a huge difference in fin.

And of course feel the difference without a traction pad. The board is more sensitive, and I prefer it. The purpose of my original post was to get a sense of the general consensus of the surfing community, as was my question about fins.

Just because you work at a surf shop or in the industry in some capacity doesn't allow you to be so dismissive of everybody. It's pretty rude.
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Re: Traction pad or no?

Postby Big H » Sat May 26, 2018 10:00 am

[quote="kookextraordinaire]
Does anybody else share this sentiment? Or has anybody found a fin which does what it says on the tin? Interested to hear some thoughts.[/quote]
Greenough 4a is one(spring)....AM2 another(drive)...shapers lee wilson (drive+) and Asher Pacey (loose) all work as advertised......
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Re: Traction pad or no?

Postby waikikikichan » Sat May 26, 2018 10:39 am

kookextraordinaire wrote: The purpose of my original post was to get a sense of the general consensus of the surfing community, as was my question about fins.
Just because you work at a surf shop or in the industry in some capacity doesn't allow you to be so dismissive of everybody. It's pretty rude.

Ahh wait a minute, am I missing something here ? I am trying to give you help and give honest advice. I have an opinion based on past experiences with trial and error. You have yours. You even said it yourself:
QUOTE " That said, the answer to 99 out of 100 questions regarding the degree to which an accessory ( traction pad ) affects a boards performance is: negligible and barely detectable at our level.
You want a General Consensus right ? So you have to take the advice you want to hear and some that'll rub you the wrong way. From newbies starting out to old timers to soul surfers to surf competitors. That's a consensus.
I apologize if you think I'm being "high-makamaka" to you. Overall I'm just like you, I just love surfing, and try to help people surf better by giving them my best advice ( even if it's something they don't want to hear ).
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Re: Traction pad or no?

Postby kookextraordinaire » Sat May 26, 2018 2:12 pm

Sorry man, I misinterpreted friendly advice as "high-makamaka". Coupled with a really frustrating work week. But it's a poor excuse, this forum shouldn't be an outlet for that. So again, apologies. I don't want to come off as one of those people who foments arguments in forums. I genuinely enjoy this site and I find your posts super informative. Truth be told, I wish a resource like this was around in 2003 when I started surfing, it would have saved me a lot of trouble. E.g., the first time I donned a wetsuit on I put it on backwards! And I didn't understand priority. Surprised that my windshield didn't get waxed a lot more.

So, back to fins: You said you prefer glass flex or composite, for the reason that they flex well for your weight. How much do you weigh?

For the most part I don't register subtle differences in fins at all, but the F4's that I borrowed for a few sessions just didn't work. So I just stick to bigger templates. AM2's are the most widely available and you can always find them on ebay second hand.

I do have a lot of fins from the epoch where I foolishly thought fins would change my surfing. I have FCS pg3's, pg5's, and pg7's in fiberglass (same templates as the m's). They aren't in production anymore and extremely hard to find so if anyone wants to buy them off me let me know and I can ship them.
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Re: Traction pad or no?

Postby IB_Surfer » Mon Jun 04, 2018 3:55 am

I use them on all my shorter boards, but not on my longer once since I usually don't stand all the way back.
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Re: Traction pad or no?

Postby waikikikichan » Mon Jun 04, 2018 10:11 am

kookextraordinaire wrote:You said you prefer glass flex or composite, for the reason that they flex well for your weight. How much do you weigh?

I weigh about 125 lbs. / 56 kg. I also liked the feel of the Kinetik Racing Phase 3 fins, they were stiff at the base and flexy at the tip.
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