DIY Build Your Own Body Surfing Hand Plane POD Handboard

POD® DIY Bodysurfing Handplane Kit - Build Your Own Cottonwood Hand Board

The POD® DIY Handplane Kit lets you build your own cottonwood bodysurfing handplane and ride it in either orientation depending on wave type and hand position. Everything needed for assembly is included in the kit.

It does not create performance on its own. It works with your body position, trim, and movement in the water, helping you feel how changes in surface and orientation affect control and flow. This is a handplane for bodysurfers who want to understand their equipment and shape how it works through hands-on assembly.

DIY Handboard Assembly Kit - Includes

• One × 380 mm (15") cottonwood handplane, undercoated (light sanding and additional clear or colour coats required)
• Two × stainless steel webbing strap retainers
• Four × stainless steel fixing screws
• One × 65 mm double-padded neoprene and webbing hand strap
• One × neoprene and webbing wrist strap with cord
• One × under-palm EVA deck grip

Dual Orientation - Two Hand Positions, One Board

Inspired by the POD® ambigram, the Hand Body Soul® handplane rides in either orientation, letting you adjust hand position to match wave shape and conditions.

This is not about adjusting performance. It is about understanding how surface area and position influence control, hold, and movement through the wave.

Long Hand Position

Position the longer planing section forward of the hand to increase surface contact and support cleaner entry and hold on fuller waves.

Short Hand Position

Rotate the board 180 degrees so the shorter section leads, allowing more control in steeper waves, barrels, and shore breaks.

You make a choice when bodysurfing. It's in your hands - Bodysurfing Naturally.

Planing Surface and Hydrodynamics

The 380 mm (15") shape increases effective surface area while remaining lightweight. The concave bottom works with water flow to support lift, directional control, and cleaner movement across the wave face.

Compared with the classic plastic model of the same dimensions, the cottonwood construction achieves a similar surface area with reduced weight, allowing the board to respond more naturally to movement in the water.

Concave Bottom - Lift and Control

The concave underside works with water flow, supporting lift and maintaining hold while reducing downward slip and minimising splash toward the face.

Convex Deck - Natural Hand Position

The Hand Body Soul® convex deck supports a natural swimming hand position, improving comfort and allowing the board to work with your movement rather than against it.

Hand Body Soul® Handplane - Features

• CNC-machined and hand-finished cottonwood construction
• Laser-cut registered trademarks
• 380 mm (15") handplane shape for balanced surface and control
• Five-ply structure with neutral buoyancy
• 65 mm double-padded neoprene hand strap with EVA palm pad
• Wrist leash with adjustable cord
• Ambidextrous setup for left- or right-handed use
• Dual orientation - rides in either direction depending on conditions

Fit and Care

Adjust the hand strap to a snug fit over your hand. For ongoing use, slide your hand between the strap and the EVA deck grip to maintain secure Velcro contact and extend service life.

Replacement strap sets are available here.

Customising Shape and Dimensions

The laminated cottonwood construction can be sanded, cut, or reshaped by a customer with the right power tools and woodworking experience. This is not a step POD encourages or provides guidance for. The concave bottom, planing surface, and hand strap positioning are tested and tuned to the board as supplied. Any reshaping changes that tested profile, and the result depends entirely on the skill and judgement of the person doing it.

Hand Body Soul® Wood Handboard Range

The Hand Body Soul® wood handboards share the concave bottom, convex deck, and strap system found in this DIY kit, shaped from cedar and walnut in three sizes. Each is a distinct design in its own right, no keel fin, no signature POD shape, but the same commitment to natural materials, hands-on craft, and real surf performance.

• EGO 225mm Wood Handboard - compact and agile, suits smaller hands and technical surf
• WOO 300mm Wood Handboard - the all-rounder across a wide range of conditions
• FLO 375mm Wood Handboard - maximum surface area for experienced riders in powerful surf

A Legacy of Bodysurfing Design

Since the 1980s, POD founder and designer Shane Vassallo has shaped and refined handboards, bodysurfing handplanes, hand planes, and handboards across cottonwood, cedar, walnut, and limited timber species. That design lineage spans over 35 years of hands-on experimentation in real surf conditions and is documented in Successful 30 Years.

Learn More

• Choosing the right handboard: Explore sizing and design principles in How to Choose a Bodysurfing Handboard.
• Technique and use: Read How to Bodysurf with a Handboard for practical guidance.