Where is the love in having a quiver of beautiful hollow wooden surfboards sitting in their rack, 800 feet above sea level and 2 hours from the nearest surf? They should be in the sea getting wet and putting smiles on faces!
So here's this week's epiphany. I'm going to leave a few boards at my good friend Glenn's "Surfed Out" hire shop on Saunton beach for people to have some fun on. I love riding them and it just seems mean not to let others have a try too. I haven't worked out all the boring details like charges etc. but in essence they will be available at similar rates to Glenn's other hire boards.
Many people like the idea of a wooden board, whether it's the eco-friendly nature of wood versus foam or simply the look and feel of them. I love the ride, the glide... don't get me started, I'm a bit of a wooden board nerd! The thing is, as much as people like the idea of a wooden board, the thought of shelling out the best part of a Grand for the privilege of using it a few times a year can be a serious stretch too far. This taps into a phenomenon i've heard called "Stuffocation", we've all got a lot of stuff, what we want now is to experience rather than to own.
Once I had got my head into this idea, I started to think how it might develop. Who wants to own a 17' wooden Olo as ridden by Hawaiian royalty? or a 13' 1930's Tom Blake paddle board like you see in grainy black and white videos? Not many of you? How about hiring one for the afternoon with a little instruction maybe? What about a Paipo? an Alaia? a board set up with tunnel fins? I'm desperate to make a hydro-foil board one day.....
So maybe the future is sharing not hoarding? Sounds like love to me.
