HANALEI — Surf on the North Shore of Kaua‘i was unusually empty last Saturday morning despite a sunny smorgasbord of overhead waves. Barrels spit un-ridden, shoulders peeled un-slashed. For local surfers such as Rick Drayton, the daily fix of waves
HANALEI — Surf on the North Shore of Kaua‘i was unusually empty last Saturday morning despite a sunny smorgasbord of overhead waves. Barrels spit un-ridden, shoulders peeled un-slashed.
For local surfers such as Rick Drayton, the daily fix of waves could wait — the Hanalei Surfboard Swapmeet only happens once a month.
“It’s the best place on the island to sell boards and find deals on used ones,” said Drayton, a middle-aged man who has religiously attended the event for eight years. “See this board here? I bought it last month, gave it a try and now I’m selling it because it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for.”
For younger surfers such as James “Robo,” 25, the swap meet is an affordable way to replenish a stock of surfboards split by heavy winter swells.
“I broke three boards in just the last week,” he said.
Starting around 8 a.m. and going to about noon, surfers and water aficionados informally spread used surfboards and ocean gear on the lawn of the Hanalei Village Shopping Center and meander about looking for good deals. Prices ranging from $5 to $800 for a surfboard are casually indicated with tape and marker, often dropping as the day wears on.
Buyers and sellers haggle with the enthusiasm of Wall Street brokers:
“This nose is chipped.”
“Do you know how much a Merrick sells for in surf shops?”
“Board’s bigger than I’d like.”
“Give me another 50 and I’ll throw in another board.”
The “board swap meet,” as many surfers call it, has been a fixture at Hanalei for 23 years, although it hasn’t always been as surfboard-centric.
“It used to be mostly windsurfers here,” said Charlie Cowden, who orginated the event.
Casually dressed in the accoutrements of a middle-aged surfer — Hawaiian pattern surf trunks, a loose fitting shirt and a sunglasses neck strap — Cowden watched the swap meet from the window of Hanalei Surf Co. surf shop.
“I owned a windsurfing shop across the street and all these guys had used equipment, so I invited them to lay it out on the first Saturday of every month and it just spread by word of mouth.”
Cowden said most of his business ventures on Kaua‘i started out of necessity.
“I got into shaping windsurfing boards because the only shaper on the island had left, then I got into owning a shop for all the paraphernalia because I was sponsored and it just got too crowded selling stuff out of my house.”
In the ‘90s the North Shore windsurfing population dwindled, giving rise to a boom of surfers in its place. As much a surfer as a windsurfer, Cowden sensed the change. He shifted gears and moved across the street to the vacant Hanalei School building, opening a surf shop.
“We still get people coming through selling used stuff in addition to surfboards like kayaks, paddleboards, Jet Skis, dive equipment and, once, even a boat,” Cowden said. “And it’s not unusual to have pros or the buddies of pros coming by to sell stuff. But mostly it’s surfers, the average surfer, and about 95 percent of them are probably local to the island.”
• Danny Brown, freelance writer, can be reached through interim managing editor Nathan Eagle at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or via e-mail at neagle@kauaipubco.com
