How to Build a Wake Skate

Wake skating is a relatively new watersport that combines the high speed surface skimming of wakeboarding with the tricks and maneuvering of skateboarding. While there are many of good wake skate boards on the retail market, building your own wake skate is an excellent way to create a piece of equipment custom tailored to your body type and wake skate skills.

Instructions

1. Do some research and design. Look into the different characteristics of wake skates such as length, thickness, rocker size, board materials and the angle of the lip. Decide between around 30 and 40 inches of length and around 2 to 3 inches of width. It's important to design a board that maximizes your ability as a wake skater.

2. Curve the wood. Using the piece of birch plywood (or other plywood) for the board base, create a jig that can properly shape the board into a curve. The jig should be designed to put the amount of curvature that you decided on in your research and design phase of the process.

3. Cut the board to size and shape. Take your piece of curved wood and trace the shape of your board onto the raw wood. Use a jig saw to cut the shape out from the wood. Also, cut holes for the insertion of fins and add extra wood for lips and sand channels into the base if you planned for them. Then, sand the edges of the board to makes sure that they are as smooth as possible.

4. Seal and sign the board. Once the board has been properly sanded, dust the entire surface with a dry cloth. Then hang the board and add a light coat of epoxy to both sides of the board for waterproofing and sealing. Paint the board with marine paint of your choosing and then add toe and foot grips so that the board is maneuverable and stable. Don't forget to sign your masterpiece.