SKIMBOARDING TECHNIQUE

Skimboarding is based primarily on the principle of hydroplaning. Skimboards are smaller and thinner than surfboards because they do not require as much buoyancy.
The skimboard is a craft of varying size, usually of some oval or tear-drop shape, though some people use circular boards. Modern skimboards are made out of fiberglass or carbon fiber and take advantage of a high density foam to serve as a core. The fiberglass/carbon fiber is a fabric which becomes stiff when saturated with resin and left to cure. When this fiberglass or carbon fiber is laid over a shaped piece of foam, saturated with resin and left to cure, a skimboard is made. Compared to a surfboard or bodyboard of similar areas, skimboards are not very buoyant. It is rare to see a skimboard thicker than 2.5 cm. A well-made skimboard will have some nose lift, or rocker, and may come with a rubberized traction surface also known as a stomp pad or traction pad, but these are more common on surfboards. If the board does not come with a stomp pad, surf wax can be used. Traction pads can be purchased for a low price at most surfing stores. Traction pads come in all shapes and sizes and are mainly used to cover only the back portion of the skimboard. Yet as experience grows, the skimmer often realizes that it is more economical to purchase rear and front traction pads than buying alot of surf wax

(wikipedia)