Bodyboard V/s Boogie Board : Must Read Buying Guide

Water sports are a great way to release stress and also have a great time. It keeps you physically fit too in a fun way. The most sought after water sports are surfing, body boarding, and boogie board. Think all of them are one and the same? Well, not completely.

While surfing is quite clear to everyone, it’s the boogie & bodyboard that confuses people. Both of them seem to be the same activity, yet have two different names. Why? Let’s find out!

What is a boogie board?

The Boogie board is a board that was first built by tom Morey in 1971 for the purpose of riding waves by lying on the board. He named it so because of his love for a genre of jazz named boogie-woogie and thereby named his board Morey boogie. The name was changed to the boogie board when another company purchases its copyrights so as to sell in the market under this name.

What is bodyboard?

It is also a board that is used to ride waves by water sports enthusiasts. It has been named so because the boogie board was already trademarked. It is just like the boogie board with a different name, used for wave riding while lying down on the board.

Now that we know their origins, we can clearly say that there’s no outright difference between either of these. It’s just about what came first and that was boogie board which later evolved into bodyboard, something that is the preferred term in today’s time by the people who use it. However, even though they are similar when it comes to their purpose and usability, there are few differences between these two boards, all of which have been listed out below:

1. Affordable

When we talk about affordability, boogie boards are relatively cheaper in price and hence more easily affordable than bodyboards. But since both are one and the same, how is the price different?

Well, bodyboards are the modern version of boogie boards, hence much more advanced and suitable for all types of users. Be it, kid, beginner, or an advanced level user or even tournament professionals, you can easily find one that’ll suit all of their needs. However, when it comes to boogie boards, they are best for the amateurs or the ones who just prefer boogie boarding for fun or as a leisure activity. Since it is also the original version of bodyboarding, it has the basic features and therefore not fully equipped with features that’ll be helpful to every user too.

So, for the people who prefer simple body boarding should go ahead with the boogie board. However, for those who like riding high waves and also some great tricks with it, bodyboard is the option you should go for.

2. History

 The Boogie board is traditional in sense of its design and also was the first type of boogie/bodyboard ever made. It got its name due to the preference of the maker towards a different kind of music and therefore named the board as Morey boogie. It came to be called a boogie board after a company started selling the boards and took over copyrights. Initially used by the local people, it caught attention soon enough as it seemed like an interesting activity to be engaged in and more people got into it.

A bodyboard is the modern form of boogie board. It is more inclusive of all users in nature and therefore is more in demand in today’s time. It got its name as ‘bodyboard’ because the manufacturers wanted to have a different name so as to sell their product widely in the market.

3. Design

This is the major difference in both the boards. Boogie boards were made in the 1970s and hence have the old and very basic design as that was the first time aboard for riding waves are manufactured. They allow the user to ride basic waves and have fun while boogie boarding. It is best for amateurs and beginners.

However, bodyboards have an advanced design. It is made for people who not only want it for fun but also for advanced as well as tournament professionals. It is made up of better quality materials namely polypropylene, expanded polystyrene, and low-density polyethylene, which make it strong and durable and also help in giving the users better control over their rides. Its stronger tubes are made of fiberglass and slick tails so that the users also have a better grip on these boards which allows them a great bodyboarding experience overall.

Conclusion

When you look at it, you’ll come to understand that both these boards are one and the same. They do have certain distinction which makes them a bit different but overall they serve the same purpose. Just who they serve the purpose to and in what way makes it different from each other.

Bodyboards cover a huge variety of people around, thereby making it much more popular among the people who like bodyboarding altogether. They have a modern design, better features, and are versatile in the sense that they easily equip to the needs of everyone. On the other hand, boogie boards have a basic design that caters to the needs of certain individuals only and so is quite outdated in today’s time.