Diving boards are a wood platform covered with fiberglass that are used for recreational purposes at swimming pools. Most recreational springboard diving boards are closer to 3 to 4 feet above the pool. Due to wear and tear and rust, these diving boards will need to be replaced every couple of years.
Items you will need
Nuts
Lockwashers
Flatwashers
Buttplate
Wrench
Drill
Rubber gasket
Changing a Diving Board
Remove the old diving board by unfastening the buttplate, lockwashers, nuts and flatwashers with the wrench. The buttplate is circular and connects the diving board to the wood plank that is anchored to the ground. The lockwashers, nuts and flatwashers are all circular objects that keep the buttplate in place and will all need to be removed.
Since some of these items may be heavily rusted, an anti-rust lubricant or fluid may need to be applied to all the parts to ease in removal.
Make sure you have a partner who is holding the other end of the diving board steady so it does not fall into the water. Once unfastened, the two of you need to lift the old board out of the mounts and set it to the side.
Place the new spring diving board on the deck near the mounts. Lay the old diving board on top of it to examine where all the old holes were. Use the drill to place new holes in the exact same locations. Once all holes are drilled, prepare the new board to be mounted. Before mounting occurs, replace any rubber gaskets or cushions from the old springboard with new ones.
With your partner's help, lift the new board into place on the mounts and install it with the wrench. Make sure to tightly secure the buttplate, lockwashers, nuts and flatwashers. Prior to diving off, test the board out with your hands by pulling down on the jumping end as hard as possible. Do this several times to ensure that the board is firmly in place, and is safe for a person to dive from.
Warnings
- When tightening the bolts on the new board, do not over tighten. Only tighten to a comfortable level, where you will be able to unscrew them if necessary. With water and rust, overtightened bolts could be hard to dislodge when maintenance or repair is needed.
Tips
- Because of the water element, make sure that all of the associated hardware is replaced when you replace the board. If rusted over or broken pieces are left, this can spell trouble for an otherwise adequately functioning board.
References
Tips
- Because of the water element, make sure that all of the associated hardware is replaced when you replace the board. If rusted over or broken pieces are left, this can spell trouble for an otherwise adequately functioning board.
Warnings
- When tightening the bolts on the new board, do not over tighten. Only tighten to a comfortable level, where you will be able to unscrew them if necessary. With water and rust, overtightened bolts could be hard to dislodge when maintenance or repair is needed.
Writer Bio
Dmitry Rashnitsov is a writer based out of Fort Lauderdale. His work has appeared in the "Sun-Sentinel" newspaper, "South Florida Blade" newspaper, "Cape Coral Daily Breeze," "411 Magazine," "South Florida CEO Magazine" and the Examiner.com web platform. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Arizona.
