World’s Most Expensive Surfboard ‘The Rampant’ Costs $1.3 Million

‘The Rampant’ is the world’s most expensive and ostentatious surfboard, is hand crafted from rare wood, and bears a 23-carat gold lion motif.

The stunning board, designed and created by surfer Roy Stuart from New Zealand, is 3.2 meters long and is made from timber from the Paulownia, a tree native to Asia. The motif is painted in gold and sports a red resin outline.

Despite the fact that ‘The Rampant’ is beautiful in appearance, and unique, the designer’s main goal was to make sure the board had the best engineering possible.

The underside of the surfboard has a tunnel fin crafted from kahikatea wood, a tree native to New Zealand, which, when combined with a polycarbonate fin, helps the board to achieve rapid acceleration.

Stuart wrote on his website about the world’s most expensive surfboard: “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?, 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.”

So, if it’s all about engineering and aerodynamics, why does ‘The Rampant’ cost a staggering $1,3 million?

Stuart explained: “[The] Rampant is so visually striking many people think it might be designed for artistic appeal alone. 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.”

Indeed, life is short and price is just a number, nevertheless you would still have to be a pretty big surfing enthusiast, and a pretty rich one, in order to afford a board like ‘The Rampant.’