How to Wax a Surfboard

Surf wax is the stuff that makes your feet stick to the top of your surfboard. It's a good thing.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Women's Athletic Swimsuits
• Sunscreen
• Adhesive Traction Pads
• Board Shorts
• Surf Leashes
• Surf Waxes
• Surfboard Bags
• Surfboard Ding Repair Kits
• Surfboards
• Surfing Wet Suits

1. 

   Understand that different kinds of surf wax are made to work in different water temperatures. Buy surf wax that is suited to the water conditions you surf in.

2. 

   Rub wax onto the "deck," or top, of your surfboard using 3- to 6-inch circles. Pay particular attention to the parts of the deck where your feet will be, and wax the board all the way to the tail.

3. 

   Note that you don't need to wax the extreme front of the deck, but put some wax at the spot on the top side of each "rail," or side of the board, where your hands grab the board to sink the nose when you duck dive.

Tips & Warnings

• Use grip tape on the deck as a substitute for wax. Once it's on, you don't have to bother reapplying it.

• Put a heavy coat of wax on your board every time you go surfing while you are learning.

• If you are wearing a wetsuit, you can tuck a small bit of wax into the calf of your wetsuit so that you will have it handy if you need to rub a little onto your board while you're in the water.

• Once you have a thick coat of wax on your surfboard, you can use a stiff comb to rough up the wax for an even better grip.