The ResortBoard serves up danger with a side of speed.
For us flatlanders, surfing typically means slotting into the couch with a remote or wandering onto the internet. But Oregon-based GolfBoard offers a new way to surf—no pesky ocean required—with its electric all-terrain ResortBoard.
The ResortBoard is a four-wheeled plank propelled by a pair of 0.5-hp electric motors, one mounted to each axle. As on a skateboard, the rider steers by leaning, his shifting weight causing the front and rear axles to pivot in opposite directions.
The motors' combined 24 pound-feet of torque sent through 18:1 gearing provides the strength to move up to 400 pounds, so long as the incline isn't too steep. A rheostat thumb switch mounted to the handlebar modulates acceleration. A 1.3-kWh lithium-ion battery pack under the deck stores the electrons.
With a full charge, our ResortBoard went 14 miles. That, of course, was outside. After smashing nearly every cubicle wall in our office, we gave up on the shaky premise of this article. This thing's turning radius is as big as a car's. It needs space, so we headed to a golf course, where it chewed up cart paths and left sand traps pitted—so pitted—as the 13-inch tires churned through the soft surface. Our juiced test unit rolled at a top speed of 15 mph, but customer units ship with a 12.5-mph limiter. At any speed, traversing side slopes requires careful balance. The rider has to lean uphill just to keep the board pointed straight, as its natural tendency is to turn downhill. The laminate wood board, designed with the help of surf legend Laird Hamilton, offers generous space for foot placement, and the tacky Rhino Linings surface is great for transitioning from a regular to a goofy stance.
The stability bar isn't so much for steering as it is for holding on to for dear life. The way the board steers translates the slightest weight shift into a direction change, which is good for carving sweeping arcs but not so good for going straight. At full tilt, it can develop something of a death wobble. Stability is tunable, though, by increasing the spring pressure of the four miniature coils in the steering system. Stiffen them and straight-line stability improves; soften them and turning gets easier. Once you get a few hours of exposure to it, with weight transfer and foot placement dialed in, the board becomes a fun way to shred a fairway, field, or wide footpath.
Uneven Bars: All ResortBoards have High and Low speeds, but you'll have to plead with your sales rep if you want the higher top speed of our test board.
Pricing for the ResortBoard starts at $7950. Standard equipment includes turf tires, dual baskets, and front and rear fenders. Optional tires can be spec'd depending on riding environment, and our test board came with the golf bag attachment for $149. At $8099 all in, it's hard to give this sod surfer a shaka sign for private purchase. But next time you see one for rent at the all-inclusive, hop aboard. Just go slowly at first.
For $6500, the GolfBoard variant is a less rugged design with 11-inch tires, a 10-mph top speed, and reduced carrying capacity, but it's powered by the same drivetrain as the ResortBoard. Since its 2014 release, nearly 3000 GolfBoards have made their way into clubhouses around the globe.