How to Build A Skimboard

First priority is to find a piece of wood that needs
recycling and can be cut into a 19" by 41" segment.

Plywood will be the most common find and a single
solid piece works nicely as well, preferably with 1/2"
thickness; particle board is too dense to skim upon.

Once you have your piece you will notice that it has
a natural warp, even if only a slight one. The side
that is concave will be the topside standing area of
your board and the convex will be the skimming side.

On the topside of your wood piece, draw out a cutting
shape that pleases you and is rounded enough to skim.

Use a saw to cut out the shape keeping a smooth square
edge, 90 degree angle to the board surface. Keep the
underside board edge sharp while lightly sanding sides
and other surfaces until smooth, beveling the topside
board edge if desired. Dust off the board thoroughly.

Now you are ready to finish and seal a new skimboard!
Feel free to create a decorative design on the topside
of the board; hand and finger painting with acrylics or
spray painting with a cardboard stencil are options.

For your final step, wax the topside of the board with
an old candle or natural beeswax so that it becomes a
smooth even layer worked into the wood, then let the
board sit flat on its underside in a dry place for a day
once the top wax is complete. This will strengthen the
natural warp of the board and prepare for applying the
final wax coating to the remaining sides of the board.

There are a variety of other sealants one can use to
render the board waterproof; reasons why a wax is
recommended include the philosophic and technical.

To the first point, it is a natural product formed
from sustainable processes that will do no harm to
the environment. On the second point, even enamel
coatings will wear through quickly on the tail edges
of a skimboard, no matter how thick or well applied.
This requires that a board be dried out and repainted
on a fairly regular basis if it is going to be kept in
best skimming condition, whereas a waxing simply
requires a high pressure hosing and wiping down of
the board to remove particulate matter and then a
drying out before reapplication of more wax, which
can be done without tools and leaves the board ready
to skim immediately with a scratch ablative coating.


- This tutorial was created by Eladrin Constructs
with excellent contributions from Rhymm Enterprises.