protective tape for boat, grip tape for paddle?

Here's a topic that hopefully isn't a can of worms:

Is there a tape I can put on the surfskis I have to protect the seam where it sits in my kayak rack, and also at points where I might get paddle strikes?

Second question: is there a grip tape I could stick on to my paddle handle for  reference points and to give my hand a little better grip?

Automotive anti chip tape is very effective at protecting your ski and it's widely available.
As for the can of worms that is paddle grip tape; Cryder's contribution is probably the best I've seen on this topic.
 

Atlas wrote: Automotive anti chip tape is very effective at protecting your ski and it's widely available.
As for the can of worms that is paddle grip tape; Cryder's contribution is probably the best I've seen on this topic.
 

Gonna get the brand of silicone tape he used in the video.

Any brand of Auto anti chip tape that's good?  What about this stuff?
www.amazon.com/Leasinder-Universal-Prote...d=1631484860&sr=8-13

I use 3m clear protective film found on Amazon. It works great and is easy to apply. 

The silicone tape Cryder recommended in his video (also on Amazon) is the best I’ve tried so far on my paddle. Usually lasts a few months with daily use. 

I just joined this site and would like to confirm the recommendation on that video. I just taped my paddle with silicone tape and tried yesterday. I more than doubled up the ends to help keep my grip from crawling around. I think it worked great. Felt a little slick at first, but got better after about an hour.
Skis:
Epic V9, V10 GT, and V12 3gen

I didn't care for that tape at all.

Got the stuff in the video, and it does a great job of sticking to itself, but paddling in the rain today it was actually more slippery than the smooth paddle grip... I cut it off after about half an hour as it was worse than nothing.

So, in my opinion it may be useful as an indexing tool, but has no value in adding grip/texture.

Probably good for what it's intended for, making a water-tight repair on a pipe or something. So I won't throw it away.

That's a valuable experience for you and part of the learning process. Different things will work for different people. FWIW I don't use any kind of grip on my paddle. The shaft of my paddle has a slightly matt finish that I have no trouble gripping. If I have sunscreen on my hands I will rub my hands together with a bit of wet beach sand between them and I'm good to go. That won't work for everyone.

Epicpaddler wrote: I use 3m clear protective film found on Amazon. It works great and is easy to apply. 

The silicone tape Cryder recommended in his video (also on Amazon) is the best I’ve tried so far on my paddle. Usually lasts a few months with daily use. 

Do you use the genuine 3M stuff or cheap generic stuff?  anyone used the cheap stuff and found it any good?

Atlas wrote: That's a valuable experience for you and part of the learning process. Different things will work for different people. FWIW I don't use any kind of grip on my paddle. The shaft of my paddle has a slightly mat finish that I have no trouble gripping. If I have sunscreen on my hands I will rub my hands together with a bit of wet beach sand between them and I'm good to go. That won't work for everyone.

Yeah man, the learning process is half the fun. That tape does have its uses, I'm sure.

Sand is a great way to get grease/oil off of your hands. I use it on my nose when I'm doing stuff in the surf, to help nose-clips stay on.

Side note: When you get "water in your ears", it's not the water in your ear canal you are feeling, it's water that goes in to your middle ear through your eustachian tubes, usually through your nose... I'm sure most people here know that, but it's kind of an interesting factoid. That's why it takes so long to drain... if it was water in your ear canal it would be out in 2 seconds.

I tried the Silicon tape on my paddle but also hated it. Seemed to have a magical ability to chew my hands up while feeling most slippery than normal. Felt like soap when it got wet.

Someone else on this forum suggested this stuff which I have used since and it has been great for me.   RSPro Hexa
No real additional thickness to the shaft and just enough grip without being too aggressive on my hands.  I am just hitting twelve months with it on my paddle and no visible wear, no need to replace as yet. It is sized for a SUP paddle so I trimmed it down meaning I have a replacement ready to go if/when needed. 

I did use some cheaper helicopter tape for my current boat. It certainly isn't up to the same quality as the thick 3M product I had on my last boat. It was very tough and never showed any damage over time, the tape I currently have is visibly damaged (better the tape than the boat) and seems to chip easily. I will need to replace it shortly.

I'm not sure why people want more grip - I find that a dry shaft (with damp hands) has too much grip and causes blisters. Prefer to keep the shaft and hand wet so that skin slips over the carbon rather than gripping.
A marker to keep hands aligned makes sense - some of my clubmates put a bit of string around the shaft, then insulation tape over the top of that. Makes a little ridge that you can feel, prevents you ending up with the paddle offset to one side. 

It would be cool if there was some way to rough-sand the paddle handle so it has more texture, but I know that would cause problems since it's a resin saturated carbon fiber... 

Calluses are part of any real physical activity; never trust a man without calluses.  

I'm sure some people do use fine sand paper / wet and dry to lightly abrade their paddle shafts at the grip points. I haven't needed to do so. Other's experience on this would be welcome.

I have put the silicon tape on my paddle but I paddle with gloves. I live in a very sunny place and the backs of the hands are very sensitive to sun so I use the gloves for sun protection (due to paddling in water, sunscreen is not ideal on the hands) and have found the combination of the silicon tape and the gloves absolutely perfect. 

I used to use bicycle handlebar tape, specifically the tape for mountain bikes. It comes in different thicknesses so you can make it suit the application. The problem was how expensive it was compared to the silicon. 

For me, I have found the perfect combination. I have just enough grip that the paddle will not slip even with a light touch and it is also incredibly comfortable.