5 top sticker placement tips
- Slowly does it! For a perfect sticker placement that will last, take your time. Rushing will lead to bubbles and dirt/wax under your sticker, which will then fall off and end up in the trash or worse, in the ocean!
- Make sure to take care using scissors and to limit the amount of downward pressure when scoring as this will lead to you puncturing your bodyboard.
- Use decent quality stickers as some cheaper ones simply won’t stick! Always add the stickers when the board is brand new.
- Make it yours and personalise it! Have fun personalising your bodyboard to suit you.
- Stand out from the crowd. Make your bodyboard really stand out so people know it’s you absolutely shredding!
There are a few reasons that you may want to put stickers on the bottom of your bodyboard. The first is to spice up what is otherwise the plain colour of your slick (slick is the underside of you bodyboard). You may want to add stickers from your favourite bodyboard brands or sports companies, or fun and decorative stickers adding some personal style to your bodyboard. It’s all about being an individual!
The other reason you may want to put a sticker on your board is to promote and advertise bodyboarding companies that support you. This is usually referred to as a ‘sponsorship’. For example, in this instructional video, you will see a Bodyboard Holidays sticker being added to head coach Rob Barber’s bodyboard. Bodyboard Holidays is Rob’s company, and by adding a sticker to his board, he is advertising and promoting Bodyboard Holidays to every single person that watches him bodyboard. Other examples of this include promoting companies that give you (through a sponsorship) bodyboards, wetsuits, clothing and accessories. Or you may just want to promote your favourite brands or even your own business.
So you have your sticker(s) and board ready. You will need a clean towel or cloth and possibly a pair of scissors (please ask an adult for assistance if needed).
Ideally, you want to put your stickers on when your board is brand new. Once your board has been in the sea, stickers tend not to bond to the slick as well.
Begin by giving the area you wish to place the sticker a good clean with the cloth or towel, removing any dirt or wax.
Place the sticker on the board in the desired location so you can get an idea of what it will look like once stuck. At this point, you may want to cut your sticker down to a custom shape to fit a specific area of your board (check video @ 0.35). Place the sticker on the desired area and using a pair of scissors, score a line across the part of the sticker you wish to cut. Once this is done, you can then carefully cut the sticker and peel it away from it’s backing. Line the sticker up and stick only that edge down, keeping the rest of the sticker lifted from the bodyboard (check video @ 1.30).
Using a towel or cloth, smooth the stuck edge out, releasing any air bubbles and gradually work your way across the sticker to the opposite edge (check video @ 1.33).
Finally, run the cloth or towel over the sticker once on the bodyboard, making sure the edges are all nicely stuck (check video @ 2.07).
Hey, presto! Your new stickered up bodyboard is ready to use!