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How to wax your surfboard like a pro
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Whether your board is new or second hand, at some point you’re going to need a fresh coat of wax on it. Anyone can wax a board, right? Well yes, but there’s a bit of a dark art to clearing the old wax off and laying down a perfect wax job.
You will need:
– 1 x block of base coat / tropical wax
– 1 x block of cool-water wax
– 1 x wax scraper
– Hot water and an old cloth
– About ten minutes
If your board is new, skip the first four steps but bear them in mind for when you need a wax change.
1. Take the fins off your board and lay it on the ground. Put something under it so it doesn’t get dinged up.
Pouring hot water on a filthy surfboard to clear off the old wax
Look at the state of that wax! Pure minging, but see how the hot water starts to sort it out.
2. Pour hot (not quite boiling) water over the old wax on your board. You’ll see it quickly start to soften and run off. Beware of splash back if you’re wearing boardies!
Using a scraper to remove soft wax from a surfboard
So much easier to remove wax when it’s warm and soft. Sure you could leave your board in the sun but it might take a while.
3. Scrape the soft wax off the board in long steady strokes. Don’t jab or put too much pressure on the deck.
Using hot water and cloth to clean a surfboard
Hot water and a cloth is all you need, no nasty chemicals at work here! 🙂
4. Once most of the wax is scraped off apart from bits trapped in pressure dents, pour more hot water over the board. Now use the cloth to wipe the board clean.
Using hard wax to key the surfboard for the top coat
Use the corner of the block of hard wax to ‘key’ diagonal lines onto your freshly cleaned surfboard
5. Take your hard base coat / tropical water wax and key diagonal lines across your board in both directions. This is important as it gives subsequent wax layers something to bond to.
Using the flat edge of a block of surf wax to complete the base coat
Using the flat edge to finish off the ‘base coat’. This makes the sticky top coat last longer.
6. Using the flat edge of the block of hard wax, rub a good layer over the keyed up area.
Rubbing cool water wax over the base coat gives you lovely sticky humps
My humps, my lovely little lumps, check it out! This is the effect you’re after – super grippy!
7. Now, take your cool-water wax and using a flat edge rub a good layer over the waxed area. You should start to see the ‘humps’ appear!
A freshly waxed surfboard is one of the most delectable sites on earth
Just look at the finished article. Doesn’t it make you want to go and ride?
8. Throw all the old wax in the bin, and go out and get some waves! Top up with cool-water wax before each session.
A surfer girl throws a nice cutback on a clean wave
Take your super sticky surfboard and go shred some waves!