Mike Stewart's board science

Your life vehicle

A bodyboard is more than just a craft to ride a wave to the beach. It's a vehicle that gives you access to a whole new dimension of life, the oceanic realm. If you remain open to it, wave riding can teach you about nature in its purest form. So diverse and deep in dimension is the ocean, that it fundamentally mirrors life itself. In this chaotic universe we live in, what surfing is really all about is finding order, or rhythm in a random sea and utilizing this opportunity to your betterment. This education can have a profound influence in your day-to-day life. So with this mind frame selecting a board becomes a whole lot more meaningful than a simple ride to shore. It would be wise then to spend a little time learning about what could possibly become a new vehicle to your life experience.

Throughout my career the best boards I have ridden where created through a special combination of shapes and materials. In this article I have outlined the functionality of these two most important topics. To make an educated decision about which board or board feature is right for you, you really need to understand some of the basics of how they work, so I have also tried to explain how the various components work.

The basics of Bodyboard function

In general terms Bodyboards work on two main principles.

1. Water flow over the bottom of the board that is controlled by
2. And your weight distribution and body posture over the top of the board.

The water molecule (H2O) is unevenly charged, making it "sticky" to other molecules like a magnet to metal. This is the main reason why water sticks to the bottom of your board when you leave the ocean. The fact that water is so sticky is a good thing for bodyboarders because it makes it possible for us to turn using our rails without the need of a skeg. These are some of the various features on a board and how they make it work.