Surfing Equipment - Accessorize Your Board

Once you have your board, it is hard to resist the “extras” readily available to protect your board and enhance your surfing performance. Whether shopping for a board cover online, or a traction pad in store, there are many purchases which will boost your surfing experience.

Board Covers

These are a must for surfers to protect their most prized possession. Covers for boards come in all sizes to give a good fit to the board. When ordering a board cover make sure you choose the size according to the length of the board you ride. The width will take care of itself.

The type of cover you need will depend on:

• How and where you store your board. This can be standing up inside or outside, hung from hooks, placed on wall racks, or hung in a sling from a roof. Board socks are made to fit the board much like the socks we wear on our feet. They pull down over the board to cover it entirely and usually have a drawstring at one end. These are great for boards stored inside but offer no protection from the weather. Board socks are also easy to fit and light weight and offer protection from sun and dirt when tied to the top of a car.
• Transportation of the board from home to the surf. For a short trip to the waves a board sock will do the trick. Board bags offer more protection as they have padding sewn in to the cover. Board bags also come with a strap/handle which makes it easier to carry if you have a long walk to the water. When travelling by plane to a surf spot surfboard bags are a must. They also come in double and triple styles so that more than one board can be carried at a time. Pro surfers travelling to competitions generally use these bags.

Surfboard socks and board bags come in a variety of colours and designs. Colours such as hot pink and aqua blue, as well as rainbow stripes are popular with female surfers. Standard blue, red and silver covers are still popular, but many now opt for a design such as a sunray (combining red and black; or blue and black) to make their board stand out. This is especially helpful when identifying your board at an airport.

A large range of sizes and colours of board bags and board socks can be purchased on line at boardcovers.com.au.

Board Wax

Board wax (also known as surf wax) is a wax that is applied to the deck of the board to stop the surfer from sliding off the board when paddling or riding a wave by increasing the grip on the smooth surface of the deck. Board wax is composed of either paraffin or beeswax with additives to suit different water temperatures.

Surf wax is applied by rubbing the wax onto the deck of the board. The first coat will have some bumps and ridges which are added to when consecutive coats are applied. A wax comb can be used to engrave a pattern in the wax to increase the grip for the surfer and lengthen the life of the wax. Wax combs are also used to take off large lumps of wax from the board when .

Traction Pads

Surfboard traction pads (also known as deck grips or tail pads) are basically pieces of thin foam with ridges which stick to the end of the deck of the board. Traction pads give the surfer more grip to the board. This allows them to manoeuvre their board on a wave without being concerned on whether the wax is sufficient to hold the feet in place on the board. Traction pads are almost essential when performing aerial moves.

Like boardcovers, traction pads come in a variety of designs and colours and are a relatively cheap method of improving your performance when riding a wave.

Board Stickers

Some surfers like to “dress up” their boards with board stickers. These stickers have no purpose in the performance of the board or the surfer. Board stickers really are just an accessory!