DESTIN — After a few years of growing pains and a series of fits and stops, it looks like the Herrmanns are ready to get down to business.
Since 2008, the family of five has been perfecting the Shore Surfer, a modified skim board that lets children between the ages of 5 and 12 kneel rather than stand to the glide along the water line.
“It’s finally come to the point that we’re all set up,” said Joe Herrmann, whose son Andy came up with the idea when he was 11 years old. “We look for this year, really, to be our banner year.”
Watch a video of the Shore Surfer in action. >>
The first version of the Shore Surfer was unveiled in 2011 after several years of work and testing by Andy and his older sister, Katie. However, the family decided to pull it from the market last year to fix some problems customers identified.
The original Shore Surfer was made of a foam material. But that material had shortcomings, so the family selected a more durable plastic similar to what is used to make kayaks, said 21-year-old Joey Herrmann.
“We took a year or so off to basically redesign the product,” he said. “It’s been a process over and over again to develop the product to make sure it is something the consumer will be able to use.”
The difficult decision to pause in what already was a successful venture appears to have been a wise one.
As of earlier this month, the family had 70 retailers nationwide and a few overseas that had committed to selling the product when it’s ready in April, Joey said.
Another big difference this time around is that the family will not have to assemble any part of the Shore Surfer. A manufacturer in Ohio will handle that part and will ship them directly to stores or to people who order them on the Shore Surfer website.
Previously, the family handled the finishing touches and shipped the items from the garage at their home in Destin.
Andy, who is now 15 and too tall to use the Shore Surfer, says hopes are high for the business his imagination helped create.
“I’ve actually decided to take a drafting class,” the high school freshman said. “It’s kind of becoming a part of what I want to do.”
His father shares his optimism. He said they’re looking to branch out and even offer a boost to the local economy through job openings in their business.
“We see some big plans for it, and think the growth is going to be great,” Joe Herrmann said.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Katie Tammen at 850-315-4440 or ktammen@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KatieTnwfdn.