Don't Forget The Bung!

If you’ve done a surfboard making workshop with us before, you may have heard these four (crucial) words! Otherwise you might be confused as to what exactly this means… 

This little but mighty bung is an integral component to the wooden surfboard handcrafted in the Bywater Surf workshop. In essence, this screw vent is what makes the board watertight, whilst allowing sufficient air flow throughout the internal chamber. Due to the nature of the construction of a hollow timber board, there will be oxygen within the board.

You do not want to forget the bung in or out of the water… otherwise the board can fill with water if the bung is not screwed into place, and it can also be compromised when the bung isn’t taken out when the board is not in use. 

This bung has two parts; a screw that is fixed in the board, and then a screw with rubber seal that gets taken in and out. This screw is fitted on the bottom of the board near the fins, it is brass and sleek with the rest of the board.

The screw needs to go in when the board is going in the water, to obviously keep out any water from inside the board, we want a buoyant board! Once the board is finished being in the water, the bung needs to come out to release air, this is especially so if the board is being stored in hot areas like on the beach, in cars etc

We also recommend installing a Brass and Gortex Air vent to add extra air flow and allow more leeway when taking the screw bung out, this is the go-to choice for all of Stuart’s boards and many of his students. While they can be retrofitted, it’s best to install them from the get-go. 

We condense as much of the board making process into 4 days for our Wooden Surfboard Making course, however at the end of the course the boards stay in the workshop for the final touches. Stuart resin coats the boards and fits the screw bung, air vents, leash plugs, fin boxes and Bywater Surf logo. Participants of the course get a demo of the screw bung and further explanation. However, if you’re making a surfboard yourself at home, you’ll have the joy of installing it yourself. We guide you through the process in our instruction booklet. 

Once you go through the process of making your own hollow wooden surfboard, you will know first hand the importance of the screw bung. The mindfulness and care taken when creating your wooden surfboard further extends from the making of to the enjoying of; where you’ll always take that little moment to remember the bung before and after a surf.

A trick is to keep a spare 10c coin in your leash strap, use this to screw in & out your screw. It’s the little things we do to ensure our board lasts a long fruitful life!

And a final note on ‘Don’t Forget the Bung’ - peep our groovy merch tshirts.. a happy reminder and subtle nod to the timber board rider’s experience.