Is it possible?

I do not want to offend any true wake surfers here, but we are just getting started and already dropped some good money on the boat and other equipment this season. Can we surf on a $20 beach souvenir store skimboard?

My other option is a used kids surfboard around 5 foot, but it would probably have significant curve to it and a surfer friend explained that I would need a flatter board for wake surfing.

Any ideas or advice?

Sorry, 5'10" 160 rider here if that helps. Only riding to learn carving and to take a break from the other toys.

(Message edited by dubwake21 on May 16, 2008)

Hey Jason,

Plywood skimmer around 3 feet in length? That would be tough. If it's over 4 foot - slap a 2"+ wakeboard fin on the centerline a few inches up from the tail and you could use it. You might have to wax the deck to keep from sliding off. Make sure you have a decent wake and LOTS of patience. That's not the best choice for learning. However...post tons of pictures for us because it will be entertaining!

Here are a couple of Home Depot specials. Total cost to make four boards was around $40. The boards were surfable by experienced riders. Don't think a beginner would be able to surf on these boards. I would recommend looking for a used Hyperlite Broadcast which should give you a quick learning curve. The money you will waste in gas trying to surf on an inadequate board would help pay the cost of a used Broadcast.

I grabbed a cheap $20 skimboard early this spring and thought that it would be worth a try. It was just under 4 feet long made of plywood. I did as Jeff suggested and put one wakeboard fin in and slapped some grip tape on the top and gave it a go. I weigh 175 and had to pretty much just hold real still or I would loose the wave. I also found that we had to slow the boat down to get the biggest wave possible but that made it a very short wake. The only positive was that it could spin like a top but no chance of holding the wave.

The thing was painted red and I noticed that the paint started to run when we put it on the sundeck- hurried and wiped it off but it scared me to death.

Long story short, it can be done, definately not the way to learn. Barely worth the $20 I spent on it. Fun and easy project though.

Here's a pic of me ridding the mini board.

Thanks for all of the input guys, I will def. post some pics to laugh at. Last weekend we all rode a 6'3" surfboard, and it was just too long for the size wake that I was able to throw.

How cheap can you go?

yea man a cheapo skimboard should work just fine as long as you get the biggest one you can possibly find. like jeff said throw a fin in there and wax it up. i also surfed a used childs surfboard that was about 5 foot. as long as you have a decent wake you can pretty much surf any thing.

Johnny can surf anything - he was born with surf wax in his veins!!! I would agree though, with some riding miles that folks are able to ride just about anything.

Ed, I always get a kick out of that Skim That! I had this image of marketing hype trying to pitch that. I did change the name, something to make it more appealing. The new and improved Skim f.That! That's read as SKIM F dot THAT exclamation. I know how you guys are.

After a huge investment the f.THAT! company brings you the new and improved Skim f.THAT! Hundreds of seconds of R&D have produced this new skim style "board". Our engineers were too busy and left the thickness of the board equidistance, they discovered that with weight applied to the deck they created the "MORHPING BOTTOM" structure. The Morphing Bottom allows the Skim f.THAT! to slide incessantly and cause people in the boat to point and admire your skills, like no other.

Further, Skim f.THAT! has unique parallel rails, smooth flowing outlines are a thing of the past. Parallel rails on the outline provide increased surface area AND the increased drag helps the board "spin like crazy". In fact folks that see you riding the Skim f.THAT! will often exclaim "you are crazy!"

During our extensive hundreds of seconds R&D our engineers got sidetracked and we discovered that by not doing any shaping of the rails this unique 90 degree HARD RAILS through out gave incredible performance. If you are able to actually turn on the ne Skim f.TAHT! you too will see the exceptional "grab the wake and throw you on your face" turning ability of the Skim f.THAT!

Be the first in your institution to buy the new Skim f.THAT!

I should write ad copy for a living, huh?

But wait there’s more… Haven’t you always said I’m going to get around too it? We think you meant “A Round 2-It.” Now you if you can get around to it you can order A Round 2-It from Big Show Industries.

Do symmetrical boards confuse you? We have completely solved this problem or we’re sending you off to a rubber room. Just put your feet someplace on the board and tell the driver to hit it! There is no front, back or any side, no wait it’s all front, back, and sides, we simply don’t know. Hey look the sleeves in my new jacket go all the way around and tie in the back!!

Talk about rails! Old fashioned boards have two discontinuous rails. We like to say disjointed, rails. The Revolutionary A Round 2-It has a single continuous rail. No mater what your stance is or maneuver you perform you will always have a rail in the wave. And talk about a spin factory you’ll literally run in circles like a hamster in a wheel.

If you’re looking for the next level of challenging to ride surfboards this is it!!! The current world A Round 2-It riding endurance record is just over a second. You’ll spend hours trying to smash that record.

Disclaimer: I’m not a paid representative of Big Show Industries and I’m not a "A Round 2-It" promo rider. This is an add parody, even though there is one A Round 2-It, there is no Big Show Industries.

Too funny! I almost spit coffee on my keyboard after reading this:

"Do symmetrical boards confuse you?"

The phone has been rigging off the hook. It looks like everyone finally got a round to it and ordered A Round 2-It. I really should stop advertising my products here for free.

Unfortunately I made an error in my previous post. The original A Round 2-It has been recycled in to a hot wire jig saw. I'm sorry to say that we did not keep the mold. So with out the mold and without the original it will be literally impossible to faithfully reproduce the A Round 2-It design. The Big Show Industries focus on high quality standards and labor non-intensive manufacturing practices prevent us from going back to the drawing board (with a thumb tack, string, pencil, and saw) and creating an imposter. Frankly we’re too lazy.

Speaking for Big Show Industries I’d like to extend my most sincere apologies to our faithful clients. I'm afraid that Big Show Industries will not be able to fulfill the thousands of orders that have just been placed. While at first this might seem like a big, big set back we can at least sit back and enjoy the unseasonably !@#$% cold, !@#$% wet May weather on our couches and recliners.





Disclaimer: I’m not a paid representative of Big Show Industries and I’m not a "A Round 2-It" promo rider. This is an add parody, even though there WAS one A Round 2-It, there is no Big Show Industries.

I'm feeling the next big thing coming. You guys need a website right?

Claimer: I makes the websites