might be stupid but I seem to remember years back you could buy grip tape for skateboards a bit like stickyback sandpaper, if it comes on a roll you could stick it to the high traffic areas and keep the rest nice an woody.
just found this camo coloured stuff;-))
http://www.skatehut.co.uk/acatalog/S...WElA odxVDRZg
and this shows you how to stick it to wood, you could cut it into strips and stick it to the lats.
http://skateboard.about.com/od/board...ToGriptape.htm