A new retro style wooden bodyboard has been developed by The Original Surfboard Company.

Hand-made in Britain, the “championship” board, with its inlaid competition racing stripe design, has been inspired by the premium grade “surf rider” boards of the 1950s .

Much lighter weight and thinner than plywood bellyboards, these boards are also designed to have a little more flex in the surf.

Boards cost £85 (inc.UK delivery) from www.originalsurfboards.co.uk or 01884 855475.

The Original Surfboard Company still sells the classic British made plywood bellyboards but founder Sally Parkin says “When we came across these wonderful surfing guides from the 1930s & ‘50s recommending uperior boards like the “Featherweight Crest Rider” made from Gaboon wood we were inspired to create a premium grade board.”

Before the introduction of fibre glass and foam boards in the 1960s most people rode the waves lying down on thin wooden boards. It was the Original British Surf Sport, also known as Surf Riding, and it dates back for at least a hundred years.

The invention of the foam boogie board in the 1970s almost wiped out these original wooden bodyboards, now often called bellyboards, but in recent years these quintessentially British boards have been making a comeback.

Aficionados of these boards say that you feel more “in the wave” than on a thicker foam bodyboard. Wooden boards are more enviromentally friendly than foam bodyboards and take up very little space in your car or campervan. When you’re not using them in the surf they also look cool on display.

Catching a wave with one of these boards is much quicker and easier to learn than stand up surfing and its a sport that can be enjoyed by all ages and abilities. The same board can be used at different levels - the complete novice can ride small waves in shallow waters while pro surfers can take them out the back with flippers and use them in much bigger waves.

The Championship board is made from five layers of hardwood - an inner core of Gaboon wood veneered with outer layers of Sapele and Beech wood. They measure in at the classic 1950s size - four feet tall and one foot wide - and are super thin at a little more than 1/4 inch (7mm). The standard boards, in keeping with British Bellyboard tradition, have a gentle curve or nose rocker although flat boards can be made to order. The reverse of each board has a burnt in Original Surfboard logo and made in Britain stamp.

For more information please contact Sally Parkin at The Original urfboard Company

T: 01884 855475 or E: sally@originalsurfboards.co.uk