Tracing and Cutting the Shape

It is very important to get this stage of the skimboard construction right or your skimboard will not perform well. When measuring it is a good idea to double check everything - before cutting! The process is pretty similar for both a wooden and a foam skimboard.

For Wood - Create your shape and make a template out of card based on your desired board shape. Trace the template onto the wood and then with a jigsaw cut out half. Take that cut half and trace it over the other side to make sure both sides are symmetrical, then cut out that side with the jigsaw.

For Foam - It's basically the same thing as the wood but you want to find a 1/4" solid hardwood for your stringer. Get some 3/4" EPS sheets and glue it on either side of your stringer with about 1" nose rocker for the generic board, and if you really wave ride well thin out the nose a 1/4" adding rocker and add another 3/16" to the tail.

Use glue that won't melt your foam, and wait until it dries before going any further. I find if you cut the stringer out, glue it to one half of the board and tape it to that, you can wait until that's mostly dry and then tape on the other half and it comes out ok.

Your stringer should probably just be a 3/4" wide rockered strip of wood, unless you're really a stick and tiny, you might want to thin it out some, but 3/4" is generally ok.

Your shape is now complete. Now it's time to work on the foil, edges and rails.

<< Making a Skimboard | Shaping the Foil, Edges and Rails >>