Board Care

General tips

A wooden bellyboard has the potential to last for many years – sometimes decades – if treated correctly.

Protecting and maintaining the finish (be it oiled, varnished or painted) is the key to your board’s longevity. Sea water and sand are rarely kind to most things!

Protecting the finish is as simple as being kind to your board:

Get a bellyboard bag to put it in, to help protect it from knocks and scrapes when it’s rattling around in the boot of your car.
Always keep a cloth handy for wiping your board down after use.
Good practice would be to let your board air out after a session (especially with oiled boards). Take it out of your car and/or bag and let it stand in the house for a day or two.
Resist the temptation to take your ride all the way onto the beach and try to stop whilst you are still in 1 foot depth of water. Scraping your board on the sand at the end of your ride is the quickest way to totally demolish the finish along the bottom edge.
If your board’s finish is getting worn it could have absorbed quite a lot of water during a slide session (you will notice this as the board will feel heavier than normal). If this is the case, take your board out of the car/bag when you get home and take it indoors to fully dry out for a few days. Once fully dry, think about restoring that finish!
If you have drilled a hole in your board (to fit a leash or camera mount) make sure to seal the inside the hole with varnish or oil, or even clear nail varnish.

Varnished board maintenance

Varnish finishes offer a lot of protection but will get scratched up with use. This is absolutely fine and normal.

A problem arises when scratches go right through to the wood – or you have chipped an edge on rocks etc. This sort of damage requires immediate attention to preserve your board. Once water has got through and soaked into your board it can take quite a while to dry it out fully, as the varnish finish will effectively hold the moisture inside!

Once the board is dry you can make an easy repair. For a small chip/scratch a few dabs of clear nail varnish is an effective quick-fix.

If the damage is more extensive, a complete re-coat could be necessary.

If you have previously applied board wax it will all need to be removed first. There are several ways you can do this (Google is a great start!) but generally, get the wax warmed up by leaving your board in the sun for a while, or by using warm water or even a hair dryer. Then use a non-metal scraper and a cloth with some degreaser on it. If you get the wax very warm and almost liquid, you can even sprinkle some flour on the board to soak it up, then wipe off with a cloth.

Once any wax is removed, you will need to give the board a rub down with some fine sandpaper (220 grit is ideal for this) using either an electric sander or by hand. For water-based varnishes (Moorboards only use water-based varnishes) you can use a mini roller to apply fresh coats. Water-based varnishes are easy to use – touch dry normally within 30 minutes and re-coat after 4 hours. *Make sure the varnish is suitable for exterior use *. Unlike Poly/Oil based varnishes, there is no need to sand down in-between coats (unless you still have roughness you want to get rid of). Aim for 2 or 3 coats.

Oiled board maintenance

Oiled finishes can last a long time if your board is treated correctly. Always let your board air out after every use – stood up against a wall inside your house is ideal. Try and resist the temptation to apply board wax – in my experience it shouldn’t be necessary at all – as this will make life difficult for you when it comes to re-oiling. Personally speaking, with limited use, I would look to re-oil the board at least once per year. With regular use, maybe twice a year or even more if you think it needs it. Mostly it is common sense that will tell you when it’s time to do it.

So, what oil to use? That’s the most common question people ask. At Moorboards, we use Odie’s Oil, which an all-natural hard wax type oil - It contains no thinners or hardeners. This oil is quite expensive (currently around £70 for a jam jar sized tub) but a little does go a very long way and will last for years. However, you certainly do not have to use Odie’s! From an environmental aspect, any pure oil is fine to use – eg. Pure Tung, Hemp, Linseed. (Always read the label as, for example, a lot of brands selling Tung oil will only have small amounts of actual Tung oil in it!) You can, of course, use any type of oil you have to hand – eg. Danish Oil.

Correct application of the oil is key! Poorly oiled boards will be forever sticky (sometimes smelly!) and won’t look their best at all. The method below refers to natural, pure oils. * For oils containing thinners, polymers and hardeners etc, refer to the manufacturer’s instructions.*

What you will need: For applying the oil use a lint free cloth or, preferably, a non-abrasive woven pad (these are like scotchbrite pads, but usually white in colour and, as the name implies, are not abrasive)

For removing the excess oil, a 100 percent cotton terry towel cloth is, by far, the best thing to use. (Cloths containing synthetic materials - like micro-fibre cloths - do not absorb the oil properly and you will likely end up with a sticky board)

Start with a fully dried out board that has previously been wiped down with fresh water. Rub the oil into one side of the board (and the edges) taking care not to use too much. The surface should look damp, but not soaking. Holding the board into the light, you will probably notice some areas looking drier than others. For the next 10 minutes or so (and not using any more oil) rub over the board, taking oil from the wetter looking areas, until all the drier areas are gone and the surface looks evenly coated. Now leave the board alone for around 1 hour to allow the oil to soak in fully. After one hour take your cotton terry cloth and, in a circular motion at first, go over the board to start removing the excess oil that hasn’t soaked in fully. Turn your cloth frequently or you’ll just be rubbing oil back into your board. Now the board is looking drier, use the cloth along the grain and keep buffing off until a finger dragged across the surface of the board does not leave a smear. Hint - That last step is important!!

If you don’t have a lot of time, you can do both sides of the board in one go. However, the best way is to do the other side after 24 to 48 hours. The main reason for this is the edges of board. There is a lot of ‘end grain’ around the edges, which soaks up a lot more oil than the face sides. So, ideally, do one side of the board and the edges first, then 1 or 2 days later, the other side and the edges again.

Now your board is fully coated and buffed off correctly, you should not use it for at least 2 weeks. It will feel noticeably drier by now. This step is important as it allows the oil to cure and harden fully.