Not sure if wax or board but when i ride strapless the wax under my front foot gets pushed around until no wax left and when i try to re-wax it wont stick,i use sex-wax cold water,its fine for surfing just not when i kite even tho same board.
Using wax on a kitesurf board is a pain in the arse. It sounds like you use the board both for surfing and kitesurfing so a foot pad is not cool, get a back pad though. I've found the only way to get limited coverage ( more than 45mins) is to use quick humps first. This is a really hard wax and really sticks. Over the top of the quick humps use the wax for your normal water temp. Use more of the board when riding strapless,(when going upwind on heel side ride more foward) and getting your surfing stance when setting up for the wave. When going on big downwinders I often carry a little piece of wax with me. hope these tips help..
Thanks, i do use grip on back,and i use quick-humps ,i might try tropical maybe a bit harder,i move my front foot around a bit so there is normally a big bald patch after 1 down winder, gets slippery but re-applying wax is useless wont stick unless i clean all wax off,clean deck, and start again.
by the way straps suck.... If all else fails. you can roughen up the fibreglass under where your front foot goes (not too much of course?!) the wax will get better adhesion,or apply a small piece of foot pad( the thinnest you can find) along the centre line 10 cm wide and as long as you need, this will not hinder your surfing and a great deal of wax gets built around the edge of the footpad.
I use predator straps but still needed grip so have laid layer of 6oz glass on deck without finish coat. Needed to add tail pad to stop rear foot sliding off board.
Am not up to strapless yet so don't know whether glass layer alone would give enough grip without wax.... but this ain't gonna help if you're using the board for surfing as well
I've been using Palmers 'Bali Brew' - Its super hard and stays alright, you've still got to reapply on downwinders though...
I buy mine through Surfstitch.com.au - sweet online shop
i reckon mrs palmers is better than sex wax for kiting, it forms lumps whereas sex wax seems to go soft and won't stay in place.
use a tropical water wax as rhys said they are real hard. use as a base coat and then try using a cool water wax over the top for better grip. Cold water is the softest grade of wax so it has the best stick but wont hang around.
yep warm water wax should solve the problem, it is probably too warm in the water and under foot for the cold water wax, you can probably get away with it for surfing as your foot is not planted in the same spot for more than 10 -30 seconds ( depending on how long a ride it is at your local ).
But for kiting with your foot planted it is enough to warm the wax until it can be moulded and pushed around by your heel and toes etc.....
