Surf Wax Alternative

[stoked 1,039]

Okay, last year we all talked about wax alternatives, those of you that tried other stuff, what were the results? Viskus, Van der Waal, Hot Stix, Hula Deck? I've been researching Van der Waal and so far I'm liking what I'm reading, but I'm worried that the alternatives are good for toe and heal movements, but they may not have the grip for upwards. 

[DrNate 426]

I love my hexatraction:

 

https://www.amazon.com/NorthShore-HexaTraction-Clear-Surf-Grip/dp/B01GKB3CVG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500470249&sr=8-1&keywords=hexatraction

[mxvet 0]

I've been running viskus for 2 summers,, like it, but it does lose tackiness after a few outings. They aren't that expensive so I buy several at a time.

[DarksideR 1,679]

I've yet to try it myself, but I know some people using the Nuff surf traction and they really like it. 

[builtforspeed 79]

16 hours ago, DrNate said:

I love my hexatraction:

 

https://www.amazon.com/NorthShore-HexaTraction-Clear-Surf-Grip/dp/B01GKB3CVG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500470249&sr=8-1&keywords=hexatraction

I made the jump to hexa and it works great, easy to adjust feet but grips great, all my surfing buddies were sceptical as well but love it . 

Light weight,graphics show thru . Good stuff

[RhuntIII 555]

I'm gonna agree on the Hex, it's nice when you sit on the board and your boardshorts don't slide.

I've been using Versa Traction for a couple of years and love it. For price I like it better than the Hex but it is slippery when sitting on the board, riding you can not tell the difference between Versa and Hex.

I do not like wax on the boat and I will not bring wax on your boat.

https://versaworld.com/index.php/board-sports/surf/deck-traction.html

[49faith 4]

On 7/19/2017 at 10:52 PM, builtforspeed said:

I made the jump to hexa and it works great, easy to adjust feet but grips great, all my surfing buddies were sceptical as well but love it . 

Light weight,graphics show thru . Good stuff

I"m going to try this out. Viskus loses it's grip pretty quickly and I've been applying sticky bumps on top of it. Don't prefer that route but i'm not getting any grip on (attempted) airs otherwise. How long has the hexa grip lasted for you?

[stoked 1,039]

Thanks everyone!

Reading the amazon reviews for the Hexa a couple of the people complain that it is more like sandpaper than wax. The most detailed writeup ended with the guy going with: 

http://www.surfcohawaii.com/Hawaiian-Hot-Grip-Traction-s/23.htm

Which does seem a little more friendly to what we're all trying to do

[builtforspeed 79]

12 hours ago, 49faith said:

I"m going to try this out. Viskus loses it's grip pretty quickly and I've been applying sticky bumps on top of it. Don't prefer that route but i'm not getting any grip on (attempted) airs otherwise. How long has the hexa grip lasted for you?

i have been using it since the end of last season and this season. The stuff is actually non abrasive , i don't understand the sand paper comments. i have been surfing for almost 42 years now and have a dislike for any front foot traction but this stuff works.

i have  a friend who is a rider for channel islands and he rode behind my boat over the weekend and loved it as well.

i also don't understand why some of the wakesurf board builders send out there boards with the traction already installed. how do they know how you surf or how your stance is .  

i could go on about it, but if you do order a kit it will be enough for 2 boards (wake surf) for front with traditional rear pad.

on a side note about it being abrasive, i have no problems laying it deck down on my upholstery and i am as anal about my boat as anal can be.

[49faith 4]

16 minutes ago, builtforspeed said:

i have been using it since the end of last season and this season. The stuff is actually non abrasive , i don't understand the sand paper comments. i have been surfing for almost 42 years now and have a dislike for any front foot traction but this stuff works.

i have  a friend who is a rider for channel islands and he rode behind my boat over the weekend and loved it as well.

i also don't understand why some of the wakesurf board builders send out there boards with the traction already installed. how do they know how you surf or how your stance is .  

i could go on about it, but if you do order a kit it will be enough for 2 boards (wake surf) for front with traditional rear pad.

on a side note about it being abrasive, i have no problems laying it deck down on my upholstery and i am as anal about my boat as anal can be.

Great, thanks for the info. I'm ordering some now.

[DrNate 426]

I ended up using 3 sets for my longboard because I wanted to go all the way from tip to tail.  This was with 2 sets on, you can see it is a bit lacking.

 

 

Edited July 25, 2017 by DrNate

[Cwazy1 89]

I'm still not totally sold on the hexa. I'm having a hard time believing that its as good for ariels as say... viskus with a tiny amount of wax on it. 

I've also touched it on a brigade board before and it didn't seem that sticky?

Edited July 25, 2017 by Cwazy1

[DrNate 426]

1 hour ago, Cwazy1 said:

I'm still not totally sold on the hexa. I'm having a hard time believing that its as good for ariels as say... viskus with a tiny amount of wax on it. 

I've also touched it on a brigade board before and it didn't seem that sticky?

Yeah, it's definitely not THAT sticky.  I would still prefer grippier regular traction on my short boards but obviously not doing any aerials on that 9 footer

[49faith 4]

Would the hexa with a little wax be an option? I know viskus is inexpensive, but it doesn't seem like it's worth applying new sheets every time it loses its grip versus just using wax.

[Cwazy1 89]

1 hour ago, 49faith said:

Would the hexa with a little wax be an option? I know viskus is inexpensive, but it doesn't seem like it's worth applying new sheets every time it loses its grip versus just using wax.

The way I see it is that viskus provides the base texture and bumps that a well waxed board would have. This allows for a TINY amount of wax to be used on top of viskus- which results in basically no transfer onto feet, vinyl, boat when not in use. Utilizing it this way also ensures that the viskus doesn't ever 'lose grip'. The only scenario you'd have to replace a sheet is (1) if it gets too dirty, or (2) if the bumps start falling off. Mine is going on nearly 2 months now with twice weekly outings and it isn't showing any signs of wear. 

Compare this to a well waxed board with equivalent bumps- which would be a mess. 

 

Edited July 25, 2017 by Cwazy1

[builtforspeed 79]

2 hours ago, 49faith said:

Would the hexa with a little wax be an option? I know viskus is inexpensive, but it doesn't seem like it's worth applying new sheets every time it loses its grip versus just using wax.

You don't need wax trust me it's not supposed to be sticky. I would try both if you can.

Most wake surfers I see could not surf there way out of a paper bag . But if you know you know and sometimes you just have to take the leap.

[h20king 794]

I use viscous extra sticky and have come to love it. I buy 8 sheets to get me through a season. The sticky bumps do wear off but I'm able to extend its life by peeling it up then spinning 180 and re sticking it.