Surfboard Prices - Hawaii

photo: courtesy martin and macarthur

photo: courtesy wavestorm

The surfboard market’s reigning, el-cheapo supreme is the $105 “WaveStorm,” Costco’s soft-top special. Soft-top surfboards are not high-performance, wave-shredding tools, but, if one ever hits you in the head, it won’t knock you unconscious—a real plus for

beginners. Soft-tops are nearly impossible to ding. If one blows off the car while you’re driving, you brush it off, strap it on better than you did the first time and be on your way. They’re usually found in small surf, but not always. North Shore pro surfer Jamie O’Brien rode one of these at big Pipeline and caught several good waves before the board snapped in two like a stale Twinkie. He took it back to Costco for a full refund.

No, it’s not the most expensive board. It’s the handmade, renewably resourced alaia board— 21st-century surfing’s uber-retro throwback to the finless planks of ancient Hawaii. Whereas Costco’s soft-top surfboards are mass produced in Taiwan, not unlike sneakers or basketballs, alaia are typically carved from wood, one board at a time, often by the same people who will ride them. Our favorite new twist? Big Island board builder Gary Young’s Alaia Lite, made with the recycled foam core from old surfboards, and covered with a wood composite veneer featuring koa, kaimani and albizia. Whereas a vintage alaia could tip the scale at 100 pounds, a six-foot-six Alaia Lite weighs a mere six pounds. (808) 965-5190, bamboosurfboardshawaii.com.

photo: courtesy gary young

Original article and pictures take http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/December-2012/The-Everything-Guide-to-Surfing-We-Invented-It-We-Live-It-We-Love-It/Surfboard-Prices/ site