Man has made many attempts at bringing the smooth, Mother Nature-powered flow of surfing to dry land. The ARIS Blade Runner and SurfSkate are two of the attempts that have come to our attention most recently, but there are plenty of others. The big sticking point is that you just can't magically transform hot, cracked asphalt into cool, smooth ocean breaks. But you can ride that asphalt with an actual surfboard, as the Waveskate demonstrates beyond the shadow of all doubt.
The San Diego-designed Waveskate takes a page out of Signal Snowboard's playbook. The idea is that if you're going to attempt to bring the feel of surfing to land, you might as well start with an actual surfboard.
The Waveskate is an epoxy board that's shaped like a surfboard – because it is a surfboard. A patented mounting system allows wave skaters to quickly install or remove the wheels, creating a board that can ride both water and concrete. Judging from the photos and videos, the Waveskate offers a land ride similar to a longboard but should feel a little more "surfy" thanks to its wider design. It supposedly has a touch of snowboard carving speed, too. On the water, it's a 5-foot (1.5 m), blunt-nosed shortboard.
We're always a bit skeptical when we see dual-purpose sports equipment. Such gear rarely comes without a compromise. We're thinking the compromise here will be a board that's a bit larger and clunkier on pavement and lower performance on water. But, for someone looking to get into both skating and surfing, the board could help get them out there for less of a buy-in. The board's basic literature sells it more as a training tool for balance and technique, so it definitely seems like a good option for surfers that are just starting out and want some practice away from the beach.
Waveskate inventor and former pro skater Yancey Meyer is working with several partners to perfect the mounting bracket and custom wheels. He is trying to raise money on Kickstarter to complete those aspects and move forward on the business and marketing end. He has set a goal of US$4,000. A pledge of $450 reserves a Waveskate, and lesser pledges get you a "Silver Shag" barefoot skateboard or other goodies.
Watch the board tackle both sea and land in the video below.
Source: Kickstarter
