Surfing is one of those sports where it seems like you don’t need a lot of equipment to enjoy it — to the untrained eye, that is. After all, you only have to throw on a pair of swimming trunks, grab a board, and hit the water, right?
In reality, surf conditions can vary greatly depending on location, weather, time of day, and so on. As a result, most serious surfers have several boards in their quiver to help them deal with the wide variety of waves they may encounter. For instance, they’ll pack a shortboard (5 to 7 feet in length) for fast and steep waves, but switch to a board called a gun when they want to ride big waves at higher speeds. Now, a new concept board from famed industrial designer Thomas Meyerhoffer is looking to be the one board that most surfers will ever need.
Meyerhoffer’s next project is a surfboard that he is calling the 2PRT. Featuring a modular design, the board actually splits into two pieces just above the fins. This allows it to not only pack down to a much smaller size, but gives surfers the ability to combine different types of nose and tail segments, converting the 2PRT from a shortboard to a longboard to a gun in a matter of moments. The board uses a simple, but ingenious, key and latch system to secure the two sections to one another.
Like many respected designers, Meyerhoffer takes a “less is more” approach to the products he creates. Simplicity is the name of the game, and over the years he has applied that principle to such things as the first wraparound ski goggles for Smith, windsurfing sails for Neil Pryde, and snowboard bindings for Flow. He even designed Apple’s old eMate, a simple laptop device that looked like the original iMac before the original iMac was even a thing.
In 2000, Meyerhoffer launched his Surfboard Project, which began exploring ways to create a board that was less about form and functionality and more about feeling. The point was to create a board that allowed riders to actually be in tune with the wave under them, tapping into the primal feeling of the sport. The project was never meant to be for commercial production, but over the years, he has designed a number of custom boards, earning him a loyal following amongst top surfers around the world.
The 2PRT will be available for pre-order starting in December through Meyerhoffer’s website. A custom-made board with one nose and two tales, along with a carrying case, is expected to run about $1,600. Visit thomasmeyerhoffer.com for more information.
