Carved from rare wood with a 23-carat gold lion motif, the world’s most expensive surfboard is worth $1.3 million.
The beautiful board named The Rampant was created by New Zealand-based surfboard designer Roy Stuart – who has more than 20 years of experience behind him.
At 3.2m long, the board is made with timber from Paulownia – a tree native to Asia – and has a gold lion painted on with a red resin outline.
New Zealand-based designer Roy Stuart has created a $1.3 million surfboard – the world’s most expensive
Carved from rare wood with a 23-carat gold lion motif, Stuart said aesthetic appeal wasn’t at the forefront of his mind when designing it
But its aesthetic appeal was not Stuart’s main consideration, he strove to make sure it had sound engineering.
The bottom of the board has a unique tunnel fin crafted from kahikatea wood – a tree native to New Zealand.
Combined with the tunnel fin is a polycarbonate fin, which gives the board rapid acceleration, and a single concave shape from nose to tail vastly improves balance.
‘We begin by modelling a prospective surfboard based on what we want it to do – how big must the hull be to accomplish its task?,’ the 53-year-old’s website said.
A single concave shape from nose to tail (left) helps improve balance, and the blue and tunnel fin aid acceleration (right)
The bottom of the board has a unique tunnel fine crafted from kahikatea wood – a tree native to New Zealand as well as a polycarbonate fin
‘How will lower wave frequencies be handled, and how fast will we go?
‘This process is devoid of any aesthetic considerations, it’s pure engineering.
‘Later, we work to maintain the engineering integrity of the design while making it look like something you want in the middle of your living room, or on the roof of your car.’
Stuart said the expensive price tag reflected his years of experience as a surfboard designer and the quality product one would receive at the end.
‘[The] Rampant is so visually striking many people think it might be designed for artistic appeal alone,’ he said.
‘High price is a consequence of the ultimate design and performance of a lifetime.
‘Life is short, get the best if you can – price is just a number but the experience is forever.’
Original article featured on dailymail.