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You can fan the back outside pieces a bit to cover some extra space. Also if you fine the corner of the front traction trying to peek off the rail, just move up down, ppl regularly have their front pads offset

here's some pics for ideas in this guide

since that guide didnt have much front traction pics, he's a pic of what I mean with the front

edit: also, board and pads combo is niiiiice, thats going to be a fun board

It is important when repairing your board to ensure that you match the resin type of your board with the type of resin you are going to use for repair.

You linked him a polyester resin, his board is epoxy.

He should be using an epoxy resin like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Solarez-Cure-Epoxy-Ding-Repair/dp/B0007UC4MU/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=solar+rez&qid=1595364354&sr=8-4

53" version of either in my opinion. Tapered or 5/8, hybrid rocker, duraweight (more glass = more weight, it will still be stupid light)

Some board characteristics info that might help you form opinions

Hey your post got flagged as spam for no reason by reddit, sorry about that. I just approved it, don't know why that happens.

You'd be good for a 51-52" board I'd say and what you go with will ultimately be a budget thing, accounting if you actually plan to skim for a while. If you've never skimboarded, I don't recommend spending all your money on a carbon board even though a lot of directions will point you towards it. A new fiberglass board should run you $200-300. Depending on where you're from you may have access to Zap, Exile, and Victoria or a plethora of other brands like Velocity. There's a useful links tab on the subreddit with a resource compilation that has guides on board shapes, pads, technique tutorials and much more. There's also a Discord which might prove useful. But I digress, aim $200-300 new, or check around used and you can likely get a good board for $150 and under. Even carbon board for that much (which normally run you $500 or so). If you have a choice, wider shapes will be more forgiving and easier to learn on. This will be even more important if you have weak conditions. Feel free to shoot me questions or DMs anywhere. If you're just getting your feet wet in the sport, no need to break the bank.

If I could give you a tl;dr
51"-52" fiberglass, wider shape if you have a choice.
New $200-300
Used <$150 without horrible wear

1. Use surf wax, like sticky bumps, to everywhere there aren't pads. Don't use speed wax.
2. I'm generally skeptical to go out when the wind is above 10mph, and prefer to not go out when it's above 15mph. You can kick sand on the nose of your board to help it drop (the weigh washes off), but it only helps so much. You want the wind to preferably be behind you as well (off shoe wind). Wind forecasts are notated as the direction the wind comes from btw. South wind goes from South to North, for example.
3. Used is generally the best way to get a great board on a budget. Nose/Tail and most small dings will run you under $20 and a few hours. They aren't hard to repair even if you have no experience. Idk what you mean by sand in the wax, that just happens overtime. If you want to clean it put it in the sun and wipe it off. If theres shitty pads, clean the adhesive off with goof off / acetone and a rag. Acetone murders residues
4. Weight limits give a good ball park. Never place yourself at the lower end. Either the higher end or size up. In most cases you can't go wrong sizing up. At your dimensions I wouldn't go smaller than 52", and I'd aim for a wider shape (not a pro shape).
5. Learning drops is all muscle memory. Start on wet sand, not involving waves, to get your foot placement. You can sand drop towards water rushing at you and slowly take that practice to reaching waves. You wont be dropping in water very high above your foot for a while, it's a bit tricky to do running fast. There's a lot of useful resources in the here, and this is located in the reddit's menu tabs at the top. There's also a drop guide in the discord.

Keep the practice up, you'll get the muscle memory and be hitting waves in no time. Hit the beach a lot, focus and have fun!

ask this dude for board size: https://offerup.com/item/detail/1107183751?q=skimboard

otherwise thats just not a lot of money, particularly now when everybodys raised the prices of the skimboards they sell. cuz they know somebody will pay it for summer time.

i'll let you know if i encounter anything else. but you are unlikely to find boards above 50 inches for 200 or less during peak season. adults hold onto their boards. most of the boards being sold are kids boards, etc.

Of course man! I use Ding-all Epoxy kit. I was in the same boat as you, not knowing where to begin with repairs. Then I saw that the kit came with instructions, fiberglass, a mixing cup, popsicle sticks (to mix), and then a piece of sand paper with two grits on each side. Stuff is perfect!

https://www.amazon.com/Ding-All-Epoxy-Repair-Kit/dp/B002UZP864

The are a lot of knock off wooden boards which really ride the same as Victoria wood. The big difference is size. But if you spend 50-100 on a wood board, you could have just bought a real board for 100-200. If a surf store by the beach didn't have one you can check sporting goods stores or buying on Amazon.

