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Man’s amphibious skateboard invention featured on TV show

‘It was incredible’

By Melissa Tanji 4 min read

A 39-year-old Makawao man who filed for bankruptcy three years ago now has a chance to turn his finances and family life around with his amphibious skateboard, an invention he began working on in 2013.

Yancey Meyer grew up surfing and skateboarding on Maui. On Thursday, the 1994 Maui High School graduate will appear on CNBC's prime-time series "Make Me A Millionaire Inventor." The program is televised at 4 and 7 p.m. (Oceanic Time Warner Cable Channels 15 and 205).

Meyer pitched his WaveSkate board to investors on the show, which was taped three months ago. Did he get a deal? That won't be revealed until the show airs. Meyer cannot divulge details.

The skateboard instructor and former professional skateboarder said that the WaveSkate board can be used as a skateboard and a surfboard, by removing the board's wheels and adding fins. The idea hit Meyer when he was riding his skateboard and holding his surfboard under his arm while admiring waves in California. He initially wanted to design the "most incredible skateboard" that would be like surfing on the water.

"I never designed it to be amphibious," he said.

But the land-and-water board won out.

On the show, host and engineering expert George Zaidan visits Meyer on Maui and takes a ride on the WaveSkate. The board is 43.8 inches long by 18.3 inches wide by 2.2 inches thick, according to specifications on WaveSkate's website.

"It was incredible," Meyer said of the show experience. "It was really surreal."

"What was really cool, I got to host on Maui," Meyer said.

There are clips of Hookipa Beach Park and a skateboarding scene was taped at Paia Youth & Cultural Center's StoneWave Skate Park.

Meyer receives help from the show in perfecting his invention and pitches his idea to investors.

One man on a previous show received a $1 million offer for a hands-free hose. But not everyone receives a offer.

"Through all of this, the only dream we have is to have a little house in Hawaii, big enough for my little family," said Meyer, who lives in his parents' cottage, where his three children share a bedroom. "Down the line, I want my daughter to have her own room someday, that's the goal."

Like many young local families, Meyer got caught up in the housing bubble. "If you had $20 bucks and a job, you can buy a house," and mortgages were easily given out. But it didn't work out, and Meyer filed for bankruptcy in 2013.

Around the same time, his wife, Jennifer, a scuba instructor, learned she was pregnant with the couple's third child, Delilah, who is now 3 years old. The couple has two other children, daughter India, 8, and son Prince Nakoa, 5.

Meyer made his first WaveSkate prototypes in 2014. He spent lots of time at the beach and many hours in the garage cutting up surfboards.

In 2015, he had five or six boards, and people were contacting him about WaveSkate. But Meyer said that he felt he needed to move on and support his family. He was going to put his last boards in the closet and promotional posters in his garage. He said he believed he would look back and say, "Wow, I was close."

But, at the end of 2015, "Make Me A Millionaire Inventor" came calling.

"The show put the flame under my okole again," Meyer said.

Meyer had put in his name to appear on "Shark Tank" (where self-made tycoons give entrepreneurs help), but he didn't make the cut. But producers kept his name on file and picked him for the inventor show.

He that before getting on the show, his work was vetted. He had to answer questions involving patents and his commitment to his invention.

Re-energized, Meyer reached out to others for help, including parents of children he taught to skateboard.

Now, he has assembled a team to help him realize his dream. It includes professional surfer Matt Meola, along with an engineer, photographer and an optical scientist, all of whom love surfing, skateboarding or the water.

"'Make Me a Millionaire' really tries to find products that may have been given up on," Meyer said, adding maybe the inventor is just confused or needs a little help.

Meyer said that show nurtured him and helped him develop his idea. On Thursday, viewers will find out if it pays off.

Online:

• WaveSkate -- ridewaveskate.com

• "Make Me A Millionaire Inventor" -- www.cnbc.com/

make-me-a-millionaire-inventor

* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.

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