Look After Your Bodyboard, and It’ll Look After You!
As a keen teenage bodyboarder with limited funds, I had to make my boards last. One day, my father, much like the mad inventor Wayne Szalinski from Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, and I put our heads together to find a solution. Long before stringers were a thing, we decided to cut the heads off his old golf clubs and, using a heat gun and a homemade jig, inserted the metal shafts straight into my soft, bendy PE boards.
Our DIY innovation worked, at least until a steep drop at a French shore break sent that same metal shaft punching through the deck, nearly skewering my head like a medieval trophy.
I learned the hard way to look after my boards. But you don’t have to. I’ve written down everything I’ve learned about board care since those early formative years.
Plugging a New Board – Get It Right From the Start
Let’s start as we mean to go on by taking care of your board from the moment you unwrap it. Few things come close to the sinking feeling of punching a hole through a brand-new board only to hit the stringer. Unfortunately, I’ve done this more times than I care to admit. The result is a crooked leash plug that never sits flat, letting water seep into the core, and looking, frankly, terrible.
To avoid this, always check where the stringers are before making the hole. They’re usually marked on the protective film, or visible if you hold a light-coloured board up to the light. If in any doubt, check the board’s description online or contact the seller before you start making holes in your shiny new pride and joy.
Another couple of tricks my dad taught me, and thankfully less dangerous than the golf club experiment, involve a bit of heat and sealant. First, warm up your screwdriver with a lighter, gas hob, or blowtorch before pushing it through the deck. It’ll glide in like a hot knife through butter, and the heat helps to seal the surrounding foam cells so that, if any water does find its way in through the leash plug, it won’t spread into the core.
Make the Maiden Voyage Yours
This one’s part tip, part superstition: never lend your brand-new board to a friend before you’ve surfed it yourself. Call it cosmic karma, but the moment you do, something will go wrong, a deep scratch, a buckle from a car boot, or worse, it gets left behind at the beach.
Break it in yourself first. There’s nothing like those first waves on a spotless board that’s truly yours.
Salt’s the Enemy
Once your board is plugged and you’ve enjoyed your first of many bodyboard sessions, it’s time to rinse off all the salt and sand from your board, fins, and wetsuit. Cold tap water from a garden hose or an outdoor shower works perfectly. Saltwater left on your gear not only speeds up wear and tear but also keeps your car and storage space from turning into a sandy mess.
Smart Storage Tips – Keep It Cool, Flat, and Safe
Once your board is clean, it’s time to put it away until the next book session. A happy board stands on its nose, whereas standing it on the tail can cause the tail corners to lift or break, since those areas already bear enough pressure without extra weight.
Avoid leaning too many boards together. Ideally, stand your board alone or with just one or two others. A big stack of boards leaning on each other can leave the ones in the middle bent into a useless banana shape. Remember, a flat board is a fast board!
Store your board in a cool, ideally dark spot, out of direct sunlight, and away from curious cats—because nothing delights a cat more than scratching its paws on a bodyboard deck.
Remove the leash for travel and storage. Any weight on the leash can leave an indentation on the deck, and it makes stacking your boards as described above much trickier.
Some bodyboarders take it a step further by rolling up a few sheets of tissue into a cigarette shape and placing it in the now empty leash plug hole. Any water that has seeped in under the plug will be absorbed by this “tissue cigar,” helping keep your board dry. For a demonstration of this clever little hack, check out Bodyboard Holiday’s coach Joao in action.
The Hardy Board Bag - Travel Protection Done Right
When traveling long distances by plane, train, or bus, it’s essential to use a well-padded board bag to protect against baggage handlers tossing your gear like an Olympic discus thrower. To add an extra layer of protection, I always wrap my bodyboard in a yoga mat, towel, and wetsuit before slipping it into the padded bag and put fragile stickers on each side.
The Trusty Board Sock - Lightweight Everyday Armour
The understated essential of bodyboarding gear, the board sock is perfect for short trips, whether by car or bike, protecting your board from avoidable dings and scratches on the way to the waves. This lightweight cover can also double as a towel for drying off or changing at the beach, though it’s a bit on the short side, so be careful when bending over to remove your wetsuit. It can even serve as a cushion on the beach or in the car if you’re moving between spots while still in your wet gear.
To avoid offending anyone mid change when using your standard board sock as a towel, the team at Hubboards has come up with a clever solution: a full-length changing robe that doubles as a board sock, complete with pockets for wax, sunscreen, and other essentials. You can check out their latest product here:
Clean and Wax - The Satisfying Reset
Now, cleaning your board doesn’t directly extend its lifespan, but there’s something almost psychological about seeing your board at its best after removing all that old, grimy wax. It feels like giving your board a fresh start and somehow, subconsciously, you begin treating it as if it were brand new again.
My go-to method for removing wax is to warm the waxy areas on the deck with a hairdryer or by carefully pouring a kettle of boiling water over them. Then, I scrape it off with an old credit or discount card. It’s incredibly satisfying, and the card glides through the softened wax much like the heated screwdriver I mentioned in the plugging section. I always keep an old towel handy to wipe off the last traces and admire my board in its renewed glory.
Ding Repairs - When Accidents Happen
To finish up, if you somehow manage to put a hole in your board despite all the tips above, there’s one last savior: Sponge Rez. This easy-to-apply, tough, clear, and ultra-flexible resin can fill any hole in your bodyboard. Whether your best friend has slammed a car boot down on it or a wipeout has rolled you up the rocks, Sponge Rez can handle it. Simply rinse and dry your board, apply the resin to the hole, and leave it in a well-ventilated room for 24 hours to cure. Job done!
Until Next Time - Keep It Simple, Keep Bodyboarding
Caring for your bodyboard doesn’t have to be complicated nor life threatening as it was in my teenage years. With a few simple steps from plugging and washing to proper storage and repairs you can keep your board in top shape and enjoy many more sessions in the waves. For even more practical tips and demonstrations, check out the Bodyboard Holiday YouTube page, packed full of advice to help you get the most out of every surf.
Learn Board Care and Performance First-Hand
Ready to learn the tricks of the trade? Join one of our Bodyboard Coaching Weekends. You’ll get expert guidance, access to multiple board designs, and hands-on lessons in care, maintenance, and performance. Make your next session your best, and your board last a lifetime.
