Hey gang
I've ordered a Starby pro carbon board & am wondering wether or not I should put a deck pad on it? Are they grippy enough without one? Don't really want to add weight to a light weight board if I don't need to.

Yes pretty much essential,

just a tad slippery without it and the cushioning effect is something i could not now sup with out.

I have the 8ft Carbon Pro and after 9 mnts it still has not had a ding in it

( the strength to weight ration of the carbon pros is out standing )

which one did you go for and what is your weight Zeusman ?

G'day Loz
I'm getting a 9'8. I'm 105kg. I was hoping to get away with just a tail pad & the star touch.

I'd give the startouch a go first and see how you like it. I had a Converse with the startouch in about 2009 I think. I loved it and preferred it to a deck grip but after about 6 months it did seem to wear off and get slippery. I ended up putting a full grip on mine and keeping it for the kids to use but it wasn't the u-beaut carbon construction.
I've been spraying the nose area of my boards with this stuff for a couple of years now and it works really well. It is getting harder and harder to find but could be used to touch up the startouch if it gets slippery.

Yes I'll definitely try it without first.
Loz, did the deck pad add much weight?

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Zeusman said..

G'day Loz
I'm getting a 9'8. I'm 105kg. I was hoping to get away with just a tail pad & the star touch.

Hi mate,

Dont be too scared of going smaller. I had a demo of the 8'5 pro and then dropped down to the 8'0 pro and found it to be really really stable. Yes I am 73kg in weight but I tell you these boards really impressed me. It had a quad set up and felt really loose under my feet and not in an uncomfortable way either. I then jumped on the Hokua LE 8'3 which was magic. Not as stable certainly as the starboards but felt like a really good board to grow into.

Cheers Ozzie

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ghost4man said...

Zeusman said..

G'day Loz
I'm getting a 9'8. I'm 105kg. I was hoping to get away with just a tail pad & the star touch.

Hi mate,

Dont be too scared of going smaller. I had a demo of the 8'5 pro and then dropped down to the 8'0 pro and found it to be really really stable. Yes I am 73kg in weight but I tell you these boards really impressed me. It had a quad set up and felt really loose under my feet and not in an uncomfortable way either. I then jumped on the Hokua LE 8'3 which was magic. Not as stable certainly as the starboards but felt like a really good board to grow into.

Cheers Ozzie

I've got no fear of going smaller. I currently ride an 8'10" JP Pro which I love. Just want the 9'8" for bigger days & for its extra glide. Personally I don't want to go any shorter than my 8'10" because I feel you kinda lose the pint of riding a stand up. Just personal preference.

The deck grip does not seem to add much weight,

the carbons are so light anyway

but it must add some, perhaps a couple of 100 grms ?

Hi Zeusman,

I ride carbon Starbies and if the grip feels weird but effectively end up working, you really need the cushion that the pads offer.
After two hours your feet just feel like if you were wearing fancy shoes for hours...

The main advantages of the deck pad wiil be:
- superior grip
- confort
- you will never think of using wax on your board (which is perfect because it will always be clean enough to go inside your car)


BTW, i've been weighting between 102 and 105kg and ride the 8'5 pro.
Will drop some kilos because i'm ordering the 8'0 Pro and the 7'10x30' Airborn

im 98 and rode the 8'5 last week. was very impressed at 106 litres i didnt think i had a chance. its surfs well too. much better than the 2012 shich i didnt like.

i tried the 8'0..... no chance.

Hey Zuesman heres my 9'8" gripped with xtrak, wouldnt have it any other way

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SupaTrooper said...
Hey Zuesman heres my 9'8" gripped with xtrak, wouldnt have it any other way

Very cool!!
Have you weighed it with the pad on? I be interested to know how much the weight gain is?

Havent officially weighed it but the weight gain is very minimal (only just noticable when picking it up) but the comfort re standing and grip when you throw it around is far out weighs the negliglble weight gain.

Traction Pads weigh more than you would think.

I bought the lightest one I could find for my new very light Longboard SUP

FCS 8 piece pad

I was worried about the lack of aggressive grip texture.... wrong!
Best, most comfortable, grippiest pad I have ever used.

Set includes:
Stomper with mini side bolsters
Mid section with fairly substantial side bolsters
Fore & Aft sections of very thin flat pads

I weighed all pieces on a digital shipping scale with the paper backing still on - 1.4 lbs = 635 grams

For a shorter board, I would eliminate the center side bolster sections. (the heaviest section)
They don't align with the handle without custom cutting the application
I had to add spacers to get them to fall at the standing point.
They are awesome for relaxing your feet... they change the pressure points when you use them.

I'm guessing if you eliminated the heavier side bolster section... installed weight would probably be around 375 grms
With no holes and no deep grooves or patterns to hold water... this may be the lightest setup of grip pads.

The other option might be Clear Grip Surfboard Traction
Probably almost no weight... don't have any experience with it yet.
I'm ordering some for the nose on my 8'10 Allwave... I'll review after I have some time on it.

Thanx Supthecreek.
That is exactly the kind of info I was looking for. Thank you for taking the time to put it together.

I'm leaning toward getting one of the Starboard deck pads designed for the board. I guess around half a kilo isn't too bad a weight gain.

i have gone down to just using the grip where my front and back feet go on my latest 9' x 33" starby carbon, seems to work really well with bugger all weight gain.

a 5mm thick pad for a 8' board (tail to 1/2 foot in front of handle) adds 400g on my boards

I recommend weighting your boards when new without pad, with pad, with pad + fins. This way it is easier to check for water entry in case of dings later.

Pads protects a bit the board against pressure dents from your feet.