Ewen Mahévas and Hadrien Nauroy are trying to make surfing a little easier.
The duo have just launched a Kickstarter for what it is calling the world’s first nine-in-one surfboard, Newave. This modular piece of sports equipment isn’t just versatile, though. It’s also easy to travel with since it can be broken down into smaller parts.
Newave is the brainchild of Mahévas and Nauroy, two French engineers who met at school. In addition to their shared field of study, the pair bonded over a love of surfing. But as much as they may have loved riding waves, they were also well acquainted with one of the sport’s main pitfalls: surfboards are annoying and expensive to transport. Mahévas and Nauroy looked into modular boards, hoping that would make getting to the beach a little more convenient, but were disappointed by what they found.
Newave
“Every alternative we found was either poorly designed, overpriced, or required screws and tools to assemble," co-founder Mahévas says in a video accompanying the campaign.
So, they spent 18 months designing and building one on their own. The result is the Newave, which consists of seven different parts—three noses, three tails, and one mid-section—that can be used to assemble nine distinct surfboards. The fiber glass-encased polystyrene foam can be used to build an array of short-, mid-, and long-length options. If you want to cut through the water at speed, you can build a 6.5-foot fish. If you just want to calmly ride the waves at your leisure, you can make a nine-foot longboard. And assembling each board is a breeze because the pieces snap together just like Legos. They’ve also been tested to ensure they’ll stay securely attached whether you’re surfing in calm summer waters or harsh winter conditions.
But assembly isn’t Newave’s only convenient feature. No matter what version you buy—anywhere from a two-piece Lazy Egg or the full seven-piece setup—comes with a tailor-made backpack for easy storage and transport. You can also buy pieces later to broaden your choice of boards.
Looking to condense your surfboard collection to a more manageable size? Newave has already exceeded its funding goal by more than $100,000 with 26 days left in the campaign. Those looking to secure a board now can do so for early bird rates. Prices range from $792 for a 6.5-foot Modern Fish to $2,185 for the full Newave set. Delivery of the boards is expected to begin this fall.
From the article by Bryan Hood
