Date: 7/26/02
Author: David Williams
Photos: David Williams

Related Items:
Traction Pad Installation Photo Gallery
Don't Be That Guy!

No Slip Gator Grip traction pad (click to enlarge)

Last time I had my boat out we had just finished toweling it off after a great day on the water. Everyone was out of the boat and just about to head home when someone realized they had forgotten something in the boat. Imagine my shock when this guy, a boating veteran who should know better, quickly hopped up on my painted trailer fenders with his wet, sandy thongs and did several foot gyrations as he reached for his half-full bottle of water and then hopped down. I couldn't believe what I had just witnessed. How can a sane person do something like that?

It was then that I vowed to do something about it. No, I didn't jump on the hood of his truck and do a jig in my equally filthy shoes. I decided my fenders needed protection from bullies like this. So I set out to find a solution that would both maintain or enhance the good looks of my trailer and not set me back an arm and a leg.

I wasn't optimistic because of the high prices I've seen for some of the surf-type traction options available. However, I eventually was introduced to a product called No Slip Gator Grip. It's available in several color combinations with a gator-skin type of pattern to it. When wet, it's excellent for traction. Best of all, it's very reasonably priced. For the amount I needed to cover my fenders it only cost $45 and I had enough left over to put some on my boat's transom to further inhibit dirty feet from doing damage to my gelcoat.

The quality of the product appears excellent and the adhesive is very strong, so I'm not worried about it coming off. It's easily cut and shaped to the dimensions you're looking for, so you can stick it just about anywhere you need added traction or protection.

Let me walk you through the installation of my Gator Grip. Perhaps it will help you to pull off a clean installation when you're putting some traction on your boat or trailer.

Give it some sun to flatten it out (click to enlarge)

Since my Gator Grip came in a roll, I started by leaving it out in the sun for a while with some weight on the ends in order to flatten it out and make it easier to work with. Once I had it flat, I flipped it over and did all my cutting on the bottom. The top has a very porous pattern that makes cutting very difficult from that side.

Fender pieces cut out (click to enlarge)

Gator Grip comes in strips that are 14 inches wide, but only one side had a super clean, straight cut on it. This is the side from which I made all my measurements. I wanted a strip for each of my fenders to be 33 inches long by six inches wide. I marked the measurements with a pencil and found a hard, straight edge to help make my cuts as straight as possible. You can use a yardstick, but something heavier will work better.

Use something round to streamline corners (click to enlarge)

Make sure you've got a fresh blade in your knife before you start cutting in order to get a cleaner cut in fewer tries. It can take several passes, even with a sharp blade, to get through the traction pad. Continue to cut along the straight edge, making sure you're maintaining the same line for each cut, until the pad is completely cut. Do the same for the rest of the lines you have marked.

A finished rounded corner (click to enlarge)

Now I've got two rectangular pieces of Gator Grip ready to go on my fenders. But wait. Isn't there a way that I can make these look a little more custom? Sure there is. Let's get really creative and round the corners a bit. To do this, I used the bottom of a can of WD-40 (every garage has got one). Depending on how much rounding you want, you can probably use anything from a quarter to a big Tupperware bowl. I placed the can on each corner and cut around it. These cuts are a little more difficult, so you might have to do some trimming afterwards to make sure the rounded corners look clean.

Before (click to enlarge)

That's it for the cutting. Now is the somewhat easy part; sticking it on the fenders (or transom or wherever). Remember that this stuff is very sticky. If you put it on wrong you're probably not going to get it off in one piece in order to reposition it. Therefore, you need to be very careful and take measurements to make sure everything is placed where you want it. I made some small pencil marks on the fender to help me.

After (click to enlarge)

When I was ready to stick them on, I tore off all the paper backing from the adhesive side except for a small piece on either end. That way I was still able to handle the traction pad and carefully position it without compromising the adhesive or getting stuck to my work. Once I got it into position, I removed the remaining paper backing, applied some pressure and let the adhesive to the rest.

As you can see, not only did the Gator Grip provide added traction and protection for my fenders, but it also made the trailer look better.

Stick it anywhere! (click to enlarge)

You can accomplish the same thing throughout your boat by adding traction to the gunwale, transom, tower and just about anywhere else you can think of. There's really no end to the uses for this stuff. My daughter even used the scraps to trick out her scooter. Get creative and add some safety and good looks to your boat and trailer today!

Gator Grip is available online at http://www.wakejunky.com.

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