tailpads

Bub34

hey all just wondering would a tailpad be any benefit to minimal board?

tigerballs

Well, It would be of minimal Benefit I guess!

Bub34

what would be the benefits of it do??

tigerballs

Not much need for a tailpad on a longboard or Mini Malibu.
The benefits of a pad really only come into play when surfing hard off the rear of the board.
Normal foot positions on a mini mal type board would be off the tail pad position.

pauld81

I reckon tail pads are great for the extra grip, but I use them on a larger boards more as a reference point for my foot. On anything larger than a 'short board', I tend to use a pad that can be broken up into separate parts so it covers the large tail area.
I have to disagree with Tigerballs - "normal foot position on a mini mal type board would be off the tail pad". I believe that if you wish to progress on any board, your back foot is always on the move.. Ie: Back foot mid board for speed - back foot as far to the tail as possible to crank out hacking turns.. This is a basic principle of surfing and if you watch the likes of Ben Skinner his back foot is right out over the tail for turns, so my point is the tail pad is useful for grip and reference point. Hope this helps a wee bit Bub34, PS: If you already waxed the tail, the tail pad won't stick to the board.. You have a lot of scrubbing to get it back to make the tail pad stick, try the Pickle Wax Remover Ball.

tigerballs

Maybe Bub34 you should explain where you are at on a surfboard regarding experience and what kind of board/ waves you surf.
Traction pads and a lot of that gear are just stuff you are encouraged to buy and not necessarily any use to you until you really need them.
A simple alternative to using a pad as a point of reference is lumps of wax where you want them.

qapmoc

tigerballs wrote: »

A simple alternative to using a pad as a point of reference is lumps of wax where you want them.

that may be ok in Australia but here in the winter, going down a wave, it may not be as easy to feel lumps of wax through thick wetsuit boots as it would be in bare feet.

Mickeroo

I don't personally see the need for a tailpad on anything but a short board, but if it helps as a point of reference for someone's feet then there's no harm in it either.

Some NSP minimals come with them on as standard I think, so its not like its out of the ordinary either.