How to Bend a Skimboard

A skimboard is a smaller version of a surfboard. Skimboarders start right on the beach, almost on the shore. These boards are made from various materials such as wood, fiberglass or carbon and are usually of a complex, composite construction. Skimboards have a slight curve in the middle of their body that you can achieve if you build your own skimboard from wood. This bending is accomplished in the middle of the skimboard building process, when your board is only a core, before applying the finishing layers of fiberglass or epoxy resin.

Things You'll Need

  • Pool or tub
  • Water
  • Pieces of scrap plywood
  • Car
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Instructions

    • 1

      Submerge and soak your skimboard core in a shallow pool or tub for at least 24 hours.

    • 2

      Lay a panel of scrap plywood on the ground, on a flat, even surface.

    • 3

      Place another piece of scrap plywood at the end of the first piece. Make the second panel stand at an angle toward the first panel, using a brick under its side. Form the angle you want to bend your skimboard to.

    • 4

      Position your skimboard on the panels to achieve the desired angle.

    • 5

      Place a third scrap plywood panel on the skimboard itself. This piece will serve as direct protection for the skimboard.

    • 6

      Drive your car on the plywood structure you arranged, putting one front wheel exactly on the top plywood panel. The panel will protect the skimboard and allow it to bend. Your skimboard will curve following the two panels underneath because it is saturated with water. Move the brick to modify the final curve if necessary.

    • 7

      Leave the car on the plywood structure, putting pressure over the skimboard, for at least 48 hours. The skimboard needs to dry completely under the car in order to permanently stay in this bent shape.