What Beginner Surfboard to Buy?

Bic surfboards have been around now for many years; they sell really well for us and have done so for many years. These surfboards are renowned for being super durable because of their indestructible construction. The board is made from a hardwearing plastic, which is then injected with foam to make the surfboard more buoyant. Due to the hard waring nature of these boards they are ideal for beginners and children. If you smash the nose into the sand, the nose won’t dent, or crack unlike a conventional glassed surfboard. Even though the Bic surfboards are geared towards the learner market, we do see surfers of all abilities using these boards in the water. They are relatively cheap, which is ideal if you want to buy a surfboard which has more volume to pick up the smaller summer waves.

 

The Bic Magnum is a surfboard which ideal for the waves here in the UK. It has lots of volume to offer and has a really nice Mini Mal shape. The Magnum’s nose is wide which follows through to the body of the surfboard to provide great float. Also the thickness of the surfboard is over 3 inch thick which is plenty of volume to make paddling, take off and standing up a breeze.

 

Buy one of these board for under £300

Cheap & Quality Winter Wetsuit, What is a Good Wetsuit?

A really good wetsuit less than £100

C-Skins is a UK wetsuit company which has been making wetsuits for the UK market place for more than Fifteen years. Because the fellas at C-Skins Wetsuits understand UK conditions, they create wetsuits which keep their users warm in the most frigid of waters.

We have just been delivered the brand new seasons C- Skins surflite wetsuits for adults and kids. The men’s and women’s edition are less than £100. The children’s edition is priced at £65 which is brilliant value for money. This excellent price delivers some awesome features.

So why is the C Skins Surflite such a good wetsuit?

Clearly the price is a starting point; a wetsuit which is top quality is actually difficult to find for less than £100. For 4 seasons now we have sold the Surflite and we are incredibly happy with the longevity of the wetsuit. To make sure this wetsuit lasts, C-Skins has spot taped the areas which receive the most stress when putting on and taking of the wetsuit.

To guarantee the wetsuit keeps the body warm, it's glued and blind stitched to make sure that water cannot pass through the stitches. Additionally there is a rubbery material called glide skin. This material is found in the front of the wetsuit and lower back and assists in wicking away water whilst keeping wind chill away.

The actual stretch throughout the wetsuit is extremely reasonable. Situated on the arms you will find the C-Skins high-end neoprene, this truly is great for the paddle zones and overall stretch of the wetsuit. With lots of entry level wetsuits you will find excessive panelling which decreases the stretch from the wetsuit. The Surflite's panelling is actually kept to a minimum; we were amazed to see there was clearly no seam throughout the lower part of the wetsuit.

We think the C-Skins Surflite is actually gonna give the large brand name wetsuits a hard time on the market this year. After all, C-Skins wetsuits are manufactured inside the same manufacturing facility as a number of the big brands like Billabong O’Neill, Rip Curl and Xcel.

How does a Wetsuit work and keep you warm?

So in answer to the question how does a wetsuit keep you warm we should start with the basics of how a wetsuit works. Wetsuits keep you warm by catching a thin layer of water between your skin and the neoprene. Your body heats up this water and keeps you warm. It’s important to get a wetsuit that fits properly, otherwise cold water will constantly flush the warm water out. The neoprene in the wetsuit also acts as insulation against environment, so the thicker the neoprene (and wetsuit) the better the insulation will be. The neoprene contains loads of small air bubbles that provide the insulation.

As technology has advanced in the world of wetsuits and neoprene is of such high quality so does the warmth and flexibility. So where-by the basics of how a wetsuit works is important to warmth its not the most important factor anymore. Let's take a look at some of the key features that uses new technology to make the wetsuit warmer.

                                                               Glued & Blindstiched

In terms of construction GBS is where in construction of the wetsuit they join the material together by gluing then stitching to form a bond that reduces water penetration. The less water that enters the wetsuit the warmer your body will remain. GBS seams are in all winter wetsuits (5mm Wetsuits) as not having any water enter the wetsuit is crucial in cold water. Where-by some entry level summer wetsuits (3mm Wetsuits) will have a flatlock construction which is where the material is overlapped and  double stitched, this form of construction can let some water through the seams but is used in water that is generally warmer so having less impact.


          Thermal Lining

As you can see from the photo the red material is the thermal material which is designed to wick water away from your body and act in the same way as thermal underwear. To the touch the thermal material is soft with slight bobbles. This is generally placed on the chest and kidney area of the wetsuit. The reason for this is to keep the blood flow warm in these key areas thus warm blood is pumped around the body keeping you warmer. Thermal ling is far less flexible than neoprene so does reduce flexibility in the areas to where it is added.


                                                              Liquid Seams

Technology has played a large part in the advent of liquid seams in wetsuits. Liquid seams are designed the minimize even further the possibility of water entering the wetsuit. The process is to GBS the seams first then add this taping to either or both sides of the seam thus making a seal that cant be penetrated. Even as i write this article technology has meant that these seams are reducing in thickness and width to enable increased flexibility. As the more flexible a wetsuit is the better it will feel and the better it will fit, keeping you warmer. So you should consider this when buying a wetsuit. I personally prefer wetsuits without the liquid sealing as i like the flex you get and feeling of not having any restrictions. The seams on wetsuits nowadays is so good that less and less water is getting through the seams.

Hope that has helped explain a couple of the features of what makes a wetsuit warm. Please feel free to ask us to review any products or answer questions by contacting www.wetsuitcentre.co.uk

New Colour in the Rip Curl E Bomb Wetsuit

Just in and looking pretty good is the new colour way from Rip Curl with the E Bomb Pro +

Are you a fan of colour coming back into wetsuits?

Rip Curl Wetsuits seem to be leading the way with quality wetsuits and stunning colour design.

Features:

Rip Curl E3+:
The fourth generation of Elastomax Superstretch Neoprene. Even Lighter, Even Warmer and More Flexible, the E3+ neoprene also contains fantastic quick drying properties, meaning less times spent climbing into cold wet wetsuits.

Hydroloc Collar:
Seals neck and prevents those unwanted cold water flushes!


Glued & Blindstiched:
Maximum seam stretch and strength with zero water penetration gives unbeatable warmth and keeps the cold water out.

S-Flex Knees:
Highly flexible and durable knee pads allowing maximum movement and unsurpassed life span.


Seamless Shoulder Panel:
For unrestricted flexibility and movement

Stash Pocket:
External zip pocket with comb for easy access.

Wetsuit Centre Drysuits

If your not sure about which Drysuit to purchase then why not take advantage of Jeff's latest video running through the features of the Typhoon Hypercurve Drysuit.

The feedback we have had on this drysuit has been really good and we will keep you up to date with the latest developments.

Sean

Wetsuit Centre CEO

Wetsuit Centre Facebook

If you want to know anything wetsuit or for latest offers from the wetsuit centre you can find us on facebook http://www.facebook.com/thewetsuitcentre

Wetsuit Centre Monthly Magazine

The Wetsuit Centre gives a Wetsuit guide / review on what is good or bad for this summers choice of mens summer Wetsuits..