Guide to selecting surf wax and waxing your surfboard.

So you wanna get some surf wax on your stick and you're not sure where to start? Before we get started let's discuss the different types of surf wax in the market. Sticky Bumps, Famous Wax, Mr. Zogs Sex Wax, and Bubble Gum are the most popular brands. At Isle Surfboards we offer the full line of Sticky Bumps Surf Wax and remember all surfing accessories always ship free when you buy a surfboard.

What is the temperature of the water you will be surfing in?

Surf wax is typically offered in 4 types: Tropical Wax, Cool Wax, Cold Wax and Base Coat. The Base Coat is to create your first layer before applying the main wax . You might be asking does it really matter? Wax is wax, right? Wrong...The wax is engineered to retain a specific property for different water temps. For maximum traction always select the appropriate surf wax for your respective temperature. You can probably figure this out but if it's 80 degrees outside and the beach is lined with palm trees you can assume you will need tropical wax cuz the water is warm in the 68-70 degrees Fahrenheit range. If you can wear a short john or cut-off arm wetsuit chances are you might need cool surf wax for water temps in the 60-68 degrees Fahrenheit level. And if you need a thick full suit, then go for the cold water wax for temps in the 50-60 degree Fahrenheit level. So there you have it. Now wax it up.

So you know what type of surf wax you need for your water temperature, but how do you apply the wax properly?

Believe it or not there is a technique to applying wax on a surfboard. Follow these steps below to get the best result.

1. Always start with a clean fresh surface. If you got a new stick then your cool, but if it's a used board then clean off the old wax with a wax comb and towel for a fresh canvas.
   
2. Use Sticky Bumps Base Coat for your first layer. Base Coat is the primer layer and it gives you a tacky layer to apply the main coat of wax. The best way to apply the base coat is to make tick tack toe boxes making the squares about 3 inches x 3 inches. This will create a nice grid across the board.
   
3. Now that you have your grid, apply the main layer. Take your wax bar of Sticky Bumps Tropical, Sticky Bumps Cool or Sticky Bumps Cold and place the largest area of the surf wax bar on your board and go in small circles over the grid across the entire surface of the board. After a short period you will begin to notice the wax will start to bead up. This is the effect you want. Now hit the water and shred it up.
   *In very warm water it is not necessary to use base coast and very little wax need be applied as compared to cold water.

So you know how to apply wax but you heard about traction pads as a replacement to wax. See our buyers guide to surf traction for more information. Happy surfing.

Be sure to sign up for Isle Surfboards monthly newsletter for product updates, discounts, and giveaways.

Isle Surfboards Copyright 2009 email: service@islesurfboards.com

Related Articles