Here's another example of a used craigslist posting but this time in Los Angeles area. Southern California is the hands down best place to buy used boards. There are MANY great options feel free to look for yourself and pick the best one: https://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/spo/6001199366.html

Here's an example of a functional $25 beginner skimboard from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Lucky-Bums-Wood-Skimboard-Wave/dp/B008GOZYJE/ref=sr_1_2?s=outdoor-recreation&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1487008546&amp;sr=1-2&amp;keywords=skimboard&amp;th=1

Yup. Again, you get what you pay for.

That said, depending on how you want to mount the camera, check out Sony action camera: https://www.amazon.com/Sony-FDR-X1000V-4K-Action-Cam/dp/B00R1COCT0

OIS, not digital stabilization, get the older model used for 200 or less.

However, GoPro 9 just came out which means 6s and 7s are gonna start flooding the used market for cheap (150-200). Consider that as well.

Will something like this fix it? https://www.amazon.com/Solarez-Cure-Epoxy-Ding-Repair/dp/B0007UC4MU/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&amp;keywords=surf+epoxy&amp;qid=1598314076&amp;sr=8-1-spons&amp;psc=1&amp;smid=AAPDOZ0IA45HF&amp;spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzTVo2VUtBS1NNWFFRJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNTA1MjU2MktJUlE1TzhDOTIwTCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUExMDAwNjQwMzdJQzg3UzM5UEU0NiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

I was repairing my board last week with this: https://www.amazon.com/Ding-All-Epoxy-Surfboard-Repair/dp/B005JPB9DI. I initially was repairing a small hole from a rock, but then i had enough epoxy leftover that I figured I'd cover up my tails too (which were looking like yours with carbon fiber exposed and all). Sanded it down and tried it out for a day and looks like it's holding up great. Not sure how long it'll last but it's holding steady so far. NOTE: I used the stuff that was not the suncure

For my back and front pad I used these and it has worked well for a few months and is still on tight.

Stomp pad: https://www.amazon.com/PUNT-SURF-Ripper-Traction-Pad/dp/B00NG1WGUC

Front pads: https://www.amazon.com/Front-Traction-Pad-Surfboards-Skimboards/dp/B07M71P2JV

I just drilled 2 of these into my garage wall and put a couple skims on them. Cheap and effective.

https://www.amazon.com/Dreecy-Utility-Hanging-Garage-Storage/dp/B07Y1P6R5P/ref=asc_df_B07Y1P6R5P/?tag=hyprod-20&amp;linkCode=df0&amp;hvadid=385180287964&amp;hvpos=&amp;hvnetw=g&amp;hvrand=10519590009151782047&amp;hvpone=&amp;hvptwo=&amp;hvqmt=&amp...

Looks like they have been discontinued: https://www.amazon.com/Slapfish-Skimboards-Fiberglass-Carbon-Traction/dp/B07SRJNKZK/

50 isnt a good or bad price for it. It's a shitty small board, but it will be fine for learning on. And you won't really get anything cheaper than 50 bucks. A decent piece of plywood is nearly 50 bucks these days.

Whatever way feels more comfortable to you. For example, a lot of skaters will pick up skimboarding and put there front foot on first. If genuinely neither back or front foot feels natural, learn to one step from with your back foot first. There’s a lot of tutorials out there on it. Best idea if you’re a clean slate in my opinion.

This document has a load of tutorials in it and can be found all over the subreddit menus: https://www.notion.so/r-skimboarding-Resource-Compilation-a6dd13a6bbb64210bc8ce3b1b50a5617

Good for you! Fellow old guy here. In terms of size, you'll want at least 52". I'm 5'11", roughly 185-190 lbs., and I made the mistake of starting with a 48" board, which gave me very little margin for error. As for brand, a lot of it comes down to personal preference, but generally you can't go wrong with Exile, Zap or Victoria (to name just a few). There's multiple buying guide resources that the mods put together, which can probably give a lot more helpful details than I can: Skimboarding Resources Page. Good luck and have fun!

The mod(s) put together a really nice resources page that should help: skimboarding resources. Enjoy.

Yeah, now entry level foam boards are outside your budget. And even used boards will be a bit of a struggle. Usually when people are okay with shipping a used board it's the more expensive boards, people don't wanna ship out their garage sale zap wedges for 100 bux.

