When it comes to surfboards, I’ll get a crush for a pretty paint job like a middle aged mom for a guy with some rope, handcuffs, and a penthouse condo.

Problem is,

1. Fancy paint jobs can be SO expensive. Get ready for a nice paint job to add 10%-20% to the cost of your board. Even more depending on pinlines, fabric inlays, custom art, etc. 
2. Ding it once, and your repair guy is going to tell you how it can never EVER be matched the same again, and the ding will be evident. Always. 
3. Your taste may not be the next guy’s taste if you ever want to sell your board. If you like to try new surfboard shapes (I’m guilty!), consider this.

On my new 7’0″ funshape, I wanted a Mahi Mahi color scheme, so I just had the rails of the board colored only instead of the whole board, which could get pricey. Yes, I know the rails are the most likely candidates for boo-boos, but the airbrushed style wouldn’t be a total chore to fix, and I swear I’ll be careful, Mom!!

Core Surf did an awesome job with the three color blend on the rails. They’re not a polarizing look, or a “girly” color scheme. But they are totally sexy Mahi. Grrrr.

I didn’t feel like painting on this one this time since I was just too anxious to ride it (and it’s hella fun, btw), but I did want a little more color. So, I had planned to “sticker” it up instead. It’s reversible art, changeable, and I can let someone else do the artwork. Score.

But, let’s get a little more creative than pretending we’re climbing the next WCT pro surfer ladder with ugly sponsor logo stickers. I mean, the only sponsor I really have a shot at is Ripley’s Believe It or Not, and their stickers just aren’t phresh, yo.

A local surf clothing shop around here (Island Surf and Skate/Drift House….PLUG ALERT!), sells these huge Mahi Mahi stickers by FloMotion, a company that I like to support since they’re local. 

You could probably get something like this done on a site like Café Press as well if you can’t stop down here in Fantabulous Florida.

Just make sure that when you order, they are vinyl stickers, which are similar to bumper sticker material. Since these will be exposed to salt water being on the surfboard, vinyl won’t break down as quickly. 

You could also upload artwork to a printing service and have it printed fairly cheaply. These Mahi stickers I bought were around $8 a piece, but custom stickers on Café Press this large can run around $15, so this isn’t too bad in comparison. 

I bought 3 fish stickers for this project. Mahi Mahi are schooling fish, after all. The stickers are already cut nicely around the image for me, and with tax, I’m in about $25, which is still less than the cost of paint pens and the time to paint!

Since I typically carry my board under my left arm, I wanted to have the fish swimming upright when I am holding it. So, I placed them in this orientation.

Done!

I even saved a Pickle Wax Remover sticker for this Beater board. I dig purple and green together:

 
Insta-art for insta-cred.