The Rampant could be the most expensive surfboard at $1.3 million

Roy Stuart from New Zealand makes surfboards, and he has unveiled what could be the worlds most expensive surfboard. The surfboard has the name of The Rampant and Stuart put his 20 years of experience into making it and if you want to get your hands (or feet) on it, it's going to set you back a whopping US$1.3 million.

[Image Source: Roy Stuart]

Stuart made the board from Paulownia timber and it measures 10 foot 6 inches with a single concave which stretches from its soft entry nose down to the tail. This apparently ensures that the surfboard offers the rider a low centre of gravity. The surfboard is 2.38 inches in thickness and has a 23 karat gold lion outlined in red epoxy resin on the top surface.

[Image Source: Roy Stuart]

[Image Source: Roy Stuart]

The Rampant gets its design from two surfboards made by Stuart in the past. One he calls The Baron, which according to Stuart has extraordinary gliding power. The surfboard makes use of a 6 inch tunnel fin which Stuart carved from a piece of Kahikatea wood; this is a tree that only grows in New Zealand. The surfboard makes use of a perforated polycarbonate fin; it offers rapid acceleration along with incredible drive.

[Image Source: Roy Stuart]

Stuart said "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? How will lower wave frequencies be handled, and how fast will we go? This process is devoid of any aesthetic considerations."

The surfboard features a unique scalloped edge wood tunnel fin and a double laminar flow foil. You might think that it looks out of place on the smooth wood of the rest of the board; however it has been designed like that for a purpose. It offers the surfer a high performance and yet comfortable ride. Single finned surfboards are said to offer the smoothest response, and a predictable one. The Vort-X plus one fin is able to supercharge the single fin and doesn’t change the great handling qualities in any way.

[Image Source: Roy Stuart]

Stuart said that the rail to rail action that is seen when the board rolls in turns is unaffected by the pipe section of the Vort-X tunnel. This means that there is no resistance on rolling and the board maintains its effortless turning and trimming characteristics that a single fin offers.

[Image Source: Roy Stuart]

The person who buys The Rampant would have to be dedicated to pay out $1.3 million for the privilege of taking the board out into the water. The Rampant would be more deserved hanging on the wall as a piece of artwork, it is absolutely stunning. However, it is a high functioning piece of art, offering rapid acceleration and a high top speed.

[Image Source: Roy Stuart]

[Image Source: Roy Stuart]