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We get a lot of questions from people interested in playing Crokinole about where to buy boards.
We are not directly affiliated with any of the below suppliers and we are not paid to promote any Crokinole Board supplier.
Terry Brown has put together a comprehensive list of recommendations:
Our go-to response is ‘get a Tracey Board from Masters of Games’. In the interests of full disclosure, both of these companies have been great supporters of the UK Crokinole Championships since day one. That said, Tracey are widely regarded as one of the finest manufacturers around and are the suppliers to the World Championship in Tavistock, Ontario. From personal experience, dealings with Masters of Games have always been a pleasure. Rapid delivery and willing to sort out mistakes when they (rarely) occur. Tracey’s are renowned for their consistency of play, with a matte/satin finish they are best used with some shuffleboard powder. They come with everything you need to play, 2 sets of discs and a shaker of wax.
Woodestic (aka Masters Competition Boards on the Masters of Games website) are another very popular option that you may recognise from the SU&SD video which sparked so much interest in the game. The high gloss finish means you should use gliss powder if you need more “zip” on your shots, as this will be much less likely to leave any micro scratches on the surface of the board. Again, these come with everything you need to get started.
Other Canadian and US options are Muzzies, Crokinole Canada, & Browncastle. These are rarer boards over in the UK, make sure you factor in import taxes and shipping costs when planning your purchase. Muzzies make a beautiful “birds-eye” maple top board which IMHO is simply stunning, of course this rarer finish does come at a premium but that’s stopped me lusting over the pictures on their website every couple of months or so.
Around Europe there are some other manufacturers. Ferti (FRA), Rimar (HUN), Wintersonne (GER) are all great options. Ferti make a very lightweight board that plays really fast with some carrom powder on the surface. The Rimar is similar to Woodestic in the high gloss finish and plays like a dream. I would say they edge Woodestic in terms of quality, I’ve been lucky enough to play on Dan Sockett’s and it is a stunner. Ordering from them can be tricky, but not impossible. Wintersonne from Crokinole.de was the first board I purchased, it looks and plays similarly to a Tracey, with the Canadian board perhaps being a touch more consistent. There are some other EU based makers out there but I cannot speak about their quality with any authority as I’ve not played on them.
Finally to our home-grown board makers. It would be rude not to mention Tery Wilding first as he’s been making boards on Skye for somewhere in the region of donkeys’ years. These are very much traditional boards, octagonal in shape so may not be what you want for competitive play where circular boards are generally preferred. But a budget option to get you going if family/friends play is all you are looking for. You can find him on the Crokinole UK Facebook Group.
Matthew Prowse is the man behind Howe Boards, no fancy veneers just a solid entry level board that plays well. Matt’s recently started a new job though so he’s very limited in the time he can spend in the workshop but he is trying to make time to produce another batch.
Steve Mellors (Meeplewood) recently made some prototype boards, and kindly offered one up as a prize for the 2024 AireCon classic. The surface played well, and looking at the board game tables he makes I’m sure he’ll sort out the few niggles with the finish on the prototypes. After all, these were not the finished article.
Lastly, Rickman Furniture make limited runs of some really stunning boards. These utilise rare and exotic woods and are at the high end of what is available anywhere. More of a work of art than a Crokinole board. I’ve not played on one yet but would love the opportunity to.
The following is really “rule of thumb”, when in doubt see what the manufacturer recommends.
Commonly used spray-wax are Mothers California Gold and Meguiars Gold Class, these are both carnauba wax products for cars. Three or four sprays, rub it in with a microfibre cloth, and buff with another. Your pride and joy should be good for a few weeks/months depending on how often you play and where you store the board. Pledge bees-wax furniture polish is also a good option, which is more widely available, but may need to be re-applied a bit more regularly.
In terms of a carry case, point your browser Thomann.de and get an 80cm gong bag. Padded case, carry straps, basically everything you need to take your pride and joy to the pub/club/friends/tournament. Something to identify it as yours would be a good idea, like a keyring for the zips, as a lot of people have them. I really should be on commission for these.
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