Chris Ward Flat Top 33 Kick Tail w/Traction and Arch Support

This is our patented Chris Ward signature Flat Top 33 Kick Tail w/Traction and Arch Support. All of the RIKT kicks work great with wax for grip but for those of you who prefer EVA foam traction under your rear foot, this kick is for you! The arch support area allows you to cup the bottom of your foot over the ramp for an even greater connection to your board. The 33 degree ramp creates tremendous leverage so when going for a vertical snap or power carve, they're much easier to do without falling. Check out the video of Chris Ward executing that first backside snap. You can see his foot planted right on the ramp of this kick tail as he blows his tail with complete control.

The 50mm high ramp is angled to make it easy to push against the tail of your board without having to bend your ankle when surfing with a basic stance, and minimal ankle bending for maneuvers that require a lower stance with your back knee closer to the board. For vertical snaps, you can stand on the kick for increased leverage and power.

Beginning and pro surfers should expect an immediate improvement in their surfing. This flat top kick tail is a great transition from a traditional traction pad. You can push harder against your tail without falling and pull off much more aggressive maneuvers with the confidence of knowing their back foot is secure.

This kick tail is interchangeable with any other RIKT kick tail. Shown with and without optional RIKT front pad.

This kick tail requires a RIKT Mounting Plate 23.

Note: This kick tail is 50mm high, which is great for power and control, but you have to be aware of it so you don't hit your shins when when paddling, duck diving or hopping up to catch a wave. Pic below shown with optional Grip 1 Front Deck Pad.

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 pretty 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. If you attach a mounting plate to a new or used board the adhesive requires 72 hours of curing time between 70˚F and 100˚F  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 live in a colder climate we recommend heating up your board with a hair dryer to get the board temp above 70˚F. 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.