Want to keep yer ass upright? Follow our guide and discover how to set up your board with super sticky bumps…
STEP 1: Wax Selection
Choosing the correct type of wax is critical to the successful completion of the task at hand. If you surf mainly in cool water, then you’re gonna need cool water wax. It’s a lot harder than warm water wax but doesn’t freeze up and loose traction in cold water.
Conversely if you surf warmer water then you’ll need warm water wax, it’s pretty sticky and won’t melt into a soft paste when exposed to warm water and sunshine. Most brands use the same temp guides: Cold: 60° and below, Cool: 58-68°, Warm: 64-74°, Tropical: 75° and above
STEP 02: Wax Removal
If your board already has an old coat of wax then we’d advise you to remove it. This is also true if you’re planning on surfing in a different climate to what you’re usually accustomed to – mixing cold and warm water wax in the wrong order will mess ya up.
Start by leaving your board in the sun for around 15 – 30 minutes. You want the wax to soften up but not running down your board as this makes more of a mess and will take longer to remove.
When the wax is nice and soft, you’ll want to start scraping it off. Personally I like to use an old plastic paint scraper – it’s soft enough to scrape the top of your board without leaving scratch marks. If you haven’t got one handy then you can use the smooth side of a wax comb, a plastic soda bottle cut in half, or your driver's license.
It’s quite a simple process, start at the top and work your way down to the bottom, removing peels of old wax and rolling them into a ball. Be sure to put it in the trash can, or bring it home and throw to throw it out.
Once you’ve removed all the wax, you can optionally use a soft cloth and denatured alcohol to remove the residue from your board but we have found that this residue does provide a nice base coat for applying a new layer. Our favorite is the Pickle! It's a great wax remover, and it's reusable many times over.
STEP 3: Foot Placement
Map out your foot placement by assuming your surfing stance next to the board. Note how far up the deck you place your front foot, it’ll save you wax and reputation – there’s nothing worse than full deck waxing, especially if you surf in a wetsuit and the dark rubber turns your shining white wax job into a polluted snow field.
STEP 4: The Base Coat
Apply a base coat of wax by gently stroking the block of wax on the UPPER DECK of your board from the tail to a point about fifteen centimeters above your front foot placement. We say wax the upper deck because – Ripley’s believe it or not – some people have waxed the bottom of their boards!!! Damn snowboarders, you’re in the ocean now!
STEP 5: The Top Coat
Wax on a surfboard is essential. Without wax, a surfer would just slip off the board. Properly applying wax can be the difference between making a wave and wiping out.
After determining the water temperature, and selecting the appropriate wax, apply multiple layers of wax where your foot placement would be – more layers equal mightier mounds for the best grip around. Apply the wax in a cross-hatch pattern. You should alternate the pressure you apply to each layer. Once you have a decent amount of wax on the board a gentler pressure can help to raise the bumps – it’s quite a tactile art, you’ll feel if you’re applying too much pressure – the goal is to form raised bumps as the final layer.
STEP 6: Comb Those Mounds
With the end of your wax comb (the one with the spikes), bring it diagonally across one side of your board, do the same on the other side. Your board will end up with squares carved in the wax, which creates better traction.
Wax with big diagonal strokes. This way you will get tall gripping bumps on your deck. Waxing in circles will flatten those bumps and make you look like a cheese bandit. Hold the wax at an angle. Do put wax near (not too near) the nose, you may need to put your foot there when distributing weight to get over a section or re-form. Don't limit yourself to a small square of wax just for your front foot- good surfers walk all over their boards, not to mention landing airs. Try a dab of wax behind the tail pad- could save your knackers if your foot lands too far back (think pin tails). Use a wax comb with diagonal cross-hatching strokes to revitalize traction from time to time.
Keep your wax in a plastic zip-lock bag so it doesn’t get covered in crap and melt all over your pimp ride. Always put your board in your bag the same way up or you’ll get wax on both sides of the bag, which means wax on both sides of your board. That’ll slow you down.
When your wax gets all skanky and flat start again from Step 1. I just wish it tasted as good as it smells.
Points to keep in mind
To protect your wax, turn your board upside down when it's out of the water and in the sun.
Try not to wax too far over your rails, by this we mean don’t wax the side of your board – it’ll increase the surface friction and drag and may cause you to bog a rail – much to the disgust of the girls you’re trying to impress on the beach.
Some people prefer to wax the entire deck area and others prefer to wax only where their feet go. Waxing the entire deck provides extra grip while paddling and help pluck all those unsightly chest hairs when bagging surfing – we’d recommend full deck waxing for beginners who aren’t sure where their feet go and have trouble staying on their boards while paddling.
As a last resort you can try waxing the inner arch and souls of your feet – we’re not sure how the hell you’d do it but swear that even Andy Irons does it…
Lastly, although the wax smells damn good - it’s best if you don’t eat it.