Kahuna Creations Big Stick

OGDEN -- Just because longboarders ride on pavement doesn't mean they couldn't use a paddle to push them down the road. Helping to fill the need is the recently created Big Stick from Kahuna Creations.

"We got inspired from the stand-up paddling out on the lakes and oceans," said Steve McBride, founder of the Ogden company.

Skateboarders usually push with the same foot over and over again to gain speed. This movement can be tiring over long distances and the Big Stick was designed to give a more even way to push and create a fun way to get around on longboards.

"It's a great core body workout," McBride said. "It's a great way to get outside and recapture your youth."

McBride started out using a walking stick, which splintered and didn't feel right in his hands.

"It wore your hands out really quickly," he said. "The shock just kills you."

The Big Stick design has an oval shaft, like a paddle, and a rounded rubber tip to grip the road and dampen the shock. Big Sticks come in varying lengths, from 5 to 6 feet, to fit riders of all sizes. The shaft has Hawaiian designs and comes in either plain wood or wrapped in fiberglass for weather resistance. Prices range from $69 to $139.

Using the Big Stick, McBride says riders can cover about 10 miles in an hour on flat ground as he often does around the company's warehouse space in Business Depot Ogden.

The Big Stick is the newest offering from the maker of surfboards, snowboards and skateboards.

McBride started the company 41/2 years ago in a small office in downtown Ogden. The company quickly outgrew the office as the product line evolved from four longboards to 12 versions.

McBride declined to give specific numbers but he would say that sales for the company have at least doubled each year for the past three years.

"We're doubling every year," McBride said. "We're thriving and growing here in Ogden."

Most skateboards use grip tape for foot traction on the top of the deck. Grip tape has a similar surface to sand paper. Kahuna Creations uses sand from Tahiti, glued to the top of their boards for traction. This allows the design on the top of the longboard to show through, unlike grip tape which covers the top and is usually plain black.

The company makes one high performance model called the Magma that uses black lava sand on top of a graphic of an erupting volcano. The lava sand is sharper and, McBride said, gives more traction.

Although longboards are one of the company's biggest sellers, offerings of surfboards and snowboards have also expanded.

Despite the lack of ocean waves, McBride does sell surfboards to Utah locals who are headed on surfing road trips.

"There's a lot of surfers in Utah, if you can believe it or not, that are transplants that are really digging our boards," McBride said.