The choice of materials is a very important moment in designing and producing quality and high-performance bodyboards.
Many variables should be considered if you want to kick off a brand-new bodyboard company or if you're buying a new sponge.
The production of bodyboards has evolved over time.
In the mid-1980s, it was possible to buy bodyboards made of expanded polystyrene. They were fragile and were available in supermarkets.
Today, bodyboards have different shapes and new materials.
Bodyboards can be shaped, just like a surfboard, to get the best hydrodynamic performance possible in the rails, nose, neck, and tail.
The most important core materials found in commercial bodyboards are beaded cores, extruded foam, extruded polyethylene, polypropylene, and arcel.
A Matter of Choice
Bead cores in bodyboards have a few good advantages. The cell-structured core is water-resistant, durable, and offers great stiffness. Beaded foams are, however, quite expensive and less buoyant.
Extruded cores display air bubble cells that are produced on a large industrial scale. The extruded foam adds flotation and softens the impact of aerial moves.
This inexpensive material may absorb water and damage the entire bodyboard.
Extruded polyethylene is also commonly known as Dow Core or PE Core but can appear with other names given by several chemical companies.
These have been the most famous bodyboard materials ever.
However, environmental alerts have been raised, and the strength of this material has been reduced. Today, PE Core is found in bodyboards for beginners.
Polypropylene - also named PP and Polypro - offers extruded and beaded models.
Memory is the most important advantage of this core bodyboard material. PP is water-resistant, durable, and lightweight.
Arcel is a high-performance beaded core made of 70 percent polystyrene and 30 percent polyethylene. Bodyboards made of Arcel keep the original shape longer, and their stiffness level is excellent.
Learn how to choose the best bodyboard.
Words by Luís MP | Founder of SurferToday.com