Best possible car/van for the job??

[loulie_mccallum]

Hey everybody,

I'm a Transportation Masters design student from the UK, and I'm doing some research for developing a concept youth surfer/recreation vehicle for an electric car company.
I was wondering if you could help me out in understanding the most important features your transport to/from the beach must have?
Do you also have experience where something has gone wrong on a trip regarding your car/van?!
Any info on average number of long/shortboards should be accommodated would be cool, too.
It'll be a really conceptual vehicle, I'm looking at creating something like the Renault Captur (http://www.renault.com/en/renault-en-images/design-et-innovation/captur/pages/captur.aspx) in looks/feel, but with all those necessary surfer accessories bundled up in there!

Any information would be greatly appreciated, especially of any dilemmas you guys have had that hopefully I can try and provide solutions to.

Kindest Regards,
Louise

[billie_morini]

Louise,
i trust you won't design something as ugly as the Captur!

Here are two tips:
1) the best research you can do is to go where the surfers are (not on the internet; go to a surf meet or several surfing beaches). Nothing is better than field research, especially for students/designers/marketers that are attempting to provide solutions in a field they have little experience in
2) Our beloved Surfing Waves forum receives 2 to 5 requests weekly from some student/designer/marketer who wants to know something. You'll find many of us are simply tired of surveys and requests that student/designer/marketer believes to be innocuous.
billie

[jaffa1949]

Hey everybody,

I'm a Transportation Masters design student from the UK, and I'm doing some research for developing a concept youth surfer/recreation vehicle for an electric car company.
Kindest Regards,
Louise

Yep, the camel was a horse designed by the results of an on line survey

[loulie_mccallum]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the tips ... as much as I'd love to do some hands-on research, although I'm from the UK, I'm studying in Umeå in the north of Sweden, near the arctic circle. Unfortunately we still have snow up here =( So it's a bit tricky! And the project is only 6 weeks long.

/Lou

[jaffa1949]

Lou thats a hard call trying to do a surf design from Sweden.

Try these thoughts Billie is from California with motorways and long stretches of coast to travel.
Grizzly bear moose and rattlesnakes to deal with or Banditos in Mexico.
Butter toes is in Nova Scotia needs a good car heater for after her surfs
Surfers exist in almost every every country with a coast but such different extremes of need so I'll just give you mine.

I'm in Australia with horrendous dirt roads and also proper highways for thousands of miles the little Renault boxes break down early in Australia.
Some of the more out of the way surf spots require serious 4WD capability. Superior low range and suspension.
Long fuel range tanks and heavy steel bars to stop being smashed by kangaroos.Rifle rack to hold rifle to euthanase said injured Kangaroos ( I'm not joking)
The door seals need to be extremely dust proof and water proof for the river crossing also to keep out snakes and poisonous spiders. ala Dakar rally conditions.

So too very good air conditioning
Wax compartment, to keep wax cool, tie down tool tray. full size spare tyre with easy access.
Cool glove box and/or drink compartment. windscreen tinted, good ground clearance, good angle of attack. underbody protection.
Good highway manners and speed capability.
Upper speed limit in Australia 110 kilometres an hour.
Good all round vision no pillar blocking.
Being able to lock boards inside as a theft deterrent is also good, remote and key locking. Remote keys only do not survive immersion.
A wetsuit depong chamber would be good.
Multiple power outlets, Sunglass holder.
That's pretty much a list for Australia, but I add that Australia from east coast to west coast is at least a six day drive and the same from north to south and it would be a long haul between recharge points so unfortunately Australian surfers are right up there in stuffing up the greenhouse gas balance.

I wonder how each of the groups of surfers would say about their driving habits.
Good luck you are about to discover why car manufacturers make different cars for different markets even down to changing the name of the model.
I thought I'd add a typical river crossing complete with man eating crocodiles, don't stall in the middle.

Get past the crocodile infested river to the shark infested beach

gibb-river-road-pictures-1.jpg (35.5 KiB) Viewed 3362 times

[loulie_mccallum]

Wow, thank you! Just the perfect honesty that I need for this! Thank you for putting the time in.
I know, I'm still cycling to school through snow, so it's been tricky getting my head into gear and thinking about beach sports! This feedback helps heaps, though.
Thanks again!
/Lou

[travelzomg]

hmmmm.... from my experiance id have to add the following...

well first of all, it needs enough space to put at least a 7ft funboard and a stick in it without too much of a hassle...
i allways thought, some kind of station wagon, with an "drawer" from the back, where you can stuff you surfboards in to still have some space in the back above it... this should ofc have an opening to the bottom, so you can wash sand and stuff out realy simple... (this is a general thought concerning "surf mobils" - sand will get in everywhere so pretty much everything needs the possibility to clean it/wash it out quite easily)

it should have a compartement to put your clothes, so they stay out of the salt water and the sand... (lockable so you can put your valuables there as well)
a compartement to put in the wet wetsuit, booties, lycra after surfing without flooding half the car.. there again, with means of a simple wash out for cleaning...
additionally some small compartement for necessities like wax, tools etc...
some bar to hang up your towel
interieur (mainly seats) should be somewhere towards water resistant but not plastic like... just that you can sit in with maybe some moist boardshorts and not grow fungus after two days... it should be somehow well made too, since its gonna have sand all over the place and it shouldnt rip too easily (easy interchangable seat covers might help here or something like that)
air-con and some sound system..
some cooling box somewhere for drinks... i allways take at least 1.5 liter of water to the beach (in the end, it doesnt realy matter if its cold or not... cold would be cooler tho..)
generally, id say a 4x4 since not every surf spot has a paved road right in front of it... but i guess that depends on the spot/country
above that, it should have the normal standarts of cars today: propper handling, breaks etc...

hope that helps..!

