Santa Clarita-based Aethia Outdoors, an innovative outdoor sports company that tackles the hurdles commonly plaguing the world of adventure sports, introduces NIMBL, the world’s first folding foam surfboard. Created by Aerospace engineers Andrew Wong and Jet Baroudi, NIMBL eliminates the need to install car surf racks and the fear of boards flying off on the highway. Instead, Aethia’s innovative patent-pending quick-fold technology allows the board to conveniently be transported in the trunk or backseat.
In addition to folding in half, the 7’6” (3’8” when folded) 14.5-pound board for beginner and seasoned surfers includes other unique features: a convenient and secure waterproof compartment for storing keys and smartphones, flush hinges to minimize drag and ensure consistent performance, marine-grade 316 stainless steel, EVA decking for its anti-slip grip, and portability through a carrying case.
NIMBL will launch a Kickstarter campaign in Fall 2023 and offer pre-sale pricing at $350. The first round of sales is scheduled for Fall 2024 at an Ecommerce pricing of $450. Visit [HERE] for NIMBL pre-sale information.
The NIMBL concept was born out of necessity, says Andrew Wong, Aethia chief executive officer.
“One day after surfing at El Porto, Manhattan Beach, CA, Jet and I were in my Prius, we both had the realization that foldable surfboards were the solution,” Wong says. “I was staring out my front windshield checking to make sure my board was still there, and at that same time, Jet was thinking about how he could put a surfboard in his two-door car since installing hard or soft racks was out of the question.”
Designing and developing NIMBL required hands-on experience in multiple engineering disciplines, says Jet Baroudi, Aethia chief technology officer.
“NIMBL’s design took months of CAD work, testing, iteration, and simulation to produce a viable prototype. A prototype that has blossomed into what you see today,” Baroudi says. “Developing NIMBL took hundreds of late-night hours crafting every piece by hand. While computers helped design NIMBL’s mechanism, the shape and feel of the board is rooted in a tactile feeling.”
Baroudi adds that restoring the strength of a board cut in half was challenging but not impossible. “There is a reason that no one has done this before,” Baroudi says. “Marrying the advances in engineering and surfboard technology has given us the unique opportunity to solve that very problem.”
With a rise in novelty surfing (wave pools, rivers, lakes) and a number of surf schools making it easier to participate in the sport, NIMBL solves the surfboard transportation dilemma surfing enthusiasts face.
###
About Aethia Outdoors
Aethia Outdoors tackles the hurdles blocking your next adventure, so all you need to do is enjoy the thrill. The flagship product, NIMBL, is the world’s first folding foam surfboard product and solves surfing’s inherent accessibility issue. Aethia works to eliminate the main challenges any surfer faces when en route to and while in the water, so they can focus on enjoying and catching the next wave. Aethia Outdoors was founded by aerospace engineers CEO Andrew Wong and CTO Jet Baroudi.
About CEO Andrew Wong
Aethia Outdoors CEO Andrew, born and raised in Michigan, an obsessive outdoorsman, engineer, and startup enthusiast, followed a career in aerospace engineering after attending the University of Michigan for his undergraduate and master’s degrees. An unlikely byproduct of moving to California for work, Andrew found a love of surfing and wanted to create opportunities for everyone to surf.
About CTO Jet Baroudi
After spending his childhood years tinkering in his parent’s kitchen pantry, nicknamed Jet’s Lab, CTO Jet Baroudi hasn’t stopped tinkering since. Gaining his mechanical engineering degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Jet met Andrew in California, working as aerospace engineers.
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.
The Metro Board of Directors approved schedule changes, public safety resources and additional trains to the Metrolink Antelope Valley Line (AVL) Thursday.
The SCVEDC is excited to announce that it was recently honored for excellence in economic development by the International Economic Development Council in two distinct categories.
Interstate 5 in the Castaic area in northern Los Angeles County will be reduced from four lanes to two lanes in the northbound or southbound direction between 5 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 2-4, Caltrans announced Thursday.
College of the Canyons Chancellor Dr. Dianne G. Van Hook received the rarely-awarded O – C (pronounced “oh bar see”) award from FivePoint at a community celebration event held to celebrate her 35 years of leadership at COC.
Children’s Bureau is seeking foster families and now offers two virtual ways for individuals and/or couples to learn how to help children in foster care while reunifying with birth families or how to provide legal permanency by adoption.
The Zonta Club of Santa Clarita Valley is proud to announce that the club has won top honors within Zonta International’s Add Your Voice Campaign for installing the largest number of new members throughout the Zonta world in 2023.
California State University, Northridge is the No. 2 public university in California and the No. 12 public university in the nation, according to the Wall Street Journal/College Pulse 2024 Best Colleges in the U.S. ranking.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday signed eight health care bills that heighten protections for those who provide abortion care, expand the health care workforce and protect information about reproductive health care.
The Los Angeles County Department of Education livestreamed their Career Technical Education meeting from the state-of-the-art video studio at Castaic High School.
The Department of Water Resources urges people to avoid physical contact with water at Castaic Lake in Los Angeles County until further notice due to the presence of blue-green algae.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion introduced by Supervisor Kathryn Barger and co-authored by Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath that will examine how the County can support the film production industry and keep it anchored in the region.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday 136 new cases and no additional deaths from COVID-19 in the Santa Clarita Valley within the last week.
Former California poet laureate Dana Gioia will explore “The Enchantment of Poetry” on Thursday, Oct. 5, as part of the Gohstand Reading Room Biennial Lecture Series at California State University, Northridge’s University Library.
Join the Los Angeles county Department of Economic Opportunity and the Department of Public Health for town halls throughout Los Angeles County to provide feedback on a potential new law that will allow residents to legally operate a minature restaurant in their home kitchen, or a Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation, also known as MEHKOs.
Tweet This
Facebook
Digg This
Bookmark
Stumble
RSS
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.
0 Comments
You can be the first one to leave a comment.