From Broken-Down to Beautiful: Five Ideas for Old Water Gear

Is your surfboard no longer seaworthy? Have your favorite water skis seen better days? It’s not the end for your old water gear… you can breathe new life into them with some simple, crafty DIY’s.

Take a look below as we share five ideas for reworking old water gear!

Waterski hooks

While you can fashion this clever DIY out of just about any pair of water skis, the best examples we’ve seen use vintage wood skis (the kind you might have lying around in your garage, if you’re lucky!). You wouldn’t use those skis for skiing anymore, but you can hang them up on your wall (maybe after adding a fun coat of paint) and affix hooks for holding your coats, hats, beach bags, and other gear.

From surfboard to headboard…

If you’ve managed to amass a collection of old surfboards, you can put them to use as a custom headboard for your bed! Set them up vertically and attach them to your wall, or create a fan effect by spreading them out like sun rays. Don’t worry about condition, either. These boards don’t have to be neat, pretty or seaworthy—in fact, the more dings on them the better! It adds an air of authenticity to your surf-inspired bedroom.

… or a custom board for doodles

Another great way to repurpose an old board is to lather on a coat of chalkboard paint. This simple tweak will give you a unique place to doodle or scrawl out daily messages—you might have seen this kind of look in action at your favorite beachfront bar or café, for example.

Fashioning a wakeboard bench

With some wood, craftsmanship, and a pair of old wakeboards, you can create a truly one-of-a-kind wakeboard bench for your porch or poolside deck! This DIY lets you add an aquatic flair to everyday spaces, showing off your love for the sport at the same time.

A surfer’s memory board

Finally, you can always keep things simple (but sentimental!) with a wakeboard-turned-memory board. Use your old board as the framing space for a collection of photos, travel tickets, and other mementos from your on-the-water adventures, which can be pasted or tacked onto the surface of your board. It’s a fun alternative to traditional frames, and, once again, shows off your passion for the water in a subtle but impactful way.

You can’t beat the thrill of riding behind your Vortex on a good pair of water skis, or your favorite wakeboard. But these ideas prove that you can still get a lot out of your gear… long after you’ve ridden them for the last time!