Chris Ward Pro Kick Tail and Traction Pad Package

Description

This is our most popular set up for a RIKT and has everything you need for a pro set up like the one Chris Ward uses. The Chris Ward flat top kick tail has EVA on the ramp and arch support on the kick for super grip to your board. Our Grip 1 traction pad goes on your board on top of the mounting plate and in front of the kick tail. If you like the feel of EVA foam under your feet this is a RIKT set up offering the highest level of performance. Since the Chris Ward flat top is interchangeable you can swap kick tails with any of the RIKT interchangeable kicks. The clear or translucent gray kicks using wax for grip are pretty cool for surfing wave pools at night since they both light up with LED lights you can purchase here at the RIKT shop. The video in the gallery pics shows Chris Ward with a surfboard equipped with the Grip 1 traction pad included in this package, removing a flat top kick, installing the Chris Ward Flat Top 23 kick tail also included in this package, and then shredding at lower trestles with this kick.

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. 

If 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.