If you find a good used board on facebook or offerup, lemme know we can go over it, otherwise for MSRP you're best off just getting a nice DB woodie, such as:

https://www.amazon.com/DB-Skimboards-Skimboard-Construction-Screenprinted/dp/B076133YKP/

https://www.amazon.com/Sandfish-Board-Co-Skimboard-HSF-20-WHI-PRO-35/dp/B08BHGX3VT/

Get a 50”-52” board that doesn’t look like a knife if you can. Something with a fuller nose / tail will be more forgiving for you. I’ve also been under the impression skaters like relatively larger. On a side note, you don’t need carbon, and you board shouldn’t really be more than 3/4” thick in America units. :)

You’re on the right track with the small board thing. There’s so much nuance that goes into skimboarding and when you hone it all you won’t be help back by the short comings of a smaller board. You don’t waste energy, speed or float, and thus can use a more aggressive and agile shape. This isn’t all encompassing though of course because board shape and size is relative to location too, but in general you’ll see pros riding very much to their size. It’s pretty common consensus that a bigger board will be more stable and forgiving for improving. That being said do not buy a retro fish style board. Sticking traditional is a pro consensus. We have some resources for board buying, and other information here: https://www.notion.so/r-skimboarding-Resource-Compilation-a6dd13a6bbb64210bc8ce3b1b50a5617

Feel free to ask questions and don’t believe everything youve heard without doing some due diligence

lol thank you, that settles it then.

On a different note, I am after some brown front and back traction pads if I can get it, but it seems like almost everywhere makes only black/gray/white or patterns.

I saw these brown Abahub front/back matching in brown, but it seems they have bad reviews regarding adhesive sticking, so I don't think I'll get them. Do you know of any other that are "good enough" but brown color?

https://www.amazon.com/ABAHUB-Surfboard-Longboard-Shortboard-Skimboard/dp/B082SJWQHW?th=1

Bought these and they worked really well (Hopefully the link works) https://www.amazon.com/Front-Traction-Surfboards-Skimboards-Black/dp/B07MLGLGL4/ref=pd_aw_fbt_img_1/147-2580084-0401533?pd_rd_w=auZqz&amp;pf_rd_p=76328f70-5fff-49b7-869a-94bfdaa768fc&amp;pf_rd_r=JNRTZ44FSTHXTYGZF5D1&amp;pd_rd_r=7f6b0818-feca-4e33-...

https://www.amazon.com/Punt-Surf-Ripper-Traction-Pad/dp/B008OME2QE/ref=pd_aw_fbt_img_1/147-2580084-0401533?pd_rd_w=Pi6Os&amp;pf_rd_p=76328f70-5fff-49b7-869a-94bfdaa768fc&amp;pf_rd_r=6JPQ10MR91VXTDCBSDGY&amp;pd_rd_r=314ef52f-700a-4e10-b601-7308d3ae...

>Get an sports elastic band (don’t know the correct name for this)

Compression sleeve might be what you're referring to. There's a ton of different options on Amazon for relatively cheap. I use these, and they seem to help: Sparthos Thigh Compression Sleeves

https://www.amazon.com/Pickle-Wax-Remover-Comb/dp/B001AD2I3S/ref=sr_1_2?gclid=CjwKCAjw_tWRBhAwEiwALxFPoeseIFPHHJIW_pd6bV5SkeQw041Wr36phT17av-A1GabxSqiOGdemRoCOMgQAvD_BwE&amp;hvadid=178095359891&amp;hvdev=c&amp;hvlocphy=9008532&amp;hvnetw=g&amp;hvqmt=e&amp;hvrand=4678722983768068039&amp;hvtargid=kwd-40672468901&amp;hydadcr=10061_9881953&amp;keywords=the+pickle+wax+remover&amp;qid=1647716904&amp;sr=8-2 - the best thing ever! Avoid traction pads unless your using a fiber/carbon board. Its not worth the money.

Really depends on your budget. If you skimboard frequently and have the money, I always recommend a carbon epoxy board even if its used or a discounted blem board.

Your area might not have many used boards but you can still buy through OfferUp/eBay or from a company like Exile that posts used boards online.

here are some FB listings that you could ask about shipping or make the long drive to get:

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1437744563030710/

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1146325752240342/

Again, don't go EX2 as theyre using a "high end" polyester blend. And I just can't confirm if it's on par with the lower end epoxy builds. Go EX0 or EX1 if you are going low end/e-glass. Otherwise, look at the used carbon boards on Exile's website. Like that medium size hybrid. In between the dude cruise EX0 and the used carbon hybrid I would go used carbon as the materials will guarantee a long lasting board.But it's nearly 100$ difference so you are paying for that convenience of course. If you are patient on eBay or OfferUp you can get a carbon board shipped to you for less. But then you have to trust the seller, as Exile repairs all their used boards before shipping out. Average people may not.

One last deal because it's the best skimboard deal I've seen online, with one caveat. I told the seller to list on OfferUp to ship the board to CA for cheap. Would probably be less than $150 and it's an amazing board. I'm considering buying it if he lists on OfferUp: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/251240709236160/

u/GundoSkimmer how bad is the damage on this one? does the price feel okay? https://offerup.com/item/detail/985592545/

Also, I'm 5'8"/135lbs, and the weight range for the medium says "up to 130", I guess that shouldn't be an issue?

