SUPs of Tomorrow
Laird's latest passion is paddle surfing, a sport he's helped make popular worldwide with water sports enthusiasts of all ages and abilities. PUMA saw an opportunity to extend the Juan K - Laird Hamilton design partnership beyond a concept surfboard and into a range of stand-up paddleboards for consumer use. These limited edition carbon fiber stand-up paddleboards (SUPs) will take inspiration from the Mar Mostro Volvo 70 hull design, both ergonomically and through the use of the same ultra-lightweight carbon fiber materials. Made in the United States, the boards feature the bright red tentacle design, matching PUMA's Mar Mostro. This marks the first time that boat hull design innovation will be applied to paddleboards.
The PUMA/LAIRD SUPs are set to debut to the trade at Outdoor Retailer this August in Park City, Utah (USA), with broader consumer availability in time for the Volvo Ocean Race Start this November.
"It's been a life-long goal to push the boundaries and find these rogue waves at sea to ride," said Hamilton. "When PUMA and the PUMA Ocean Racing crew approached me with ideas for how we might collectively make this happen during the Volvo Ocean Race, I was thrilled. To then have the opportunity to co-design revolutionary new carbon fiber SUPs with them, I knew I couldn't pass it up. We're bringing the ultimate innovation to action water sports. It's going to be a game-changer."
