Island City Boards

As much as I hate the ‘journey’ word on programmes like BGT and Bake Off, it probably is the best way to describe the development of my boards. So here goes…

Way back when, a few years BC (before covid), me and my wife were into sea-swimming and paddle boarding. Back then, there weren’t many people doing this. We would be called weirdos for swimming in January, and would have to answer loads of questions about the strange inflatable boards we were pumping up. We had taken a short trip to Cornwall (which I will write about later) and while in Perranporth I saw wooden bellyboards. I thought they looked pretty cool and almost bought one, but as is the way, missed the opportunity.

Then Lockdown hit. During that time, I started researching bellyboards. I found out more about their history, how they were the forerunner to surfing, about events like the World Bellyboarding Championship, and how they, basically, were really really cool. So I decided that I was going to make a couple. I Googled and gave it a go.

My first bellyboards were made from Hardwood Plywood and although they looked good, there was an issue…

As Lockdown faded away, we tested the boards at Southsea beach. They caught waves. They were quick. They snapped! Yep, snapped. The grain of the ply was crossways and therefore weak. Take Two.

My next bellyboards were made from Marine Plywood, which was the traditional wood. (Here’s a warning if you are going to use Marine Ply, it’s lethal. It splinters easily and viciously. I would be gently sanding an edge and then whoooomph, there’s a strip of wood hanging out of my finger.) Anyway, we tested them at Watergate Bay and they did work well and didn’t snap. After testing, I made some more and these were known as The South Parade Sliders.

While Marine Ply was traditional, the new traditional is Birch Plywood. Birch Ply bellyboards are lighter than Marine Ply. This means they are faster and have more flex. That’s why all my plywood bellyboards are now made from Birch.

You might have noticed that the old boards have an MT logo. I used to be known as Mister Tall, so initially these were MT Bellyboards. Although that made sense to me and my friends, it didn’t mean much to the bigger world. Portsmouth is the UK’s only Island City, to me, it made sense to become Island City Boards.