Skimboarding is a beach sport, combining elements of skate boarding and surfing. Skimmers run toward the water, tossing their boards on the wet sand, and jumping on, skimming atop the thin sheet of water above the sand. Advanced riders skim out further to the deeper water, trying to reach and ride waves breaking near the beach.
Skimboarding began in Laguna Beach, California, more than 90 years ago, by lifeguards who used crude wooden boards that had a round shape, according to Skim Online, a resource for the skimboarding community. As with surfing and skateboarding, early pioneers learned how shapes, sizes and materials could push the sport to new heights. "Today, skimboarding is one of the most high-tech water sports anywhere, while continuing to be one of the smallest. The boards used by professional skimboarders are built using technology adapted from aerospace to attain maximum lightness, buoyancy, and rocker. The board used by the average skimboarder is far more technologically advanced than that of the average surfer," says Skim Online, reporting on the history of the sport.
Skimboarding has locations where conditions for the sport are ideal. Locations such as Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and Laguna Beach, California, are to skimboarding what the north shore of Hawaii is to surfing.
Wood
Skimboards manufacturers continue to design and make some skimboards out of wood, although the wood skimboard of today shares little with those of yesteryear. Today's skimboards are popular with those learning the sport or whoare on a budget as wood boards are far less expensive then skimboards made from fiberglass or carbon fiber. Wood boards are heavier than foam skimboards and sink when trying to wave-ride. Riders not wishing to ride waves find wood boards fine for flat land riding or skimming the beach. These boards often retail for less than $100, 2010 prices.
Foam
Skimboard designers may use either fiberglass or carbon fiber for the outer shell, with a high-density foam core in the center. These boards are lighter than wood boards and float or skim on a wave's surface better than boards made from wood. A fiberglass or carbon fiber board is more expensive then wood boards, and they are far more popular with skim boarders, especially those skilled enough to catch a wave. These boards retail from $150 and up, 2010 prices.
Shape and Size
Select the correct size board for your weight. Longer skimboards support larger riders. Shorter skimboards allow a rider to have better control of the tip and rear of the skimboard. This is important if you want to perform tricks or turn quickly once on a wave. The width of a skimboard is also a consideration. Wider boards travel further, allowing a rider to catch waves further out from the beach, but do not turn as quickly as a narrow skimboard. The term "rocker" refers to the upward curve at the tip of the skimboard. The rocker allows for a smoother transition from skimming the sand to reaching and skimming the surface of the ocean water.
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