[beachbumuk]

can i add, unlockable WITHOUT an electric key?
i love my old Volvo for this reason....as many types of secure box you can get to attach to the car, i still prefer my key round my neck under my suit...safe

[johnrichard]

There are many companies providing cars with cheap price offers. But the fact is that most of them will not keep a good relation with your tastes and preferences. Many students have problem to select a good value filled cheap car for their various purposes, but often they fails to make it right the selection process. The best student cars are those cars which offers maximum security on wealth, health and pleasure. Hope you have to find a suitable one from the list.

[RideH20]

I currently own a focus estate and it does the job great, although i have been thinking about what i would like my next vehicle to include.

big enough to sleep in the back on an air bed for a night or two with back seats folded down
retractable roof rack would be nice to reduce wind noise and energy loss for everyday driving
serious mpg/range, i don't know much about electric cars but if it's less than 350 miles per charge then i would give it a miss
Sat nav with electric charge points of interest!
Tax free
wetboot liner rather than carpet as i sit on the edge to get the wetsuit on
should fit 5 adults in comfortably enough for a good 200miles
A/C and A/C glovebox cooler controls (for wax & drinks)
Cruise Control
Tinted windows or some form of blinds to sleep in back
I use a plastic box to get changed into, and all wetsuits go in there, so under the boot liner with spare wheel would be a good place to store it.
Finger print key recognition would be cool, otherwise just a bog standard key included!

would like to see what you come up with!

[Liquid Peace]

We have a Honda Odyssey Van, it is an awesome surf vehicle; especially when long boarding is the perfect option available.

[SurfinMaggie]

We have a Honda Odyssey Van, it is an awesome surf vehicle; especially when long boarding is the perfect option available.

Sorry that I'm a few weeks late for my reply, but I want to thank everyone on here for their suggestions -- especially you Liquid!

Upon seeing this post, I took a ride out to my local Honda dealership to take a look at the Honda Odyssey inventory. I gotta say, that certainly looks like the type of vehicle I'd want to use for carpooling to the beach. Very spacious and it seems to handle quite well. . .but I have a quick question for you folks. Maybe you can answer it for me! Do you think it's possible to implement a wheelchair lift to the Odyssey? I sometimes volunteer at a physical therapy center and thought it'd be neat to occasionally take em' out.

Thanks, guys!!!!!! =D

[daddylonglegs]

We have a Honda Odyssey Van, it is an awesome surf vehicle; especially when long boarding is the perfect option available.

Honda Odyssey would be able to do the job for you. Since Honda Odyssey is a 5 door body style which gives you a lot of room for other passengers or stuffs that you need like boards. It has a four cylinder engine, that would be very helpful in terms of car power, especially when you go to higher places before you go to beach before surfing. I've seen one of these Odyssey from an auto repair shop and they have been testing this cars performance. I don't know if that would be a review or something about that car but they are really making this car a better than ever car/van.

[daddylonglegs]

We have a Honda Odyssey Van, it is an awesome surf vehicle; especially when long boarding is the perfect option available.

Honda Odyssey would be able to do the job for you. Since Honda Odyssey is a 5 door body style which gives you a lot of room for other passengers or stuffs that you need like boards. It has a four cylinder engine, that would be very helpful in terms of car power, especially when you go to higher places before you go to beach before surfing. I've seen one of these Odyssey from an auto repair shop and they have been testing this cars performance. I don't know if that would be a review or something about that car but they are really making this car a better than ever car/van.

I've searched more about honda odyssey so I can help you in this matter. First I would like to say that I am not pushing you to buy a Honda Odyssey. It would be your final decision when it comes to that matter.

The all-new Odyssey features a powerful 248-hp V-6 with Variable Cylinder Management and an available 6-speed automatic transmission that delivers up to 28 mpg highway.The available 16.2-inch split-screen capable Ultrawide DVD Rear Entertainment System with HDMI Technology (the HDMI Logo, and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC in the United States and other countries).The Odyssey is loaded with features designed with one purpose "to make your life easier". From the blind spot information system that would help you while driving.

[TheBeatenPath]

i think a 4dr jeep would be a great surf deal. i got a 2dr and have trouble putting a 6'5 board inside and carrying passengers.
but they are awesome 4wd with great capability.all the jk needs imo is a more powerful and more fuel efficient engine.

i dont work for jeep btw i just drive one. i keep finding reasons for a 4dr over a 2dr btw.

the project seems like a really cool idea. i hope he sticks around to show us the end product.

[pieapple]

i trust you won't design something as ugly as the Captur!

[stevenparker]

Hi everyone..

I am stevenparker new to surfingwaves..
Honda makes great cars.. And its price also very affordable.. Have a look at Honda Civic and Honda Fit..
You can get some pretty good gas miles too.. I think it's worth.

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[jaffa1949]

Your parts may be on line but you are out of line and mixed up since when do Renault and Audi fit Hondas