San Clemente Firm e-X Buys Board Sport Magazine Rights

The company e-X Inc. of San Clemente, the publishing arm for a major U.S. surfing association, said Thursday it has purchased the rights to three board sport magazines from World Oceans Media for an undisclosed sum.

The firm bought Wave Action Surf, Pit BodyBoard and Launch WakeBoard--magazines devoted to extreme versions of surfing and related sports, said Ian Cairns, president of e-X.

For years, the magazines have partnered with the U.S. Surfing L.P. to print programs for the group’s events and to promote such athletic competitions for television. The magazines employ 18 people.

The periodicals, which have a combined circulation of more than 100,000, are distributed free to surf shops around the country. They focus on young, up-and-coming talent.

The purchase is part of a broader effort to promote surfing and bodyboard sports through television, magazines, the Internet and other forms of media, Cairns said.

Two founding members of World Oceans, Tracy Mikulec and Jake Knight, will become vice presidents at e-X. By selling the publishing rights, the magazines will gain much-needed capital, Mikulec said.

“We were producing magazines for more than six years off credit cards,” Mikulec said. “This gives us the opportunity to stop worrying about day-to-day operations like how do we make rent and payroll, and focus on operating a sound business.”