What are the advantages of a foam core
board?
Foam core boards are a good deal
more expensive than woodies, but once you have a foam core
board, skimboarding is a whole new sport. Your new board is
lighter, and probably larger than your old wood board. This
means you can plane longer on the deep water and get out to
the waves where they are breaking. You will want to lighten
the weight on your nose when you hit the white water, just as
you would on a woodie. Once you are on top of the water keep
your board as flat and steady as possible. Crouching down can
lessen your load and increase stability.
Once you get to the wave you will need to turn.
For best results start your turn before you get to the wave.
Many kinds of turns are possible. The most basic is
the front side turn. Here you are facing the wave so you can
litterally kick the board at the oncomming wave. This gives you
lots of power which can result in a good spray and powerful
cuts. Below are some examples of front-side turns.
A second kind of turn to learn is the back-side
turn. Here you turn with your back to the wave.
In some ways this turn is more tricky
because your back is to the wave so you cant see it as well.
In some ways it is an easier turn because it is easir to gide
your body foreward when you are facing the shore.
A second kind of backside turn is
called the wrap around. When attempting a wrap around
it is especially important to start your turn early.
When you turn on the wave it is a good idea to dip
your hand in the water. This helps you turn your body
around more fully. The full turn is important because
on a wrap-arround you try to turn far enought so that
you can ride down the wave at an angle oposite of that
which you approached the wave, resulting in about a 260
degree turn.
Now things are getting really fun,
but a new problem is also introduced. Once you can turn
on the wave you will be getting thrown back on shore with
a lot of force. Keeping your weight back and your back foot
back far on the board can prevent some heartache.
One of the reasons the wrap
around is a good idea is because the full motion of the
turn helps you keep your weight back and directs your motion
back toward the wave at the end of your turn, insead of
throwing you toward the beach. This tendency of the wrap
around to keep you tight to the wave also gives you a better
chance of tucking into the tube, which always makes for a fun
ride. Illustrated below is a riders head poking out right
after he got covered by the tube.
Of course, things don't always work out
quite this way. And observing a few minuits of skimboarding
on a day of big waves is usually enough to satisfy a sadistic
urge.
Some people might rather avoid this painful
scenario. One type of ride that avoids the headlong hurl
toward the shore is called the floater. On a floater the
skimboarder turns on the wave and glides down the lip as the
wave breaks.
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