Knowing How To Ship Your Surfboard

Have you ever found yourself needing to ship a surfboard? Probably not? Well, let’s pretend that you have. Now, take a step back and spend a minute just looking at your surfboard, which is probably propped up against the wall.

What do you notice about it, right off the bat? I should hope that you notice it’s size. Surfboards run in size from immense to merely large, and everything in between. Even the smaller ones still weigh a decent amount, and they are generally an expensive item. Unless yours fits on a keychain. But you can’t buy a plain ticket to Hawaii for your surfboard, so you have to ship it.

Here’s how it’s done:

* Before you even start looking into packaging supplies to protect this precious piece of cargo, you need to determine which is going to be the best carrier. You can use parcel post or a less-than-truckload (LTL) shipper. Parcel post is good for packages under a hundred pounds, and a surfboard definitely meets that qualification. However, there’s a good chance it exceeds size limits. If it doesn’t, it is going to be labeled as over-sized and probably be treated like something that is oversized. What’s to be done? LTL shippers specialize in awkward, over-sized items and will handle them properly. It will probably even be cheaper because this is their standard package for shipping, while parcel post will probably upcharge since it isn’t.

* Make sure you document your surfboard well, on all sides, in all directions. Make sure the photos you take are high-resolution. These pictures are going to be invaluable if anything happens to your board in transit. Now, what about shipping supplies?

* Shipping supplies in this case are going to be normal: box, protective material, tape. However, they are not going to be normal-sized, of course. You should be able to get a roll of bubble wrap off the internet for a pretty decent price, and you are probably going to need most of it to effectively wrap your board. Then, pack the board in a box. Call some surfboard manufacturers or retailers to find out where you can get one, if you are having trouble finding one.

* Use heavy duty packaging tape to seal the box, and cover the shipping label with tape as well to avoid any damage being done to the label. Even though your carrier will have their own system for handling tracking and locations, you should definitely put the destination address on your package just in case.

* Finally, make sure you have insurance for your surfboard! Some carrier’s offer insurance, or you can try and find a third-party insurance provider.