Thanks.

For beginning you can deal in a wide size range. The bigger the better. Time and time again people switch this around because they are bad at turning, so they want a small board. Which will never be stable and float well. Best to have a stable board and learn how to turn correctly. 46" is still a small board, but if its the woodie thats fine.

For a wood board I wouldnt bother with traction pads unless you hate wax. Otherwise, wax is more than fine and won't hold you back.

Chances are you can find a cheap beginners board in the bay area, or at most drive down to Santa Cruz for a wider selection.

Example: https://offerup.com/item/detail/953657335/

Buy this or this and try to match your resin layup with the rail profile of the board.

Sadly at that position it's very difficult to retain the original edge. Just remember, you can always sand away resin. Of course it's easier with a powered sander if you over lay it by a lot. But just try to lay up a lil bit too much resin and you can hand sand the final product to something close to the original profile. Make sure the bottom side is FLAT. the sides are not as important. bottom has to be perfectly flat.

Hey man I got a fairly cheap set on Amazon as this is my first board. I have to say they are working out great, no issues so far (2 months use).

sand it all down so epoxy has something to adhere to, clean it off with some rubbing alcohol, mix up some of this (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002IZFPQE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1) and apply over the area. Might let the epoxy harden just a bit before applying because it can be pretty runny. Sand it down a bit after it hardens for ~24-36 hours. Sand it. Rip it.

Norker Surfboard Bike Rack, Surf Rack for Bike - Bonus Wetsuit Hanger - Bike Surf Rack - Adjustable Surfing Rack for Shortboard, Wakeboard, Boogie Board https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZJTWT92/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_P19DQKM3GVBXDNC1P720

I got this traction pad set off Amazon because the price was fair & reviews were good:

Punt Surf Ripper Skimboard Traction Pad & Arch Bar - 3 Piece Stomp Pad & Raised Arch Bar https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LLYS9E8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_eNBzBb5CEADF4

You could probably get a more stylish set from Zap or a bigger manufacturer, but this set is works great for me!

I can post a couple pictures of my Apex Avac setup tomorrow ifya wanna see how it looks

Ho Stevie! Surfboard Wall Mount - Minimalist Wall Racks for Shortboards and Longboards (Screws Included) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HRGGRTZ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_aJjFFbF0VJRW0 thats the one i got off amazon

Just buy the various garbage on Amazon or look at every online surf store for ugly color clearance pads. The quality difference is usually hardly noticeable as long as its reviewed well.

https://www.amazon.com/Abahub-Surfboard-Traction-Skimboards-Boards/dp/B07QCP9P6G/

https://www.amazon.com/Santa-Barbara-Surfing-Front-Traction/dp/B07L4GYCS6/

this happened on my sons ex1 on the tail. I reached out to exile and they said it looks like impact damage. When i looked at it more, they were right as much as i didnt agree at first.

They offered to repair it or advised I pick up a resin and i could do so myself. Shipping the board would have been WAY too expensive. The board was white so the resin was really hard to detect as it will dry white. Ask them what to repair it with to be sure, but i picked this up from amazon and it worked perfectly at their recomendation.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005JPB9DI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1

Oof, those are 2 very different sizes. One might be too small and the other might be too big. I always advise to go bigger if you are "between sizes" but I have no idea what this board is you are speaking of. Lemme google it...

Ok, so this thing.

Because the nose is tapered off rather thin and narrow, I would recommend you try the size 48, and you may grow into it a bit anyway. If you grow enough you may simply out grow a 48 in general.

Also, as a beginner, a larger board will be more stable and offer more flotation and speed at the cost of turning/maneuverability. It's a good sacrifice to make.

Where do you live? You may have better used options or could get a board from a better brand on Memorial Day (Zap has sale every year) rather than get this relatively unknown brand taking advantage of the lack of options on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Zap-Fish-Skimboard-47X20-25-Swallow/dp/B002UZG3KY/?creativeASIN=B002UZG3KY&amp;linkCode=w61&amp;imprToken=67kCsWwddIPDBDfAknCbkg&amp;slotNum=17&amp;tag=fractuslearn-20
This one but no fish tail and yellow and black

Oh wow man this fits my budget nicely! Thanks for your help. Here's the model I'm currently looking at:

http://www.amazon.com/Zap-Skimboard--49x19-75-Pintail-Artwork/dp/B00YTM8K5C/ref=sr_1_109?s=sporting-goods&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1435270563&amp;sr=1-109&amp;refinements=p_4%3AZap

But it says "custom artwork" and that all models are different. Do I have to submit like a design or will it just come like in the picture?

Well that's good, I'm flying with other people, so we've got other bags, so ill probably have to pay extra.

Do you have this bag or this bag?