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What is the Best Traction for a Wood Paddle Board?

What is the best traction for a Wood Paddle Board? The answer really depends on what your intended use is for the paddleboard. The three basic choices are wax, epoxy spray traction, or a traction pad. Sliver Paddleboards uses the first two options and we have had good results with both. Because the shop boards are sometimes used for photographs we use surf wax on our boards. If you are unsure of what you want, start with wax and work your way down this list of progressively more permanent options.

Surf Wax – Easy to apply, easy to remove. This is what Sliver Uses on shop boards. It is messy but it provides good traction and allows us to remove it easily when it gets dirty. Simply scrape the wax off and then rub the residue with white flour. If you really need the board clean, denatured alcohol or a citrus wax remover will leave the board like new for a different option.

Monster Paint Spray on Traction – This stuff works quite well, looks great, and is easy to reapply when needed. Mask off where you don’t want it to stick. After using, be sure to hold can upside down and spray until there is no visible discharge. Continue to hold for a second more or the can will plug.

Monster Spray Traction provides excellent long lasting (3-6 months) grip on SUPs, surfboards, sailboards, skimboards and almost any wetted surface!
Overnight cure time
Easy to Apply

Tip: After using, be sure to hold can upside down and spray until there is no visible discharge. Continue to hold for a second more or the can will plug.

Natural Cork – I haven’t tried this option myself as it covers the beautiful wood board but I like the idea. The hardest part of applying cork would be cutting the shape out. You could use the template and a razor knife. I plan to order a drag-knife for the CNC machine so I can perfectly trim the shape to match the board’s outline.

Best Epoxy for Paddle Board Kits?

Introduction

If you have never used epoxy resin the subject can be quite intimidating. I will do my best to make it simple and provide you with just enough information to safely complete your board. Two part epoxy compounds are normally supplied in separate Part A & Part B containers. Part A is the epoxy resin and the Part B is the hardener. Epoxy resins are normally clear but even the tinted ones will turn clear as they cure.

Epoxy has different viscosities depending on the brand and what mineral fillers have been added to improve performance and lower cost. These fillers sometimes settle to the bottom of the container and must be stirred or warmed to a homogeneous consistency before adding the hardener. The Part A side behaves in a similar fashion to natural honey. It is viscous when warm and can turn to a solid when cold. It is wise to warm the Part A side of epoxy before use. Professionals put the Part a in a microwave to quickly reach their desired temperature. The same result can be achieved with a warm water bath and your spouse will probably agree that this is a better idea. Simply fill a five-gallon bucket with warm water and place the sealed container in the bath while you prep your board. Even epoxy (Part A) that has turned to a solid in the container can be returned to a vicious liquid by warming it.

Epoxy resins can cause mild skin irritation and a form of dermatitis upon repeated contact. It is important to limit skin contact with any epoxy resin or hardener. Therefore, it is recommend that you wear rubber gloves & safety glasses when mixing and using the epoxy compounds.

Epoxy Resin is a thermosetting resin. An exothermic reaction starts as soon as the two sides are mixed. The greater the quantity you mix the faster is sets. The higher the temperature you warm it the faster is sets. If you glass surfboards everyday then fast setting epoxy warmed in a microwave is the way the professionals do it. For everyone else, slow setting epoxy that has been warmed thoroughly in a water bath is your best bet. The results are the same but you have roughly twice the working time.

When Part A & B are combined they cure and form into an extremely hard and tough product. They will adhere better and shrink less than polyester resins, have generally greater strength, although they are more costly. Even the epoxies below that advertise UV protection benefit from an extra layer of a Spar Varnish type coating with real UV. You can skip this protection but it will shorten the life of the epoxy.

I have narrowed down an overwhelming list of choices to only three. All are 2 parts epoxy to 1 part harder.

Paddle Board Kit - Epoxy

Resin Research 2100

Resin Research Epoxies are specially formulated for building surfboards and paddle boards. The Part A starts out blue but cures to a clear finish and exhibits good UV resistant characteristics. As with most epoxies its properties will greatly improve by post curing. Resin Research epoxy is very thick,requires a special additive (thinner) and definitely requires heating. This is the cheapest choice on my list but still a great epoxy.

Post Curing is simply an elevated-temperature exposure to improve the mechanical properties of the epoxy. The easiest way to achieve this as homebuilders is to leave your board is a vehicle sitting in full sun for a few hours. Make sure you remove the vent screw first or the board will over-pressurize. If you are ever stuck on a term, you will probably find your answer in the Glossary on Fiberglass Supply’s website.

