two piece boards?

[bobgatpdx1]

I think all the "new longboards" and SUPs are cool, but hate the thought of lugging a 10' or 12' board around again. That got me to thinking - Why hasn't anyone come up with a two piece board?

If you split the board just in front of the mast foot (enough room for tacking footwork) so that the nose was a separate piece - then it would be a lot easier to transport. There have been so many advances in materials that I'm sure it could be made strong enough. No doubt this would end up a bit heavier than a one piece board, but the convenience factor would be huge.
bobg

[wellfedirishman]

Look here:
http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=zyI8AAAAEBAJ&dq=3657753

Doubt anyone sells them though.

Bic does sell a folding kayak, looks pretty neat:
http://www.bicsportkayaks.com/products/yakkair,3,71/yakkair-one,775.html

[feuser]

[sailingjoe]

The best kayaks are the inflatables. They don't make good sea kayaks, but neither do those fold-up jobs. Inflatable white water kayaks have an advantage over hard shelled as they aren't impacted as violently by rocks. However, the best advantage would be they are light and packable. You can put one on a pack frame and hike it into wilderness. If you have ever done any long canoe/kayak trips you know that portage is the main obstacle to travel speed.

[feuser]

[windoggi]

I remember a Morey Pope two piece (three piece?) surfboard in the sixties.
Nothing new under the sun, I guess.

[keycocker]

I helped on a project with an engineer who repaired 747 liferafts.He tried to develop an inflatable board with a semi hard bottom that could roll up.The upper was soft until he inflated it with a LOT of pressure with a portable pump made for those rafts.Never worked out the insertable stiff rails

[FredFX]

What about making a board out of the "inflatable concrete" that kite rails use?

[outcast]

http://www.bisect.com/

And there is an inflatable SUP....the ULI....guys rip on them, and use em for river SUPs.

to each his (or her) own