Bodyboards

Much like surfboards, bodyboards have benefited from some serious innovation of the last few decades and this has helped the sport increase in popularity all over the world.

The first bodyboards were simply flat pieces of wood, often constructed from drift wood that had washed up on the beach. These worked OK for a time, but they weren’t very hyrdo dynamic and they were kind of heavy to lug about with you. When foam and polystyrene bodyboards came on the scene, many more people were able to take up the sport and the manufacture of boards was pretty cheap. However, the boards degraded quite quickly and would soak up the water, making them heavy and not as buoyant.

It was clear that new materials were needed to make good bodyboards, and thankfully a number came along that offered a much more practical and efficient solution. Materials such as Crosslink, Polypropylene and Polyethylene are all very floaty, dense foams that are responsive, non-absorbent and can’t take a knock without serious damage. They have enabled the sport to really progress and some bodyboards even rival the performance of surfboards for manoeuvrability and speed.

Bodyboard bases are often constructed of Surlyn or HDPE material that is hard and slick, allowing the board to maintain rigidity and glide over the water surface without much friction. The bases often have channels cut into the underside of the board to make them more stable and help them maintain speed in the surf.

There are hundreds of different bodyboard designs each suited to different abilities, conditions, and riding styles. But we advise that you invest in a good one as it will last you a whole lot longer than a cheap foam bodyboard.