This Surfboard Belongs in a Modern Art Museum

Or under your feet.

September 13, 2017 9:00 am

Far-flung surf safaris aren’t the only reason to invest in a travel board. If you’re a surfer who lives in a big city (like L.A., NYC or San Francisco), owning a car that can handle boards can be prohibitively expesive, so it makes sense to buy a stick you can take on public transportation.

And now there’s an even better reason: designer Thomas Meyerhoffer has designed a portable board that’s actually fun and reliable — a set of criteria many purists might deem mutually exclusive.

He’s officially taking orders for his new creation, the 2PRT, a modular board that Outside surf writer Roberto Baldwin described as “a typical, well-built surfboard … When pressing down on the tail, I couldn’t see or feel any separation between the two sections — and I’m a big guy at six-foot-three and 215 pounds. I also had zero issues with balance, dropping in, or pulling off quick turns.”

This is a big deal, because up to this point there really haven’t been many modular or collapsible boards that don’t require inserts or fasteners — things that can get in the way of the riding experience and can also complicate transporting your stick. The other benefit of Meyerhoffer’s concept is that it can be used with differet board shapes, so you’ll eventually be able to travel with a small quiver in your bag, selecting the right stick for the conditions each day.

If you’re unfamiliar with Thomas Meyerhoffer, he’s a designer who racks up awards like he’s Meryl Streep. He invented the Latch, a mobile-activated door lock. He redesigned the Coca Cola glass. He designed a simple soap dispenser called Tork that’s in landmarks like the Sydney Opera House. So if you’re in the market for a new plank, you may want to drop him a line to request more information.

Of course, what surfer isn’t always in the market for a new board?

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