How to Build a Skimboard

Skimboards provide hours of seaside entertainment and fun. Typically made of wood which is coated in fiberglass, skimboards are used at the water's edge. A rider will run along the beach right at the water's edge with the skimboard in hand. They will throw the skimboard down onto the thin layer of seawater washing across the sand after waves break. The skimboard glides across the thin layer of water and the rider jumps on top of it skimming like a car hydroplaning across a wet highway. Not only do skimboards provide active fun at the beach, but you can build one too.

Things You'll Need

  • 2 x 3 foot piece of plywood Pencil Tape measure Jigsaw 60-grit sandpaper 150-grit sandpaper Respirator rated for fiberglass and resin Roll of 3 ounce fiberglass cloth Polyester resin Catalyst Plastic mixing bucket Stir stick Paint brush
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Lay the plywood on a flat and stable surface like a driveway or work bench so that the 3-foot long sides run vertically to you. Make a pencil mark in the middle of the 2-foot long side that is furthest from you. Starting at that pencil mark, trace the outline of the skimboard edges on the plywood. Make the line for each side meet the edge of the 3-foot long sides of plywood at their halfway point of 1 foot 6 inches. From the halfway point where the outline touches the edges of the plywood trace the bottom edges of the skimboard. You should have a piece of plywood with the design of a skimboard drawn on it resembling something like what is shown in the diagram.

    • 2

      Cut along the pencil lines using the jigsaw. Make the cuts as smoothly and as neatly as possible. Make the edges of your skimboard smoothly rounded and then draw a straight line from nose to tail without wavering. Cut four pieces of wood off the plywood design. Cut from the nose to each side and then again from each side to the tail in order to achieve a skimboard that measures 2 x 3 feet.

    • 3

      Sand the edges of the rough skimboard cutout. Use 60-grit sandpaper only on the edges to remove the large splinters and also to round edges around the entire skimboard. Follow suit with 150-grit sandpaper to achieve a smooth finish. Use the 150-grit sandpaper on the entire board. Wipe or blow off the dust on the plywood when finished sanding.

    • 4

      Measure the sizes need for the fiberglass cloth by laying a sheet of it on the skimboard and cutting it with scissors. The exact measurements are not crucial, just cut enough pieces of fiberglass cloth to have enough to cover the both sides of the skimboard twice.

    • 5

      Put a respirator on. Mix polyester resin and catalyst. Pour two cups resin into a plastic bucket and add four drops of catalyst. Mix quickly but avoid stirring air bubbles into the resin.

    • 6

      Paint a thick layer of mixed resin on one side of the plywood skimboard working quickly. Lay the fiberglass cloth onto the freshly applied resin and use the paint brush to paint a thinner layer of resin on top of the fiberglass cloth. Use the brush in a painting motion back and forth to remove air from the fiberglass cloth and resin. The fiberglass cloth will turn clear from being saturated by resin when you have applied it properly. Allow it to completely dry for at least one full day. Repeat process to cover the other side of the skimboard.

    • 7

      Sand the edges of the skimboard to grind down any lumps or excessive amounts of dried fiberglass and resin that may be on the skimboard sides or edges. Use 150-grit sandpaper to slowly sand down the entire board until smooth. Apply wax to one side and ride.