A handplane or handboard is used by
bodysurfers to enhance their speed, lift and control whilst riding a wave.
A handplane is generally worn on a bodysurfer's leading hand.
Materials
Wood
Handplanes have traditionally been made out of wood. To preserve the handplanes' lifetime, a number of manufacturers tend to prefer
Paulownia
''Paulownia'' ( ) is a genus of seven to 17 species of hardwood tree (depending on taxonomic authority) in the family Paulowniaceae, the order Lamiales. They are present in much of China, south to northern Laos and Vietnam and are long cultivat ...
or
White Cedar White cedar may refer to several different trees:
* Bignoniaceae
** ''Tabebuia heterophylla'' - native to Caribbean islands and also cultivated as an ornamental tree
* Cupressaceae:
** ''Chamaecyparis thyoides'' – Atlantic white cypress
** ''Cup ...
.
Fiberglass
A number of handplane makers upcycle old broken surfboards to create handplanes out of foam with a fiberglass coating. Foam handplanes tend to have more buoyancy than ones made of wood or plastic.
Plastic
Plastic offers durability in the event of a dropped handplane or hitting rocks on entry/exit of a reef break. Some companies are now making handplanes from recycled
ocean plastics.
History
Bodysurfers would use any item with a flat surface, such as fast food trays, clipboards, or flip flops, to aid their ride. The first modern handboard, The Hand Surfa hardboard, was produced by an Australian company in the 1960s. In the 1990s, many new handboard manufacturers entered the market including
Slyde Handboards
Slyde Handboards is a bodysurfing and water sports company. It was co-founded in 2010 by Steve Watts and Russell Ellers, and they were later joined by Angela Watts.
Product
The Wedge, Slyde's first handboard, was released in 2011, and brought ...
, who created handboards from foam.
an
WAW Handplanes who create handplanes from recycled plastics.
References
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Surfing equipment