East of Maui, located in Dewey Beach, DE has one the best skimboard selections in the country and is home to Alley Oop Skim Camp in the Summer. They have been selling Zap Skimboards for close to two decades and remain committed to Delaware skimboarders by stocking our full line-up of boards, and sponsoring the annual Zap World Championship of Skimboarding!
The owner Robert Singer (Bob) and his staff are proud to help locals and visitors with all their watersports needs all year round. Be sure to check them out:
104 St. Louis St
Dewey Beach, DE 19971
(302) 227-4703
www.eastofmaui.com
ZAP: Hi Bob, how’s it going? How long has East of Maui been around in Dewey Beach?
Bob: It’s going well! Since 1989 actually. We used to be located in Bethesda, DE a decade earlier but moved to Dewey in ‘89 and have been here ever since.
ZAP: How long has East of Maui been carrying Zap?
Bob: Not quite as long as you’ve been making boards…but over 20 years now!
ZAP: Where did the name “East of Maui” come from?
Bob: When we started the business, we were a “windsurfing” shop around town. Maui was the place, the “mecca” to go windsurfing. The best windsurfers from around the world would go and much of the development of gear happened in Maui. Alfred, my partner, went there many times and came up with the name.
ZAP: You’ve been working with Jason Wilson for a while now, right? Do you have any good stories about him that you can share with us? Only if they’re PG, of course…
Bob: Honestly, keeping it “PG” definitely takes a lot of stories off the table *laughs*, but Jason has always been great to work with and people come back specifically to attend skim camps with him. We’re definitely fortunate to have him here and so is skimboarding!
ZAP: How long have you been in Dewey Beach yourself? And what brought you there originally?
Bob: Since 1977, after graduating college. I came to work at my friend’s sailboat rental place on the bay where the Hyatt now resides. A guy sailed up on a “windsurfer” so I bought one and the rest is history!
ZAP: Were you ever a skimboarder? If so, I hope you were riding a Zap…
Bob: No, unfortunately not. I stuck to windsurfing.
ZAP: We know you’ve done a lot of events and work with Alley Oop Skimboarding. Any good memories from any of those events you’d like to share?
Bob: We have been working with Alley Oop for many years and it has been a great relationship since day one. Alley Oop does a very professional job with the camps and lessons and the kids all have a great time. The events are also very professionally executed. The annual skim championship is a really great event, locals compete, families love it and competitors come from all over the country!
ZAP: What does owning and operating a board shop mean to you?
Bob: The lifestyle has to be the thing. We sell “fun” and people use the gear right here. Also over the years, it has been really great to watch kids that we started selling skimboards and surfboards to when they were really young grow up and stick with the sports. Now they are bringing in their kids and getting them “stoked” on the beach lifestyle. It's also always fun to see the little groms who stuck with it and show some real talent when they are older.
ZAP: Thanks for chatting with us, Bob! Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Bob: Thank you! The Delaware beaches are uniquely great for skin so if you’re ever in the area, be sure to stop by the shop! We’d love to meet you.
