bodyboardguide.com

Gav Mitchell from Norfolk was fed up with the lack of decent information on the web about buying a bodyboard suitable for your age, size and style of riding. He’s come up with bodyboardguide.com to answer all your queries. ThreeSixty caught up with him.

How did you come up with the idea of bodyboardguide.com?
It was annoying me that there was no definitive guide to bodyboards. Bodyboarding shops sometimes have a guide section on their websites, but all the ones I found were out of date or really biased towards their own products. If you search for a surfboard guide you get heaps of information helping people find products that will enhance their surfing. I thought it would be a good opportunity to produce a resource for bodyboarders to get the information they need so they can take advantage of board design to improve their surfing. 
 
What research did you do to make sure that you got your information correct?
I've collaborated all the information I could find from as many reliable sources as possible, being particularly careful to make sure any big claims were backed up by science. I went down to the Buzzard factory in Cornwall to make a custom board and fully understand the materials being used there and by other manufacturers. I've also been helped a lot by pros. You can't get a greater authority than Mike Stewart and he's helped with the section dealing with wave size and shape as he must have surfed them all!
 
How long has it taken to put together?
It's taken a lot longer than I initially thought it would - it's turned into a labour of love. I reckon it's been about four months so far, maybe five.
 
Do you actually recommend brands or is it more just a suggestion of what materials will be best for a certain style of rider?
To a certain extent I do recommend brands, but only to the point where Atunas is rated below Manta! It's important to me personally, in the interest of the sport, to recommend companies who actually care about bodyboarding and carry a worthy reputation, so I includes all the main manufacturers that any experienced BB'er would go for. The guide is more generally focussed on finding the right materials and template for the rider depending on where and how they surf.
 
When do you forsee the site being finished?
I'm almost there now, nearly all the material is in, it's just a matter of getting the last few bits uploaded and linked up - I'll be ashamed if it's not done by the time this interview is published! Go check it out!

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