How to Use Board Wax on Your Surfboard

Video Transcript

"Hi! This is Pat Weber with the San Diego Surfing Academy for expertvillage.com. In this clip we are cleaning the dirty wax off of the surfboard so that we can start with a clean surface. We are going to use a base coat of wax and then a top coat of wax in order to create grip so we don't slip: that would be a rookie mistake. We will even add texture using the teeth side of the wax comb. I'm fortunate to have a hot sunny afternoon. I am taking the old dirty wax off with the straight edge of the wax comb. Remember to dispose of properly. Now that I've got my board nice and clean, I am going to start applying a base coat of wax so the top coat takes. Where you wax the board is going to be influenced by where your feet are going to go. On a shortboard, my feet are going to go around here, front feet around here, the middle of the board. If I was riding a longboard and I was trying to nose ride, I would get up to the tip, I would wax up there as well. Once we have the base coat applied, which is a harder wax, we could put on the top coat, which is a softer wax and a grippier wax. Now that I have got the wax applied and if I want even more texture and more grip, I'll use the teeth of the wax comb in a crossing pattern to give me a nice grid. If you don't have fresh wax, I recommend a fresh coat before you start to go surfing. It that's not handy and all you have is wax comb, this will get your through it. And if you don't have a wax comb, a little beach sand will add texture and get you through. "