WOO 12" POD Handboard - All-Round Bodysurfing Handplane

WOO 300mm POD Wood Handboard - Cedar and Walnut Bodysurfing Handplane

The WOO 300mm is the mid-size option in the POD® cedar and walnut bodysurfing handboards. Its 300mm x 210mm planing surface gives your hand several times the area it has on its own, enough lift for open-face surf and still quick enough for smaller waves and tighter sections. You bring the riding. The WOO gives it the surface and the line to hold across the face.

No two WOOs look the same. The walnut and cedar grain changes from board to board.

No Flat Surface Anywhere

Hold a WOO in your hands, and you'll feel and see it straight away. No part of it is flat. The shape keeps changing from nose to tail and rail to rail, and the thickness changes with it. Its deepest measurement sits at one single point, from the top of the palm support to the tip of the keel fin, and falls away in every direction from there. This is not a flat board with barely any shape and a strap on top, called a handplane. It is the POD signature shape, proudly ours since the beginning.

Where the WOO Works Well

The WOO is the most popular board in the cedar and walnut range, and its 12-inch size is easy to swim and ride, which is why it suits intermediate bodysurfers through to advanced riders who want one board for most conditions. It gets you into a wave early and stays settled as you trim along the face.

• Intermediate to advanced bodysurfers wanting one board for most days
• All-round conditions from smaller waves through to open-face surf
• Enough lift for bigger days without the swim-out weight of the FLO

Cedar and Walnut - POD Wood Construction

The WOO is the POD signature shape at the middle size of the timber range. Walnut forms its centre strip and carries the strength, while cedar makes up the wings and keeps the board light. Every WOO starts as a CAD file, then goes through CNC shaping, laser engraving and hand finishing. The rails, nose and tail all carry a full radius, with no sharp edge anywhere on the board.

Palm Support, Strap System, and Bottom Shape

• Ergonomic palm support: Shaped into the convex deck, it fills your palm and holds your hand in place without a tight grip. It works like a well-shaped computer mouse, keeping your hand relaxed so your palm doesn't cramp during long sessions.
• Purpose-built strap system: The 65 mm neoprene strap is double padded and runs between custom 50 mm retainers. That 65 mm of padding is wider than the 50 mm webbing it covers, so it overhangs on both sides and keeps the webbing edge off the top of your hand. It also spreads the hold across more than twice the width of the narrow 25 mm straps found on plenty of handboards, which riders tell us are the ones that bite.
• Hand fit: Most hands sit comfortably between the retainers with the thumb outside the strap. Adjust the strap from either side until it's snug. A strap that fits doesn't make the board the right size, so check the WOO's 300 mm length against your height and weight.
• Concave and keel fin: Under the WOO, the 18 mm concave traps air and water while the keel fin holds its line. The board climbs onto the face, and the spray goes out behind you, with almost zero splashback. Because the strap is set off-centre towards the tail, your hand rides above the keel fin, right where the board pivots.

WOO 300mm Handboard Specifications

• Volume: 705 cm³ / 705 ml / 0.186241 US gallon
• Planing Lift: Comes from wave speed across the planing area and 18 mm concave, while the keel fin keeps the board steady
• Size: 300 mm (12") x 210 mm (8.25") x 43 mm (1.69") full cross-section, palm support to keel fin
• Weight: 380 to 410 g (varies with timber grain density)
• Deck: Convex with palm support
• Bottom: Deep 18 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 finish

Care and Longevity

• Strap advice: Fit the strap once. After that, slide your hand in and out rather than opening the Velcro every time, and it lasts much longer. The replacement strap set fits the WOO when it does wear.
• Protective storage: Keep the WOO in its foam inside the hemp bag. The steps are below.
• Avoid excess heat: Heat is hard on timber. Leave the WOO out of hot cars and direct sun between sessions.
• Inspect and maintain: Look over the finish now and then, and recoat any worn patches with marine-grade satin before water gets into the grain.

Make the Packaging Your Board Bag

Keep the foam your WOO arrives in. Like the shaped foam in a camera case, it's made to hold the board long after delivery.

• Take the WOO out and split the foam into its two halves.
• With a box cutter, cut a straight line down each side of the recess on both halves.
• Peel away the foam between the cuts until you reach the recess depth.
• Press the halves together and slide them into the hemp drawstring bag, with the open end at the drawstring.
• Slide the board into the slot and pull the drawstring closed.

Without the foam, the hemp bag offers no protection. With it, your WOO has a padded case, and the foam stays out of landfill.

A Legacy of Bodysurfing Design

The WOO arrived at the same time as the EGO and FLO and outsold both. That demand led to the WOW 13", which gives you more surface area than the WOO at a lighter weight. POD Bodysurfing Handboards History covers how the range came together.

Learn More

• How to Choose a Bodysurfing Handboard
• Bodysurfing with or without a Handboard