The month of March marks the very start of our bigger swell season, which means we will undoubtedly have a least a couple days, that are going to bring bombing surf in the double overhead range and maybe bigger. So, what does that mean for all of us, besides hard, long paddle outs and adrenaline filled drops, well it usually means that there will also be a number of broken surfboards washing up to shore as well. When you break your board, the first feelings you might experience are: anger, embarrassment, depressed, dumbfounded and/or seriously bummed out. However, once it settles in, most people look at this unfortunate event in one of two ways: they either decide they are going to try to fix it and see what else they can get out of a formerly broken board, or they can abandon it “out back”. Well, those are two ways to go about dealing with your mangled piece of foam and fiberglass, but there are actually many other forms that a broken surfboard can take if one chooses to do so.

At the top of today’s trends, is the “green” trend. It should not be looked at as a trend, rather just plain common sense, and it is this theory of reusing and recycling items is exactly what one can follow with their broken boards. So, once you have accepted the reality that you are now the proud owner of $600 worth of un-surfable foam and glass, revive your board with one of the five ideas below:

Make furniture out of it – Turn your broken board into a chair, bench, futon, table or anything else that might fit in your casa. If you have a broken 9’ longboard, a futon or bench is certainly attainable. For all of these items you will need some wood and/or metal legs for support. Simply drill holes through the board and attach the supports, paint it and you’ve got the perfect addition to your surf cabin or “man room”.

Signs – Paint anything on what you’ve got left of your board and hang it. Make signs for your vacation home, for your business, or one of my favorites; signs on the road that urge people to slow down and not kick up too much dust around here! See Solo Bueno Hostel’s great example of this outside of their place.

Art (Sculpture & Wall Art) – Make the foam your “canvas”! Paint images on the board and display wherever you see fit. You can also cut, sand down and re-shape the board into interesting pieces sculptures.

Surf Mailbox – Take your broken board, cut it into six smaller pieces, secure them together to form a box with a hinged lid/door on it just like your house’s mailbox. Drill a post into the bottom part, stick a flag on the side and you’ll have the coolest mailbox on the block!

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