Environmentally friendly surfboards need to perform

Environmentally friendly surfboards could be a hit in New Zealand, but surfers say they would have to perform like top fibreglass boards.

"It's a high-performance industry, and the boards have to come up to scratch to fit in with that, regardless of what they're made of," said Kiwi surfing legend Bob Davie, a lifetime member of Surfing New Zealand.

He had never heard of eco-friendly boards. "It's impossible to comment without seeing the product. They could be great or another one of these things that flies by and is gone the next day."

Surfing NZ spokesman Ben Kennings said the boards would find a niche market here just by being non-toxic.

"The environment is a big concern for all surfers ... we play in the ocean."

If they did not appeal to top surfers, he said they would have to compete with thousands of Chinese imports already undercutting the local market.

Raglan-based top New Zealand surfer Daniel Kereopa warmed to the idea of a compostable surfboard, "especially for someone like me who goes through 30 surfboards a year".

"[But] a lot of surfers look at price and performance before the cost to the environment."

The boards would offer a valuable alternative to the way they are disposed of at present, he said. "Boards are handed down until you can't ride them any more, and then they're taken to the dump, turned into tables or other ornaments, or just sit somewhere gathering cobwebs."