Founder and Raggamuffin® surfboards pioneer, Jim Powell, likes to say that the surfboard industry has a dirty little secret...
For a sport so dependent on healthy oceans, surfboard manufacturing is exceptionally wasteful. The foam and resin that makes up the boards we
ride are toxic. It’s cheap and easy so we compromise and load up land fills with foam filled cores.
In a 2019 Surfline article, Kitt Doucette drove this point home:
"Since the 1950s, the vast majority of surfboards have been made using three main ingredients: a foam core covered in fiberglass cloth and cured (formed and hardened) with resin.
Toxic from cradle to grave, traditional surfboard manufacturing is a known environmental and human health hazard.
Lately, advancements in technology along with a growing consumer interest in
the lifecycles and materials has fueled an industry-wide push towards finding a better, more environmentally conscious and sustainable way to build modern surfboards."
So what does it take to build the most revolutionary, eco-friendly board in the world?
Passion, persistence, and a lot of time.
Raggamuffin's dreamlike roots...
From a nocturnal notion to surfing the dream
What can we do about the waste in the surfboard industry?
The answer, for our founder Jim Powell, started with a dream.
More than 10 years ago, he dreamt he was surfing on a live beehive. The surfboard was transparent, so he could both see the water directly beneath and the bees/honeycomb that comprised the board.
The vision wouldn’t leave him.
He began crafting, spending hours replicating the board of his dream, consulting artisans and experts across every industry to find a solution to develop the board of his dreams.
The Magic is in the details
Raggamuffin® patented surfboards are made of sustainably farmed balsa and paulownia wood, plant based resins, fiberglass & air.
You won't find foam waste anywhere near a Raggamuffin® board.
Our boards perform as well as - if not better than - traditional foam boards. They are durable, incredibly light & can be shaped to feature the same channels, curves and nuances as a traditional foam core
board – essential details to creating a board that doesn't just look incredible but also performs.
Certified through Sustainable Surf as a Gold Level ECOBOARD, we offer a
sustainable surfboard design that reshapes the possibilities for eco-friendly surfboard manufacturing.
We combine modern
technology and nature’s secrets to create a board that can help redeem the surf industry & serve as a positive force in the fight for protecting our oceans.
Our global reach
Surfing has the unique ability to unite us – across cultures & national borders.
As our patented design has taken flight, we're on the adventure of a lifetime – spending endless hours refining the production of our boards & taking them around the world to put them to the test.
Everywhere we go, we share our deep love of surfing & excitement for future of the eco-friendly board movement.
We're focused on uniting nature, craftsmanship and technology to create a board that can bring delight to the saltiest surfer.
After all, at the heart of everything we do is our love and passion for surfing and its ability to unite people around the globe.
HOW WE GIVE BACK
Raggamuffin® believes in changing the future through investing in our planet’s most valuable natural resource — our children.
A percentage of our proceeds go to fund Inter-United,
our non-profit 501(c)3 corporation that’s planting the seeds of conservation to our youth around the world. We have chosen education and
global partnerships as our vehicle to make the greatest impact on the next generation.
