In 2015 Dan Mann was asked to shape Kelly Slater a board for the first time.
“I knew immediately what I wanted to make him. I saw it all in my head immediately, from the bottom contour to the tail template. The way the volume would distribute through the width, the whole shape. It might actually be the most intuitive design I’ve ever done, probably because I’ve spent so many years both watching Kelly surf, and shaping boards. As crazy as it sounds I was certain it would work for him. The odd thing was, after sending him the board in 2015, I never heard from Kelly about how the board went, and I sort of just moved on to other stuff. Then one afternoon in 2017 I got this stream of text messages one day about how Kelly was blowing up at Trestles on my board. It totally caught me off guard. Just text messages and phone calls flying in from everyone. I sorted through everyone’s messages and learned that Kelly’s good friend from Florida who was in town at the time had grabbed the board from Kelly’s shed where it had sat un-surfed for two years. He surfed it and then told Kelly that Kelly would love it based on having known Kelly his whole life, and having a good idea about what boards he likes and doesn’t like, based on all the times the two of them had swapped boards before.” – Dan Mann
WAVE TYPE
Like the majority of traditional shortboard shapes, the FRK is designed for high-performance surfing in critical waves, in up to 6′ surf. It loves anything punchy or bowly with some power. Recommended in 2-6′ surf, skewing towards average to epic conditions.
BOARD FEATURES
This is the shape Dan Mann designed when asked to shape Kelly Slater a board for the first time. Featuring traditional shortboard outline with medium entry and exit rocker, medium to low performance rails, and a double concave running through the back half of the board, resulting in the perfect craft for high-performance surfing. Best paired with Kelly’s KS1 fin template.
Firewire believes that refinements to the shape of today’s modern surfboards can only produce incremental performance benefits. Exponential improvements in performance require the ongoing development of new materials and construction methods which, in turn, will fuel new design opportunities.
Slater Designs, Firewire, FDS, Machado, Mannkine, Wingnut, Tomo, Board Types, Performance, Groveler, Everyday, Crossover, Step Up, Longboards, Kiteboards, Technology, Helium Technology, TimberTEK Technology, Linear Flex Technology, Kiteboard.
THERE ARE MANY ASPECTS TO SURFBOARD SELECTION THESE ARE THE POINTS TO CONSIDER
LENGTH
Typically surfboards are measured in inches. The length is measured from the nose to the tail. Choosing the length of the surfboard is dependant on your size (weight, height), board type and waves conditions you wish to use the board for.
WIDTH
The widest point of the surfboard is measured from rail to rail. Generally the wider the surfboard the more stable the board, while a board with smaller width maintains better speed and performance.
BOARD THICKNESS
Surfboard thickness is measured from the top deck to the bottom. The thickness again has a bearing on the board’s performance. Professional surfers will tend to go for the thinner boards as they are lighter and offer better performance.The thicker boards are stronger and because there is more foam under the surfer the boards are more stable.
ROCKER
The bottom curve of a surfboard. Generally the more rocker the surfboard has the more loose (manoeuvrable) the surfboard will be. Where the flatter rocker surfboards will be faster, although they will lack the looseness. The nose is the tip of the surfboard, the nose can vary in shapes and size. Basically the thinner the nose the more response the board will perform, while wider noses are better for stabilization.
STRINGER
Used to increase the strength of a surfboard, a stringer (normally made from wood) runs down the length of a surfboards (typically in the centre of the board from the tip of the nose to the tail).
Boards built with Epoxy, Carbon Fibre and soft boards generally don’t have stringers.
FINS
Generally heavier surfers require larger fins to hold the waves better. Although if you prefer to ride a looser (less hold in the waves), smaller fins would be a better option.
FIN CONSIDERATIONS
Fin configurations have an effect on the ways your surfboards perform.
The following are some of the more common fin configurations.
SINGLE FIN
The single fin was the original fin configuration for surfboards. Based on the idea of the sailboat keel. Single fins are added stabilization and control on the powerful, larger waves, although lack manoeuvrability
TWIN FIN
Are great for small waves, being fast and manoeuvrable, but when put into tight spots on larger waves, they become hard to control. Popular with Fish surfboards.
THRUSTER 3 FIN
Widely recognized as the standard fin configuration, the thruster answers the shortcomings of the single fin and the twin fins configurations.
The thrusters give you stabilization, control and manoeuvrability in all types of surfing conditions.
This concept was the brainchild of Australia’s Simon Anderson
QUADS 4 FINS
With four fins in the water, Quads boasts an extraordinary amount of holding power in larger surf.
You may think that having four fins would sacrifice speed by creating more drag, but this is not the case.
The both sets of fins are working together on the rail, which makers believe they creates less drag than a board with a centre fin.
The manoeuvrability isn’t sacrificed either, with fins directly under your back foot, the quads are very responsive.
KEEL
Similar setup to the Twin Fin, although smaller (low profile) fins are generally placed wider (closer to the rails) on the surfboard.
Popular with Fish and Egg / Retro surfboards.
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