What I learned very quickly in my paddle board research was the need for a good, high-quality deck pad to provide grip and stability.As part of my order from Paddleboard Direct, the package came with a deck pad specifically designed for the Oxbow series. After viewing a few videos on YouTube specifically explaining how to install a deck pad, I decided to take notes & pictures for later sharing with others.
First, here are the materials that I needed for the task:
- Deck Pad
- Rubbing Alcohol
- Tape Measure
- Paper Towels
- Sharpie Pen
- Razor Blade / Cutting Tool
Pre-work:
- Find a place where you can lay down your board in a secure fashion. You want to have enough space to walk up/down/around your board. I chose the kitchen table as my work platform, and found that to be easy to maneuver around and also easy on my back.
- If your board has a built-in handle in the center, measure the length from the back of the board to the nearest edge of the handle opening. Take a similar measurement from the side of the board to the nearest edge of the handle opening. Write down both of these measurements and keep them nearby for later referral.
- Unpack the deck board and dust off the adhesive side of each piece. You'll want to be working with dust-free conditions for both the board as well as the deck pad.
Step 1: The deck pad is essentially a giant set of stickers that attach to your board, so you need to clean the topside of your board to ensure a proper connection.
(One of the tutorial videos on YouTube suggested using denatured alcohol solvent as the cleaning agent, but you don't need to get that drastic. Rubbing alcohol that most of us have sitting around the house (and wonder when we'd ever use it) works just fine for the job. In fact, rubbing alcohol is a derivative of denatured alcohol.). Back to the instructions...
Using a damp paper towel, wipe away any dust or dirt that may have accumulated on the board. Once the board is completely dry, take a clump of paper towels and apply a small amount of rubbing alcohol to them. Wipe the main surface area of the board in smooth, deliberate strokes until you've covered the section where the deck pad will go. Allow a couple of minutes for the entire board to dry - it should only take a minute or two at most.
Step 2: Starting from the back of the board, take the corresponding deck pad piece and before you peel of the protective layer, lay it into position (note - I had my laptop projecting a manufacturer's picture so that I had a frame of reference for how the pad is supposed to lay out on the board). Using your tape measure, find the center point on the back edge of the deck pad piece. Mark the spot on the top and bottom of the piece using your Sharpie. See where the top end of this back piece falls on the board, and make sure that it looks even to you.
Step 3: Hold the piece in place while you begin to peel back the protective layer from the top end. Peel roughly 3" and fold the layer underneath. Take a deep breath (!) and press down on the top end of the deck pad piece and rub it in to ensure a snug fit. Flip the back of the pad over the stuck part and grab hold of the folded protective layer. Using one hand to peel more of the protective layer, use the other hand to firmly apply the rest of the deck pad piece into place. Take your time and smooth over the entire piece to ensure that you are not leaving any surface bubbles.
Step 4: If your deck pad came in three independent pieces, then its on to the 2nd & 3rd pieces. For the middle piece, lay it out on the board leaving about 1/2 - 1" space between the first piece. Ensure that the middle piece looks even, and then repeat the sticking process as mentioned in Step 3. Always work from the front of the sticky part towards the back.
Step 5: For the final (third) piece, repeats Steps 3 & 4 and ensure that your deck pad is laying out evenly (more or less) in relation to the surface of the board. For all three sections, smooth your hand over the pad to ensure a flat surface that is bounded well to the board. Your board now has a deck pad!
Step 6 (for boards with built-in center handles): Refer to the measurements you took earlier for the center handle. Re-utilize the tape measure in the same fashion, and this time use your Sharpie to mark spots where you will cut out. Once your marks have been made, use your fingers to try to find the outline of the handle. Use your cutting knife to cut through the pad into the recession of the door handle, guiding the blade against the outline of the handle. Cut away the strips to form a rectangle box in the pad. That's it - you're done!
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It took me about an hour to complete this task. I tried to be methodical and take my time, but I knew going in that the results were never going to be PERFECT. My end result was not perfect (there is slight misalignment between the second and third pieces) but overall I was pleased with how it came out. The pictures are available in a gallery via Picasa.
Good luck!
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Reference video:
