Spreading the joy of surfing, and doing it in a way that is more open and approachable for all, with boards that last longer, surf well, and a mindset to give back and care for the environment that brings us this joy. That is the purpose of Rock-It Surf.
Surfing is different. Once you really catch the thrill, you never want to let it go. It becomes addictive in a way that very few if any other hobbies become. There are many real lessons learned about overcoming challenges, putting in the work to master something, and continually being humbled by something greater than you. It's a healthy, meditative lifetime activity.
Rock-It Surf was founded in 2015 when owner Nick Naylor was looking to purchase a beginner surfboard for his first child. That boy (also Nick) was 6 years old, and was growing up in the seaside beach town of Sandbridge, a part of Virginia Beach, VA.
This part of the world has a very strong surf culture, but the waves are most often pretty meager, so soft tops are not only common in the summer small wave season, they're often the best choice!
At the time, the market selection for soft top surfboards was pretty well divided between two extremes: 1) cheap box-store foam boards that were ugly, surfed terribly, and broke, delaminated or fell apart quickly. Their life cycle from purchase to the trash bin was sadly short. And 2) a newer breed of soft top boards that actually held up better and surfed well, but were priced nearly the same as hand made fiberglass boards. There was an opportunity to find a good middle ground and offer a good quality board that surfed well, lasted longer, wasn't embarrassing to be seen on, and also was a good value.
Rock-It was born that year as a side hustle. Factories were visited, designs were made, and the initial website was built from a small trailer at an RV park across from the pier while Nick & his family were renting their house out for the summer.
Like any new venture, the first few years were full of trials and tribulations. We were embraced by our local community which gave us an incredible base of R&D. We worked quickly to improve our early faults, improve the product, the selection, and support our customers and the surf shops and surf schools that were increasingly choosing our products.
10 years on, we're proud of the lineup of products we have, our growing customer base, and we love to surf as much as ever. Thanks for being part of our story--I hope you find as much joy in the surf and in sharing it as we do.
What it's all about...
