Surfboards can be quite awkward to transport, especially on planes and trains. What's more, buying different boards for different types of surfing is an expensive proposition. That's where the modular nine-in-one Newave surfboard is intended to come in.
Currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, the Newave was designed by French surfers/engineers Ewen Mahévas and Hadrien Nauroy. According to Mahévas, other modular boards that they looked at were either poorly designed, too expensive, or required tools to put together and take apart.
The complete Newave setup consists of seven interlocking segments: three styles of noses, one middle section, and three styles of tails. These can be mixed and matched in different combinations, allowing users to build up three styles/lengths of fish-type boards, three Malibu boards, plus an egg board, a gun board, and a longboard.
Each segment is composed of an expanded polystyrene foam core encased in a fiberglass shell, along with a nylon-composite coupler at one end (or both ends, in the case of the middle section).
Assembling a board involves simply pushing two or three of the segments together, inserting an included set of reinforced plastic pins into the couplers between those segments, then turning the pins and clipping them in place. The whole process doesn't require any tools, and is claimed to take less than one minute.
In stress tests performed at Cobra International, which is Ewen and Hadrien's production partner, the assembled boards were able to withstand loads of over 300 kg (661 lb). The boards are also claimed to have performed well when used to surf French, Scottish, Sri Lankan and Balinese waves.
When the Newave is being transported, up to three of its segments can be carried in an included backpack. There's also an optional wheeled travel bag that can accommodate all nine segments along with the backpack. Other extras include a safety leash and a removable set of fins.
Pledge levels run from US$731 (planned retail $950) for a two-segment fish-type board, up to $2,185 (retail $2,840) for a nine-board package that includes all seven segments. Assuming everything works out, backers should receive their boards this November.
You can see the Newave surfboard in wave-shredding action, in the video below.
Sources: Kickstarter, Newave
