Textured bottom skin for bodyboards and method

In a bodyboard used to ride on waves, the bodyboard being in the form of an elongate, substantially planar board having a foam core, having a top surface for supporting a rider, and a bottom surface for planing on water, the improvement comprising:

• a plurality of discrete, generally circular depressions formed in the bottom surface of the board, the number of depressions exceeding approximately 50, each depression having a depth in the range of 10-mils to 100-mils and a diameter in the range of 0.15-inch to 1.5-inch, and the depressions being separated from one another by flat regions of the bottom surface which extend between and around the depressions, whereby the depressions enhance the planing of the bodyboard on water.

Bottom skin for a bodyboard used to ride waves, the bodyboard being in the form of an elongate, semi-rigid foam plant having a top riding surface for supporting a rider and a bottom surface for planing on water, the bottom skin substantially covering the bottom of the bodyboard and forming its bottom surface, the bottom skin comprising:

• an expanse of thermoplastic sheet material, and
• a plurality of depressions formed in the sheet material separated from one another by generally flat regions of the sheet material which extend between and around each depression, the density of depressions exceeding approximately 8-depressions per-square-foot, in which each depression is generally circular, having a depth in the range of 10-mils to 100-mils and a diameter in the range of 0.15-inch to 1.5-inch, and the spacing between the centers of adjacent depressions exceeds twice the diameter of the depressions, whereby the depressions in the bottom skin trap and distribute air bubbles over the flat regions of the bottom skin between the depressions to enhance the planing of the bodyboard on water.

In a bodyboard used to ride on waves, the bodyboard being in the form of an elongate, substantially planar board having a foam core, having a top surface for supporting a rider, and a bottom surface for planing on water, the improvement comprising:

• a plurality of circular discrete depressions formed in the bottom surface of the board, each depression having a diameter in the range of 0.15-inch to 1.5-inch, the number of depressions exceeding approximately 50,
• the depressions being separated from one another by flat regions of the bottom surface which extend between and around the depressions and the density of depressions per unit area of the bottom surface being greater than approximately 8-depressions per-square-foot and less than approximately 1840-depressions per-square-foot, whereby air bubbles are collected by the depressions and distributed over the flat regions of the bottom surface between the depressions to lubricate the movement of the bodyboard as it planes on water.