As a sport, surfing smells of freedom. The thought of surfing the waves and getting hit by the ocean waters at every wave break point is refreshing. Surfing takes guts though. Not every person can comfortably balance on the surfboard and ride through ten foot waves. Surfing is for the daring. Those who dare to step out of their comfort zones are looking for new areas to test their adrenaline levels. Having said this, I would be lying if I said that surfing is the safest sport around. How could it be though? I mean anything done in water potentially infested with sharks and whales is far from safe. When surfing, you therefore need to make sure that you are using the right surfboard which is in the right condition to reduce risks of accidents.
There are very many types of surfboards and every surfboarder has his/her own particular type of surfboard. When ordering a new surfboard, you want it packed and shipped to you in the best possible condition. The same applies to you as a surfboarder when planning to go out for practices and taking part in competitions. You need to learn how to carefully pack your surfboards to ensure that they are in the best possible condition for use. Properly packing the surfboards for shipping not only ensures that they are in top shape upon arrival but helps reduce losses. Surfboards are not the cheapest sports equipment around and no one wants to lose his/hers due to poor shipping. So, how should you package a surfboard for shipping? Here are 5 tips on how to package and ship a surfboard;
1. Detach all the removable parts
If the surfboard has any removable parts, you need to detach them even before you start packing. Each part should be on its own. Shipping a surfboard with all its detachable parts intact will be increasing the chances of breakages.
2. Wrap each individual part in form sheet
After detaching any detachable parts, wrap each individual part in form sheet or in a protective layer of your choice. You want the parts padded as heavily as possible so that any pressure on the package will be absorbed by the padding. After wrapping each individual padded part, place it in a box preferably the original surfboard bag it came in. Before placing the padded parts in the bag, create protective layers using clothing or cotton. Cloth is preferred because it is easily accessible and will not scratch the surfboard.
3. Place the surfboard in the padded box/bag and fill up the spaces
After carefully wrapping each individual part in sheet form or clothing and padding the inside of the carrying box/bag, place the individual parts in the padded area. Place the individual parts in a way such that no sharp point lies directly on another part of the surfboard. Even when wrapped, sharp edges will still scratch and scour the surface of the surfboard and this will make the board rough and ugly. After carefully placing the surfboard in the box, fill up any spaces using clothing or any soft material that you can access. Filling up the spaces reduces the movement when the surfboard is in transit and increases the stacking strength required to make the whole package compact. Make sure you add clothing to the top and bottom parts before closing the box.
4. Tape the box well
You need good quality tape for this. To fasten the box and safeguards the contents, you will need high quality masking tape that can withstand pressure without snapping or losing its adhesiveness. Apply as much tape as you can to the top and bottom of the box and make sure the contents are not moving inside after you are done taping. Clearly label the contents of the box using a marker. Only then, will the package be ready for shipping.
5. Shipping
If you are using your car or a truck to ship the surfboard, you will need enough room at the back. An open pickup truck would be the ideal means of shipping the surfboard. Fasten the box using belt or rope to ensure that the box does not move when the truck starts moving.
The entire process can be tedious though especially if you are shipping more than one surfboard. The best option is to always leave it to the experts. Experts at shipping surfboards and other sports equipment like RunRex will easily and quickly ship your surfboards to the desired location at a very affordable price. They will use the best packing techniques and will ship the package using the best possible means and deliver it to you on time. We all know too well how expensive surfboards and other sports equipment can be to start taking risks by shipping them on our own. Give them a call and they will help move your sports equipment.