Skimboarding Equipment List

Skimboarding is a sport in which people use a board to glide over the water, more specifically the ocean or inland bodies of water such as lakes and creeks. Skimboarding is pretty similar to surfing, with basic differences seen in the equipment, the format, and what each piece of gear is used for. Check out this comprehensive list of skimboarding equipment below!

Skimboarding Equipment

• Backpack
• Bathing Suit
• Beach Towel
• Board Racks
• Foam Skimboard
• Poly Skimboard
• Pro Skimboard
• Skimboard Bag
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Traction Pads
• Water Bottle
• Wax
• Wet Suit
• Wooden Skimboard

Backpack

Surfing backpacks are a good option for skimboarders who take a lot of stuff when they go practice the sport. Surfing backpacks usually come with pockets for things like wax, fins, water bottles, sunscreen, and more. They are also often sand and water resistant.

Bathing Suit

The best options are those designed for surfing and by surfing brands. Sometimes, you may want to skimboard in a place where the water is very cold or conditions are windy. In that case, a bathing suit is not recommended, and a wetsuit is the way to go.

Beach Towel

Naturally, you'll get wet when skimboarding and a towel will come in handy. A beach towel will also be useful after a long session of skimboarding at the end of the day when you just want to lay back and watch the sunset at the beach.

Board Racks

A skimboard board rack is the easiest and best way to store your boards at home. Board racks are metal arms that are attached to the wall and hold the skimboard safely. It is a perfect way to save space while keeping your boards away from the risk of unnecessary bumps and scratches. In addition, with board racks your skimboarding can be displayed as a piece of art, and ultimately become part of your home decoration.

Foam Skimboard

Foam boards are more flexible, thicker, and lighter than wooden boards. That way, foamies as they are also called, are better to use on more wavy surfaces, and thus allows for skimboarding on more irregular and challenging surfaces. With foam boards, skimboarders will start to learn how to ride waves, and get deeper into the water. 

Poly Skimboard

Poly skimboards are the ideal type for those who are serious about the sport and want to learn to do tricks. Poly skimboards are made of polyester resin and are considered to be an advanced level board. With polys, athletes can go deeper into the water to waves more powerful and challenging and perform tricks and maneuvers, making the sport more exciting. Like other models, the Poly skimboards are light and thin.

Pro Skimboard

Pro skimboards are designed for the most advanced athletes, such as those who practice it professionally. The pro skimboards are usually made of fiberglass or carbon fiber, both lightweight and resistant materials. Similar to poly boards, they are designed to be used in waves by athletes, and for them to do tricks. While skimboards are very customizable (things such as size and format), pro boards are even more so, as they have to be designed for skimboarders to perform to the best of their ability. Pro boards are also the most expensive type of board among the ones mentioned, which is only natural given their high level and high quality materials.

Skimboard Bag

Board bags are a safe way to carry skimboards around. There are two different types of board bags for skimboarding: board socks and travel bags. The socks are the simplest type of bag. They are simply a soft fabric cover for boards, without any handles or zippers. They are quite literally, socks for your boards! Board socks offer basic protection, and will keep your board from getting scratched from small bumps, but not major shocks. That's when the travel bag comes in handy. As the name indicates, travel bags are designed to protect boards from the dangers of traveling, such as airlines throwing your board bags around. Travel bags are made of very resistant fabric and have enough padding to protect the board. While a sock may do the trick for you, most people prefer to buy a travel bag because of the extra protection, regardless of traveling with boards or not.

Sunglasses

Sunglasses are a great piece of equipment to have when skimboarding on a sunny day at a beautiful beach. The sun and saltwater can be bothersome when skimboarding, and sunglasses will undoubtedly help you. But be careful, don't just wear regular sunglasses, or the chance of losing them is high. Skimboarding sunglasses have straps of the back, ensuring that the glasses are safely attached to your face, guaranteeing they won't fall off.

Sunscreen

When skimboarding, being protected from the sun is as important as being protected from strong waves or shore rocks. Therefore, lots of sunscreen must be applied regularly, especially if you are not wearing a wetsuit. Suffering from sun damage and burns is painful and debilitating to beachgoers doing water sports, and can cause problems like dehydration or painful blistering.

Traction Pads

Traction pads are rubber pads attached to the top of the board to provide grip to the skimboarder when riding. The pads are sticky, and can be glued to the board, like a sticker.  Usually, there are two sets of pads on the board’s front, one on the tail end and one on the front, in the places where the athlete's feet are positioned when standing on the board. Front foot pads are also called "Arch Bars". Ultimately, traction pads are not mandatory, and some people may feel better using just wax.

Water Bottle

When skimboarding, you can be exposed to the sun and saltwater constantly. Both these things contribute to dehydration. Skimboarding being a physical activity, you will naturally lose a lot of water as you practice the sport. It is very important to have a full water bottle around, or maybe even a few of them!

Wax

The wax used in skimboarding is the same used in surfing, and is applied for the same purpose. The wax makes the board surface sticky, thus preventings the athlete's feet from slipping when practicing the sport. The wax is applied on the part of the board that is not in contact with the water, but rather where the skimboarder stands up. For maximum safety and effectiveness, the wax should be applied in all areas where you could potentially put your feet on. Most skimboarders wax most of the board.

Wet Suit

Wetsuits are generally not as common in skimboarding as they are in other sports such as surfing or windsurfing. However, it comes down to the personal preference of the athlete when choosing what to wear. Wetsuits protect from the wind, sun, and overall cold. They are made of neoprene and can cover the whole body, or just parts of it, depending on the model. Since skimboarding is done close to the shore, cold is generally not a big factor to consider. In addition, the sport is practiced on or near sand, which can get stuck inside the suit and make it very uncomfortable for wetsuit wearers. Beginners and even intermediate skimboarders don't need wetsuits unless they really want it, while advanced skimboarders may have more use for them.

Wooden Skimboard

The wood skimboard is the simplest type of board, used by beginners who are still learning the sport. Wood skimboards, also known as "woodies", are heavier and are great to use when skimboarding in shallow waters or just gliding over the sand. The boards are heavier and thus go slower than boards made of other materials. With wooden boards, beginners can really practice their footing placement on the board as well as understand how to balance in a skimboard. More advanced athletes usually don't use wooden boards as they are too slow and not as exciting as other types of boards.