Replacement EVA foam deck pad / traction pad for SUP

[saulman]

Looking for advice on where and what to buy for replacement pad material. Or any tips on removal, re-installation and cutting. I'm thinking that I'd like to get my hands on a large sheet and cut it to match the factory shape. The padding on this board is quite thin and I'd like to stick with that thickness if possible. I have seen the material that Dave has used for repairs and it is definitely thicker. I'll measure the thickness of the existing later on today.

Has anyone bought this stuff directly from China? I was internet chatting with a company over there that said that normally they supply 5 mm but 3 mm would be available with an increased minimum order. Unfortunately their minimums are 10 sheets of 5mm and 20 sheets of 3mm.

Is there any interest from the group if I were to buy 10 or 20 sheets of white diamond pattern?

Maybe this is just way more hassle than it should be and the multi piece kit of pads is the way to go?

S.

[downwind dave]

removing old pad is a big pain in the ass, ive learned this lesson a couple times. be prepared to do lots of scraping and get pretty baked on fumes. i used goo gone, turpentine, paint thinner and even acetone, also hot sunshine helps. mask and gloves a good idea!
for a new pad i'd probably go to ebay unless you can find a sale someplace.

[rvanderbyl]

I purchased Bostik Ultimate adhesive remover for cleaning Cured urethane adhesive off a flooring installation. I found it very effective at removing contact cement off of a convertable top frame I'm working on. I just wrapped rags around the frame and soaked them with adhesive remover. Let sit for at least an hour and the glue just scraped right off. This product rinses off with water. Not sure if this is right for your application but thought it worth mentioning.

[nanmoo]

Heat gun. No question best option for removal. Even a hair dryer sort of works.

[rvanderbyl]

Heat gun. No question best option for removal. Even a hair dryer sort of works.

I might be a bit concerned about melting the board or foam inside but then have never tried in this application. My heat gun gets pretty hot but if it avoids using chemicals I'm all in.

[KUS]

PADZ factory at the Gorge.
Double density diamond grid they call it I think. Sells by inches, no more than $10 sq foot, they will mail it to you directly...aka Northshore inc

https://northshoreinc.com

I would get a big ass razor blade and slice off the old pad and glue the new one straight on top. If you get the self adhesive backed pad then you will need a clean board

[saulman]

Thanks for the advice.

I don't know if it will work for the leftover pad glue but if I use chemical, I found a few websites that talk about adding flour once you start removing the material. This is for adhesive stickers so it may not be the same for pad glue. I'll let you know how this goes.

[DavidM]

Saul, I did a new pad on my Hokua. Nasty job getting old pad off.

Come over and visit. I will show you the tool to get the pad off very quickly.

Then you will have to deal with the adhesive. I used toluene, contact cement remover and acetone....separately of course...and a lot of paper towels. They all seemed to work....eventually...to a nice clean shine.

[DavidM]

Dremel Multi Max with widest scraper blade (used with care of course) . Seen in one of the photos.

Some reason website does not activate entire link, so copy and paste.

https://1drv.ms/f/s!AkhqBO6YDmWatRxtME4_00SrwWfp

[winddude]

Saul, I did a new pad on my Hokua. Nasty job getting old pad off.

Come over and visit. I will show you the tool to get the pad off very quickly.

Then you will have to deal with the adhesive. I used toluene, contact cement remover and acetone....separately of course...and a lot of paper towels. They all seemed to work....eventually...to a nice clean shine.

I used heat gun, on low heat to begin to remove the pad, very slowly starting at a corner making sure it doesn't get heated to much, and working under the seem with plastic putty knife.

I've used mineral spirits on a clean rag, it worked really well with just rubbing to remove the adhesive.

[DavidM]

Winddude, you are right! Heat or hairdryer. The Dremel tool is just like a putty knife on steriods 😂