Elon Musk is all about transportation, it seems. His journey started on the roads with Tesla, before moving underground with his Boring Company and to the infinite expanse of space with SpaceX. Most recently, he’s toyed with underwater travel with a new submarine design he said could help save the soccer team stuck in the cave in Thailand. Now, he’s going above the water and riding the waves with promotional Tesla surfboards.
Just like previous Musk-approved promotional items, the items sold out almost immediately.
Tesla quietly listed 200 carbon fiber surfboards at $1,500 apiece. The boards were designed by Tesla’s Design Studio with Lost Surfboards shaper Matt “Mayhem” Biolos.
Tesla is making a $1500… surfboard? https://t.co/vwXyYBH9Zz by @grg pic.twitter.com/eeIVMMUmvo
— TechCrunch (@TechCrunch) July 28, 2018
That’s lot of scratch for a surfboard, and it seems like the price came from the Tesla logo.
Jesus Diaz, a Fast Company reporter, asked a few surfers what they thought of the board and its price tag. One lifelong surfer friend replied that it was simply “dumb.”
Diaz wasn’t satisfied, and took the question to the court of public opinion that is Reddit, most specifically it’s r/surfing subcategory (or subreddit, for those in the know).
“This is the equivalent of those Porsche drivers that wear their Porsche baseball caps everywhere to let everyone know they drive a Porsche,” one surfing Redditor said. “Ridiculous.”
“It looks like something an evil villain would struggle to catch waves on,” another posted.
(No word on how Musk handles himself in the lineup.)
Aside from the fact that someone paddling out on this might be labeled a kook, there are a few glaring design errors that surfers pointed out. It’s specifically made to fit into Tesla Models S, X and 3, but, most notably, the black top will get mighty hot when out in the sun. Also, one Redditor said the dimensions are a little out of whack.
“[At] that length and overall shape, it should be semi-gun,” one Redditor posted, referring to a smaller version of a “gun” type surfboard meant to die on big waves. “But it’s probably half an inch too wide [and] at least a quarter inch too thick.”
But, just like the hats and flamethrowers, the item was a hit. Whether the 200 people that managed to grab one will actually take them out on the waves is a good question. It could just be a very expensive piece to hang on the wall, or a fun gift for a Tesla-driving relative.
If you spy one of these at your local surf spot, please let us know.
