Carrie Kropfl, an entrepreneur from San Clemente, California, has invented the Streetubez concept as a way of “yard surfing” that anyone could enjoy with a skateboard. Kropfl developed Streetubez after her son became involved with tarp surfing, a street sport that simulated tube surfing on water. “From a Mom’s perspective, the tarps were a total nightmare. But the kids loved the physical experience of surfing in the streets, so I was determined to develop something that gave the kids this experience, without all the headaches. That’s how I came up with Streetubez.”
Click here to view the Streetubez project page on Kickstarter.
Streetubez is made of ripstop material similar to that used in parachutes for durability. Sandbags mount the device to the street, and there is a handle so that users can create their own waves. Everything compacts to store in a small bag.
Peter “PT” Townend explains, “You know, getting tubed is the ultimate for surfing. Getting tubed was part of my professional career. And now, you can get tubed in the streets with Streetubez anytime, anywhere! It’s a great product.”
Besides the endorsement of Townend, Kropfl has also attracted the attention of millionaire restaurateur Wing Lam, co-founder of Wahoo’s Fish Taco; Mike Reola, co-founder of the successful surf company Lost Enterprises; and Robert Graff, founder of media company Graffy, Inc. Each of these business owners are also sponsoring Streetubez’s Kickstarter project by endorsing the product and helping promote it through their social media channels.
With Streetubez, riders experience surfing right in their own front yards, no matter where they live. It’s a product that gets kids outside doing something that is physically active. This skateboard accessory is intended to bring the California surf experience to the streets of America. Kropfl has a patent pending on the prototype and a manufacturer ready to start production. Her goal is to raise the funding on Kickstarter to start production of her first 500 units of Streetubez.
The first 200 people to pledge on Kickstarter will be given the opportunity to purchase a Streetubez for $75 plus shipping, a savings of 50 percent over retail. With 15 reward levels, anyone can make a Kickstarter pledge for this project of between $1 and $10,000 dollars.
Stephanie Leonard, a mom who has been testing one of Carrie’s prototypes this last year, says, “The thing I love about Streetubez is it gets kids off of their electronics and outside doing something fun and active. It’s the must have Christmas gift for 2015!”