Having bought RailSaverPro rail tape to protect many of my boards, I was recently sent the latest version to try. Previously I had applied it to a JM 12'6" as shown below.Problem was the RailSaverPro was not designed for race boards, so I had to order and cut two sets for the increased length of the board.
RailSaver Pro has now come out with the new Xtreme RSPRO model to fix this problem.
It comes as 2 x 150cm by 5 cm clear semi rigid 380mi PVC for each side, allowing 3m total coverage along each rail. Shown below on my 14' race board, it is very easy to apply, just clean and position. The PVC tape has a lenticular pattern for high impact and abrasion resistance, adapt for simple curves.
This is a great product that enhances and protects boards, which is important to retain value.
Further details here at www.rspro.org/
Disclaimer: I am an unpaid ambassador for RailSaver having bought and used these products on all my boards previously.
Having tried the Bunnings clear and coloured tape, other board brand name tapes, 3m "helicopter " tape was the best until I used the RailSaver products. What I have found is that RailSaver has stood up the best over at least a years usage and the rails are not chipped up and still look good. A decent board is an expensive purchase and I like to look after mine this way.
Another option is as DJ promotes, being simple edge tape on your paddle, however I dislike this as I feel it affects the feel of the paddle and efficiency. Each to their own choice at the end of the day.
It's on 3 of my boards, it's good stuff. Easier to apply and much tougher than any of the usual clears.
Tried other tapes to railsaver. I am unpaid unskilled and love the stuff. Now hav it on three boards, friends of mine have also used it. Every time I hear the ZIP of the paddle on the edge I think thank heavens for Railsaver. My oldest saver is now 10 months old and unmarked. Sticks like baby poop to a nappy!
Can't recommend highly enough for surf use.
A little protection goes a long way!
^^^^
Just a question about this tape. If people are worried about drag and efficiency of tape on a paddle that is actually not moving through the water, (plant and pull yourself past it) but use tape that is permanently creating drag on the rail as it slips through the water.
The tape is a great idea to protect your rails but if efficiency is your goal I would have thougt paddle tape to be the lesser of the two in terms of drag. Happy to be corrected though.
The manufacturer claimed the slightly rough surface would not cause any noticeable drag, but I think it may have some effect. Re the paddle tape I really found it affected my KeNalu paddles in a negative way causing air bubbles and eddies, also the paddle is operating at a higher speed than a board is and with any loss of performance over thousands of strokes, the paddle tape might be worse than a rail tape.
At my level there is no gain for me, save protecting the rail for future resale, also the RailSaver products actually look good whilst a badly chipped up board does not. If I had sponsor supplied boards every season at no cost, I probably wouldn't care too much.
Thanks for all your input, at the end of the day it's a personnel choice whether to spend your money, but its a good product at a reasonable price with good customer support.
i would just like having something that said 'rail saver pro' on my board.
people would just start giving me more waves because my board looked so flash along with all my other pretend sponsored stickers. the more stuff on your board the better you are.
sometimes you can get caught out thou- like actually surfing is a deadst give away
who comes up with these stuff
.
ps sounds like it's good
