How to Build a Paddle Board for Diving

Paddle boarding is a sport that has Polynesian roots. This variation on surfing has the paddle boarder standing on a variation of a surfboard and paddling out with outrigger-style paddles. For divers, paddle boards are an excellent way to reach offshore reefs that are too far out for shore diving, when you don't have access to a boat. Building your own paddle board for diving can be a fairly straight-forward process, when you convert an old sailboard for your project.

Things You'll Need

  • Beginner's sailboard
  • 2 net gear bags
  • 210 feet of nylon line, 1/8 inch
  • 3- to 4-pound mushroom anchor
  • Diver down flag
  • 4 eye hooks
  • Small line reel
  • Measuring tape
  • Grommet kit
  • Waterproof epoxy
  • Hammer
  • Drill
  • Marker
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Instructions

    • 1

      Prepare the sailboard. Remove the mast, sails, straps and centerboard from your sailboard, leaving just the board. An excellent location to pick up a sailboard for your paddle board conversion is at secondhand sporting goods consignment shops or a sailboard rental company. Check your board for damage and make any repairs needed prior to use.

    • 2

      Measure for the installation of the eye hooks for your gear bags. Measure the length of your board and note the mid-length point. Measure the width of your gear bag and transfer this measurement to the side of your board, centering the measurement on the mid-length point. Repeat for the other side of the board.

    • 3

      Install the eye hooks. Carefully drill pilot holes for your eye hooks 1 inch in from either end of this measurement. Place a small amount of epoxy into each hole and insert the eye hooks. Seal the hole around the eye hook with the epoxy and let dry completely.

    • 4

      Mark the placement for grommet installation in the gear bags. Mark the center of where you'd like the first grommet, near the top corner of one of the mesh gear bags.

    • 5

      Hold the mesh bag up to the paddle board, aligning one of the eye hooks with this mark. Feel the other eye hook through the bag for the placement of the second grommet hole, and mark this placement.

    • 6

      Install grommets in the gear bags. Follow the instructions from your grommet kit to center a grommet and install at the two marks you've made on the bag. Repeat for the other gear bag.

    • 7

      Install the cord to secure gear bags. Cut two lengths of nylon cord that will run from the front eye hook on one side to the front eye hook on the other side, underneath the board. Tie each cord to one of the eye hooks on one side of the board.

    • 8

      Secure the gear bags. Thread the front cord through one of the grommets in the gear bag and the second cord through the other grommet. Repeat for the second gear bag, ensuring that the openings for the bags are facing outward, not toward each other, for easier access. Tightly tie the cord to their respective eye hooks on the other side of the board.

    • 9

      Install the anchor line reel. Many reels have mounting brackets as part of their design. If so, use this bracket to install your reel, sealing any penetrations into the board with waterproof epoxy. Attach the line and the anchor.