Paddle Board Kit - Entropy Super Sap CLR

Entropy Resins

Entropy Resin shares most of the same physical characteristics of Resin Research. Entropy Super Sap CLR exhibits low color, excellent air release, and UV stabilized technology. Super Sap CLR is optimized for hand lay-up, room temperature processes, or infusion laminating of wood, fibers, glass, carbon, or Kevlar. Entropy Resins heavily markets its use of recycled bio-content and is most likely the greenest choice on the market today. Entropy costs a bit more than Resin Research but less than SilverTip epoxy.

SilverTip Epoxy

SilverTip Laminating Resin is not specifically a surfboard resin but a wooden boat resin. SliverTip is a med-low viscosity, liquid epoxy system that has been optimized for wood-composite boatbuilding. It will outperform any other product in these applications. SilverTip laminating resin is designed for fiberglass on bare wood and has superior wet-out characteristics with little tendency to foam or trap air. Both the resin and hardener are nearly colorless and have the highest starting viscosity of the 3-epoxy choices. SilverTip laminating resin cures to a brilliant blush-free film with either the fast or slow hardener eliminating secondary bonding concerns as experienced with other epoxies. The working time is longer than the other choices without sacrificing cure time. The downsides are that it costs more and isn’t made from 30% plants.

Summary

Best epoxy for the budget: Resin Research 2100

Best epoxy for the planet: Entropy Super Sap CLR

Best epoxy for the novice kit builder: SilverTip Laminating Resin

Paddle Board Plans – PDF $59

All of Sliver Paddleboards proven board shapes are available as downloadable PDF plans. Our plans are full-sized templates for building your own fishbone frame. The PDF plans are emailed for you to print locally. The really cool thing with the PDF plans is you can use them as many times as you like. My local printing shop charges $10 to print the fishbone and $5 to print the outline file.

Building a wooden board is a big project and you should know your completed board will perform as well in the water, as it looks on the beach! There is a lot of hidden engineering in paddleboard shape as the bottom contours affect theperformance in the water.

Your PDF file will be emailed to you within 24 hours after a unique digital signature is added to the file. Please read the tutorials before purchasing, as there are no refunds on digital goods.

$59

*PDF Plans are locked to prevent them being used for CNC cutting.

Paddle Board Plans – Paper Templates $89

Sliver Paddleboards offers all our SUP models as full-scale paper plans for customers in North America. The paper plans are exactly the same plans as the PDF plans only we have done the printing for you. Paper plans are a nice option for gifts as they are more tangible than our PDF plans. Building a wood board is a very rewarding experience but once the board leaves your garage it is the shape that matters. Our shapes are based on some of the best performing foam boards on the market.

“All wood boards perform well on the beach, our boards perform in the water!”

Please read our FREE tutorials section before purchasing so you have a solid understanding what is involved in building a wooden paddle board from paper plans. If you have built a wooden surfboard, kayak, canoe or are just handy with tools you will be fine. For most people I recommend buying our CNC cut internal frame as it they are more precise and save a lot of work.

PRICE INCLUDES FREE SHIPPING (Continental US & Canada)

$89

Paddle Board Plans – Build Your Own Paddle Board

Introduction

Sliver Paddleboards started building boards with paper plans and we used them in the shop for our custom boards until we had in-house CNC capabilities. The precision CNC cut fishbone frame kits are much quicker to use but the result is virtually the same.

We include the full-scale paper plan of every piece that makes up the internal framework. The paper plans are clearly marked with hole locations and notch depths to ensure everything fits perfectly.

Tool Options

Jigsaw

Bandsaw

Table saw

Edge sander

Japanese saw

1/4 chisel

6″ Plastic Squeegee

Drill press with Forstner bit Bits

Instructions

Cut out all the templates with scissors leaving them about 1/4″ oversized.
Arrange all the templates on the plywood leaving enough room between templates for cutting. Leave and extra 1/4″-1/2″ depending on your tools and skill level.
Lift one piece at a time and spray a light layer of glue on plywood.
Lay paper template in the fresh glue.
Lightly smooth the template with plastic scraper or block of wood. This is to make sure the paper is flat and adheres well without any wrinkles.
Glue the remaining templates.
Using a bandsaw or jigsaw cut each template a little oversized making sure you are not too close to the lines. The goal is to leave some white paper on the outside of the black lines. In the shop we use a bandsaw and leave and extra 1/16″ of an inch.
Sand the templates back to the black line. The goal is to remove all the white and leave the black outline. In the shop we use an edge sander (Large belt sander with a table.) Any electric sander that can be held at a 90 degree angle would work.
Drill all the lightning holes to save weight. (optional)
Cut the notches for the center spline and the notches for your first starter strip at the bottom of the rail. The notches should be friction fits so you are best to leave the lines and then adjust with sandpaper if needed.
With a small piece of scrap plywood test each notch and adjust with sandpaper if necessary.
Glue the two halves of your center spline together with some of the left over plywood. This area will end up being the location of the handle.
Assemble your completed fishbone.