Picked up my new secondhand 2013 starby 8'5" (thank you, Ali) the other day and I find various people's claims about the change in volume to 106 litres in 2013 having no effect on stability to be a complete crock of, but perhaps it has no real effect if you are under 6ft. Personally, the 2012 8'5" pro is so much more stable its ridiculous, but the 2013 surfs unreal. Anyway, at this point, the star touch deck coating just makes things worse and has to go, so whaddayareckon is the best deck grip?
Cheers
Tang

some liters difference (or inches of width) can be day and night if you are close to the limit, but neglectable if you have room to spare...

On a mission or ocean and earth

The on a mission (slater Trout, black green white) is not only one of the best in terms of grip and comfort, but would look schmicko as well.

The best deckpad, by far, is Seadek. Nothing else is in the same league.

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JeanG said..

The best deckpad, by far, is Seadek. Nothing else is in the same league.

Not at all cheap - but looks good!

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Sailhack said..

JeanG said..

The best deckpad, by far, is Seadek. Nothing else is in the same league.

Not at all cheap - but looks good!

Thanks for the feedback. I just had a squiz online and OAM Slater Trout is $199.95, while Seadek is about $135.....at least for their basic padding. I already have a tail pad so it seems a bit over the top to get the lot for two hundred schmackos. I'll ask the good folk at seadek .......
Cheers

I frickin LOVE the FCS pad I put on my 10'6 Hobie RAW...
I traded the board for a shorter RAW... but I am missing that deckpad bigtime.

I regularly paddle with the guy who traded with me, and I always ask to paddle that board, because I really like the way it feels underfoot.

I was skeptical at first, because of the lack of deep, aggressive cuts and bumps...
Turns out, it has the BEST grip of any pad I have experienced. Unbelievably comfortable on my feet.

Someday, I will strip off the brand new pad that came on my short RAW... and put one of these on it.

If you go to the FCS website... it's not even listed, from my experience... but you can find it at shops.
The mid section has raised sides to flatten out the standing pad...sweet. (handle section in pic... I added 2 thin strips to get the placement correct)

Notice the little side bolsters built into the rear stomper section

The FCS one is great too! I believe FCS and Seadek are the only two molded EVA pads out there - they are the only ones which actually don't soak up water (contrary to many other mfgr claims to the contrary).

Unfortunately I can't use the tail section of either brand - Seadek nor FCS - because I love the arch bar of normal stomp pads.

I just got a new 8'10" Laguna Bay Executive with no deck pads. I've just been using wax on it like the olden days, it keeps it very light, works well with my reef shoes and is really cheap. I might buy a tail pad but it actually feels good surfing using the old traction methods.

JeanG
It's easy to modify any deck pad to suit your needs.

Trace the arch bar where you want it on the pad...
Use an exacto blade... don't cut all the way down... just close.
Then I turn the blade UP and PUSH along the line... it finished the cut w/o scratching the deck.
lift a corner and it pulls right up.

Stick the arch bar down and hit the waves

I never clean the deck... just use the adhesive that is on the new piece and stick it down as usual...
The residue from the pad you modify, is a great base, to stick the new piece to.

Who do you get the Seadek product from in Australia?

Supthecreek - That is awesome! Thank you for the tip!

That custom Hobie is the sickest board I have seen on this site! Mega Like

whats wrong with the star touch deck coating???? i'm considering buying a starby and i'm a little worried that for all that cash i get a crappy deck pad?????

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shimmyshazbo said..

whats wrong with the star touch deck coating???? i'm considering buying a starby and i'm a little worried that for all that cash i get a crappy deck pad?????

It's not too bad under your feet, but when you touch it with anything besides skin you slip all over the shop. If you're like me and get on your knees before you get to your feet after falling off, your wetsuit knee pads won't grip it. Neither will any of the wetsuit materials on my steamers (3 different suits) so if you like to prone paddle from time to time to get out of the impact zone as I do, it's bloody hopeless. Must be good if you only wear shorts though.

RJK is spot on - I've waxed her up instead and it's a match made in heaven.