Is this the future or... not?
Do you like or dislike traveling with your surfboards? I used to dislike it and extremely but then, just one month ago before a short trip to Baja, I went to my local surf shop, bought a brand-new 5’10 Pro-Lite bag and instantly changed my entire life.
It was heaven! Pure heaven! Two boards fitting safely and snuggly with their fins tucked in a pocked and the whole thing resting easy on my shoulder because designers got smart and crossed the strap across the bag kitty-corner so it wouldn’t swing around and whack the unsuspecting. Not only was it easy, it was sleek and hip, complimenting my Costume National carry-all perfectly.
Before one month ago I would wrap my boards in towels and then put them into a 9 foot coffin that professional snowboarder Travis Rice left at my house and then I would fold the coffin in half and ducktape it down. I hated. Hated. Hated. And hated so much.
All to say an industrial designer just made a new hi-tech new modular surfboard. Let’s read about it in Outside magazine!
…acclaimed designer Thomas Meyerhoffer prefers the word “adventure” when describing his latest surfboard, the 2PRT. His creation splits in two just above the fins to help it pack down for airplanes and buses. But more importantly, the split also makes it modular. Users can combine various nose and tail styles to create the perfect board for all kinds of conditions. Surfers of varying skills and preferences can mix and match nose and tail options to take it from a thruster to a fish to a pintail longboard with ease.
The 2PRT is hardly the first travel-minded board. For a short period of time, Walden sold the Tri-Fold, but it never seemed to take off and is no longer offered. Carbon Compact and North Shore Travel Boards offer segmented surfboards, but both designs require tube inserts and either bolts or clamps to keep everything from falling apart. Meanwhile, the 2PRT uses a slick and simple system where a key loosens a latch that pops up to separate the two ends. Total setup time: 30 seconds tops.
Surfers who travel a lot will love how well the board breaks down. In fact, Meyerhoffer has already designed a golf-style bag that fits two noses and two tails and won’t cost you extra airline baggage fees. (Checking a surfboards runs runs between $75 and $150.) You can also toss the system in the backseat of your Mini when grabbing a few waves before work.
Even if you’re not prone to taking surf trips to Baja or Indo, the 2PRT is worth considering since it allow for a lot of experimentation and adaptability. It can be set up for nearly any kind of wave, which means you can invest in one board instead of a quiver.
I don’t trust this Meyerhoffer adventure character at all. He may understand how things come apart but does he understand rocker, concave, etc.? He ain’t no Matt Biolos or Jon Pyzel or Sharp Eye or… Matt Parker (Album Surfboards) that’s for damn sure. Right? I’ll stick with my brand-new Pro-Lite bag thank you very much.
But what about you?
Meyerhoffer’s last invention was a door lock, so hardly believing this will fly. Before then it was the slip in single fin that actually looked pretty novel, until I saw the price. As a side bar, I do find his insta follower count to be astoundingly low considering his forward thinking. I wanna say he rose to small fame by designing extremely uncomfortable looking furniture, but I could be wrong. There, that’s all I know about this guy rolled into a poorly put together paragraph.
Not sure that surfboard performance is the goal here
Adventurer, designer, inventor, creator! Unless you’ve developed a way to have my board file 3D printed out of the boot of a driverless car at the international arrivals curb, I’d say the ‘hobbyist’ or ‘tinkerer’ label is more appropriate. Oh and while we’re on the subject of surf-travel-invention, I’d like to be teleported straight to the lineup from now on.
A carry on case that folds out into a Hypto Krypto. I mean you could put a picnic or a 100% natural fibre wetsuit in there and surf the world…
Become a shaper?
Thanks to this article, I dreamed I snapped my favourite board. Thanks a DAMN BUNCH, BeachGrit!
I can’t believe no one has commented on this..as a shaper, that’s the last place I’d put a stiff, non-flexing connection point. I’m assuming the “designer”only rides beginner level funshapes and longboards, albeit with his “revolutionary” planshapes (which have gained no traction in the marketplace)… another clusterfuck in the making
The market place is irrelevant to Meyerhoffer. Some Silicon Valley investor is rock hard with excitement having negotiated the exclusive rights to market something that will never be ridden by more than 10 people*. *That’s assuming Mr Meyhoffer has at least 10 friends and family who surf.
Ha!!! Fucking spot on
What ever happened to Bic surfboards?
Turned back into pens…
Mightier than a sled?
Of course!
the only thing i’d trust on an airplane is a santa monica surfcase
No mention of the Pope Bisect boards?
Recently I have gone a few places and surfed borrowed boards and it was not fun. This break it in half thing looks even less fun than surfing borrowed boards in bad surf.
Now that Negatron has returned, and with the rise in betting on surfing, I thought I’d frame a market based on why Negatron returned to BG –
1. His bosses convinced him a 0.05% stake would one day be like an original bitcoin and he just needed to hang in — $2:33
2. He had an amazing evening at a Piano Bar with his boss who also agreed to not call him stud….at least not in public — $1:04 overwhelming favourite.
3. BG bosses saw a rapid decline in audience due to Negatron’s departure and made an offer he couldn’t refuse – $3675
That’s folding money right there as long as it’s not AU.
Airlines have been making these boards for over 50 years. They’re still working on a method to join the two pieces together in order to make them functional.
bravo!
ground me 6 moths without surf if I ever expend 300$ on a surfboard bag..
You’re going to get SO many surfless moths if I catch you doing that.
more interested in the magazines cover survival section: have we found cure for shark attacks.
pretty sure that’s been republished online. i think i saw it come through my rss thingy anyway.
Chas…tsk tsk tsk
What am I getting quietly shamed for?
Does it come with an asymmetrical tail just for riding lefts?
¿The Inertia has a print magazine?
“The Ultimate #Vanlife Kit”
What? A gimmicky new travel board, #vanlife article and a cure for shark attacks didn’t clue you in?
Do you have one too?
The same guy who few years ago tried to sell the longbiarders of this world some weird hourglass shaped board………they really caught on didn’t they
Oh god, I see those pop up on Craigslist every now and then.
i see one in the lineup every couple months. not sure i’ve ever seen anyone actually stand up on one.
Stick a foil on one, ride it with the shorts over wettie combo and you’d have some sort of karmic Inertia blackhole of surf power.
I remember seeing one for the time, I was pretty blown away. The price scared me away and from what I understand they are crap. The idea of having the wave catching ease given by a longboard, but turning like a shorty was cool sounding. I always figured that you still have the hunk in front and weight to deal with so I passed. Have you ever tried one? What about that latest design, the slip in single fin? Looked like a good barrel riding board?? Evan gieselman sure made it appear to work well, but he’s a pro.
At least the fins are pointed in the right direction.
Do they go on the roof wax up and fins first?