Description
This is the kick tail that inspired Chris Ward to say about RIKT, “The best kick tails and traction pads ever made – supercharges my surfing.” And this package has everything you need get started with a RIKT interchangeable kick tail set. It starts with our black flat top kick tail angled at 33.25 degrees for maximum control and the perfect platform for your foot to push against for powerful maneuvers. The kick is screwed into the mounting plate with two hex head screws (included with this package) and a hex head L key (also included with this package) similar to what you’re used to using when screwing in a Futures fin. This package also includes our Grip 1 front traction pad that goes over the top of the mounting plate.
In addition to providing the familiar feel of EVA foam under your feet, a good reason to have a RIKT front pad is to help keep the mounting plate from being ripped off during a wipeout. If the ocean can snap your board in two, it can certainly rip off a mounting plate and kick tail. Since the deck pad goes on top of the mounting plate it offers another layer of 3M adhesive helping to keep your mounting plate in place. When installed correctly, your mounting plate should stay on just fine, but it isn’t a bad idea to use a deck pad to help keep your mounting plate firmly attached to your board.
With flat top 33 kick, a mounting plate and a Grip 1 front pad, you’re all ready to rip with your RIKT! In the pic gallery there are two pics of Chris Ward pulling off insane maneuvers using this set-up. Chris isn’t just a great surfer – he’s smart and very picky about his gear and he would tell anyone that these kick tails made a huge difference in his surfing. The thing that’s cool about that is it’s much harder to make a dramatic difference in the surfing ability of a seasoned, world-class pro surfer than it is with an intermediate or beginning surfer. So to have Chris acknowledge the improvement he’s made surfing on a RIKT is huge and easily confirmed by the video showing him shredding on a RIKT. So if these kick tails can make a big difference for Chris Ward, imagine what they can do for you!
IMPORTANT!
It’s undeniable that RIKT kick tails take your surfing to the next level. But it’s very important to choose the right RIKT product for your surfboard and install the RIKT mounting plate properly if you choose to ride our interchangeable kicks like the one featured in this package.
Our interchangeable kick tails offer the highest level of performance of any RIKT product, but the mounting plates require a really smooth surface for the adhesive to bond to that is 100% free of wax or dirt so the bond between the board and the required mounting plate is at full strength. For this reason a new board is the easiest fit for an interchangeable RIKT.
If you want to use a RIKT on an older board that has pressure dings from your heel where a mounting plate needs to be installed, a RIKT Grip 2 traction pad is your best bet and we would NOT recommend an interchangeable kick tail set up. The pressure dings will make the surface area under the mounting plate uneven, the adhesive may not bond at full strength and your kick tail could come off in the water. Our Grip 2 traction pad has an integrated kick identical to the Chris Ward flat top, offers great performance, and supports your entire foot like the interchangeable kicks.
But if your board, new or used, is a good candidate for a RIKT, to insure the mounting plate adhesive bonds at full strength you need to thoroughly clean the deck surface before securing the mounting plate the board. Not an issue for a new board but definately an issue with a used board. If there is any wax at all on the deck surface, there’s a good chance your mounting plate will come off. You absolutely need to use a solvent or dedicated wax removal product to prepare the surface. Scraping off the wax on an old board won’t do it.
However, if you’re worried about your mounting plate coming off in the water you can glue it on. We use J-B Weld 50172 25ml. MarineWeld Syringe, available on Amazon. After cleaning your board as described above, you peel off the 3M adhesive from the bottom of the mounting plate, apply a thin layer of J-B Weld adhesive evenly to the bottom of the plate, stick the mounting plate on your board exactly where you want it to go and let it cure for 24 hours before surfing.
If your board is a good candidate for an interchangeable RIKT, you don’t need to glue on the mounting plate, and you attach a mounting plate to a new or used board, the adhesive requires 72 hours of curing time at room temperature before exposure to water to bond to your surfboard deck at full strength. This is coming straight from 3M tech support and is good practice for any traction pad installation, but critical for a RIKT mounting plate. If you get your RIKT on a Tuesday, stick on the mounting plate and take it out to surf Wednesday morning, it may not come off Wednesday but it will likely come off at some point.
We also recommend using clamps or anything you can find to weigh down the mounting plate during the curing time. Clamps from your local hardware store work best but if you don’t have clamps you can use a can of paint, books, just use something to press the plate onto the deck and keep it there for 72 hours. With a RIKT you can push with tremendous force against your tail so it’s much more critical to let the adhesive have the time it needs with pressure applied to achieve a full strength bond to the deck of your surfboard.
Using clamps, thoroughly cleaning the deck surface and waiting 72 hours before exposure to salt water we installed a RIKT mounting plate on a 35 year old board and it’s stayed on great so you can install a RIKT on older boards if you follow these recommendations. Chris Ward was at the Palm Springs Surf Club a few weeks ago and he wanted to surf on a new board that didn’t have a RIKT installed on it yet so we stuck on a mounting plate, weighed it down with a backpack full of drills from the club’s maintainance area and he surfed on that board an hour later with no issues. So you can surf on an interchangeable RIKT the same day that you attach the mounting plate, it’s just not recommended.
At RIKT we’ve tested many boards and to date have never had a mounting plate come off that was installed correctly. Follow these recommendations and your mounting plate should stay on your board until you decide to remove it.
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