FLO 15" POD Handboard - Big-Wave Bodysurfing Handplane

FLO 375mm POD Wood Handboard - Cedar and Walnut Bodysurfing Handplane

At 375mm, the FLO is the longest of the POD® timber bodysurfing handboards, made from solid cedar and walnut. Its 375mm x 218mm planing surface is the largest in the range, and in strong surf that extra area gives you more lift and a firmer hold on the face. The power still comes from you and the wave. The FLO gives you more board to put it through.

Timber gives every FLO its own colour and grain pattern, and no two are identical.

No Flat Surface Anywhere

Pick up the FLO; once in your hands, you'll feel it straight away. Even at 375 mm long, it has no flat surface anywhere. The shape keeps changing from nose to tail and rail to rail, and the thickness changes with it. The deepest measurement sits at a single point, from the top of the palm support to the tip of the keel fin, and from there it falls away in every direction. This is not a flat board with barely any shape and a strap on top. It is the POD signature shape, proudly ours since the beginning.

Where the FLO Works Well

The bigger the board, the harder it is to swim with, so the FLO suits experienced and advanced bodysurfers who already know how to swim a board out and are comfortable in stronger conditions. The extra length gets you in early on a big wave and keeps the board settled when the face steepens.

• Experienced and advanced bodysurfers riding larger or more powerful waves
• More board under your hand as the wave stands up
• Consistent hold through open faces and critical sections
• The largest planing surface in the timber range

Cedar and Walnut - Handboard Wood Construction

The FLO is the POD signature shape at full size. Its walnut centre resists the twisting load a big wave puts through a long board, and the cedar wings keep the weight in check. Like the EGO and WOO, it is designed in CAD, CNC-shaped, laser-engraved, finished and assembled by hand. On a board this size, rounded edges matter. The rails, nose and tail are all shaped to a full radius, with no sharp edge to strike you or another rider.

Palm Support, Strap System, and Bottom Shape

• Ergonomic palm support: On a board this size, the raised support in the convex deck matters most. It keeps your hand locked in position while the wave loads up the FLO, and it holds your palm in a relaxed shape, which stops the cramping a flat deck brings on in a long session.
• Purpose-built strap system: A wide 65 mm double-padded neoprene strap sits in custom 50 mm retainers. In heavier surf, the width matters, because the strap holds the board to your hand without pinching. The padding runs past the edges of the 50 mm webbing on both sides, so no hard edge cuts into the back of your hand, even when you pull the strap tight for big waves. Riders coming from the narrow 25 mm straps common on handboards often say that the edge is the first thing they noticed.
• Hand fit: The gap between the retainers suits most hand widths, with the thumb outside the strap, and the strap tightens from both sides for a snug hold under the higher loads of bigger surf. Fit the strap to your hand, and fit the 375 mm board to your size and the waves you ride.
• Concave and keel fin: The deepest concave in the range, at 20 mm, traps a large cushion of air and water, and the keel fin holds the FLO straight through fast sections. It rides high on the face and keeps the spray going down, not up your arm. With the strap behind the centre, your hand sits over the keel fin, the point the lift acts on, which stops the long nose digging in.

FLO 375mm Handboard Specifications

• Volume: 953 cm³ / 953 ml / 0.2517 US gallon
• Planing Lift: Generated by wave speed over the largest planing area in the range and the 20 mm concave, with the keel fin holding its line
• Size: 375 mm (15") x 218 mm (8.58") x 45 mm (1.77") full cross-section, palm support to keel fin
• Weight: 460 to 480 g (varies with timber grain density)
• Deck: Convex with ergonomic palm support
• Bottom: Deep 20 mm concave with keel fin
• Strap System: Custom POD 50 mm retainer, 65 mm double-padded neoprene strap, adjustable webbing
• Wrist Leash: Adjustable, reversible for left-handed use
• Finish: Laser engraving, satin protective coating

Care and Longevity

• Strap adjustment: Get the fit right on the first session, then leave the Velcro closed and slip your hand in under the strap. When it finally wears out, a replacement strap set fits the FLO.
• Protective storage: The foam and hemp bag work as a pair. The set-up is below.
• Avoid excess heat: Keep it out of hot cars and long spells in the sun. A board this size has a lot of timber and finish exposed to heat.
• Inspect and maintain: Check the rails and nose for dings after big days, and recoat with marine-grade satin wherever the finish has worn through.

Your Packaging Is Your Board Bag

The foam the FLO ships in is designed to be its storage case, like a camera case with shaped foam. Don't bin it.

• Remove the FLO and pull the two foam halves apart.
• Use a box knife to cut two straight lines on each half, on either side of the recess.
• Peel out the foam between the cuts, down to the recess depth.
• Rejoin the halves and slide them into the hemp drawstring bag, so the opening sits at the drawstring end.
• Slide the FLO into the slot and close the drawstring.

On its own, the hemp bag won't stop knocks. With the foam inside, the FLO has a padded case, and the packaging stays in use instead of going to landfill.

A Legacy of Bodysurfing Design

The FLO completed the cedar and walnut trio in 2019, bringing the signature shape to 15 inches for powerful surf. Its roots go back to the first timber boards of the late 80s and early 90s, some of them fitted with surfboard-style fins cut from other wood species, as POD Bodysurfing Handboards History shows.

Learn More

• Choosing the right handboard: How to Choose a Bodysurfing Handboard
• Technique and use: How to Bodysurf with a Handboard