Do you know those small, thin, wooden boards that you sometimes see in surf shops? I think they're called skim boards and they're usually about £30 or so.
I was just wondering what they are for. My freind said it was for when the waves are small and flat, and you lie on them (like when body boarding) and ride the white water. He said they go for ages and go really fast.
Is this their real purpose and are they really like that? Or are they used for something else? If it's true what my freind said, i might just get one.

Cheers in advance, Airborne.

P.S. I'm away for this weekend so don't worry if i don't reply soon.

It depends what type you mean... If you mean the ones with parallel sides, then you're frined is probably correct, but they aren't really much use. Proper skimboards are usually more oval in shape and are used for skim-boarding!!

Basicaly you run down the beach towards the ater, skim the board onto the water and at the same time jump onto the board then you skim out towards the surf, (the top people usually do it on really nasty shore-dumps) and if you are any good you can carve around onto the wave, or launch off the top of it.

Al.

I saw the oval shaped ones.
And now that you've told me what it's used for, maybe i won't get one after all! It sounds fun, but i probably wouldn't have the confidence to just jump straight onto it while still moving.
I'd probably just push the board nose into the sea bed and fall flat on my face!

Anyway thanks for that Al.
From Airborne.

You don't have to buy a board to give it a go.

My friends and I used to skimboard with our bodyboards. It was only done on flat days or when the currents or when the waves were unrideable. I wouldn't recomend you do it too much as you may ding the board. The best rides are done when you wait for a wave to wash up the shore and you do your run / drop the board / jump on it just in time to ride the retreating water, if done correctly you'll find the next wave coming along and you do a crash or a jump over this one.

The other boards that Al mentioned (ones with paralel sides) are for bodysurfing, they give a smoother surface - less drag - so you can catch waves easier. You could argue that it's no longer bodysurfing if you have a plank of wood, but that's up to the bodysurfers.

if you want to see what a skimboards for check out these mpg's

http://www.sandskater.com/skim/videos/

Blimy, I did not even realise this was an 'official sport'

It certainly has changed from the days when my mates and I used to skim round boards in the shallows at Poole!

You can also check out www.goskim.com - It's a lot of fun too.

I made my own skimboard a few years back. You can do some skateboard tricks like shove its and the such if you get good.

I still haven't managed to ride the shorebreak yet, but it's a good/fun alternative on flat days.

One time it was raining so hard outside my house that I was skimming up and down the road!! A lot of fun until I fell off and ripped my leg open (NOTE TO SELF - concrete is not as soft as sand).

Oh Well!!

LOL! Sorry i haven't replied in ages. Thanks for the websites and info!

check out martins cam on www.skyte.co.uk and click on the skim to see some good vidoe footage