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How to correctly plug your bodyboard!

How To Plug Your Bodyboard

Top three tips for plugging your bodyboard

  1. Decide what you want to use the board for (drop knee or prone) then adjust where you’re going to plug your board accordingly.
  2. Make sure you take a note of how many stringers your board has and where they are positioned – this is very important and should be on the boards packaging.
  3. Choose which side to put the plug on by considering which arm you usually have your leash on.

Many people who buy a brand new bodyboard from a shop and have to plug it themselves manually find it can be a trickier task than first meets the eye. Lacking the right knowledge of your board and too eager to give your board its first spin in the surf, can land you with a screwdriver through the stringer and a very unhappy bodyboarder. It is important to note the packaging of your board to know everything about it – from its core and length, all the way to where its stringers are positioned and what use the board’s designed for.

The first step to plugging the board is deciding which arm you tend to have your leash attached to when out in the surf. In the video Rob prefers to have his leash on his right bicep, so he tends to plug the board slightly to the left on the centre. If you are going to use the board for drop knee, you’ll need to think about whether your stance is goofy or regular – you don’t want your leash to be getting in the way of your front foot when riding drop knee. You also want it to be plugged about 20cm from the nose. The easiest way to decide this is to grab your old board (with the leash removed), set it directly on top of your new board and drive a screwdriver through the hole in order to mark where you’re going to plug your new board. This is only if where you had it plugged previously worked well for you. (1:56 on the video)

Now you’re going to need to make the hole for the leash to go in to. Get a phillips head screwdriver and mark out the exact location you want to plug it after deciding on the all the factors mentioned above. Make sure that the board is completely flat to the floor when doing this as going in at an angle can really affect the plug. Drive the screwdriver down straight through the board so that it pops out the other side. Then, flip the board over and straighten out the hole by driving the screwdriver back through the slick to make a nice neat entry point for the plug to go into. If the plug doesn’t fit, give the screwdriver a wiggle about through the hole to ensure there’s enough room for it to go all the way through. (3:14 on the video)

After creating a good hole for the plug to go through, begin to push the top part of the plug in first through the deck. Then, once the top half is in, start to push the bottom part in through the slick of the board and when it gets to the thread, tighten it by using a coin and make sure it’s as tight as it can go. If done correctly the plug should look nice and straight through the board, be roughly 20cm from the nose and on your preferred side. Most bodyboard shops should plug the board for you, but if you find yourself having to do it manually just remember these steps and you should have a well plugged board. (3:34 on the video)

Hopefully this article has been helpful in everything related to plugging your board, and can save a few boards from a ruined by stringer before it even hits the water. Have fun!

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