Kelly Slater has long been a surfer that other surfers look to for inspiration. Remember those pencil-thin, heavily rockered boards that many rode in the ’90s? They didn’t work for anyone except a select few, but those select few surfed them so well that the Average Joe decided they could, too. Slater is also a guy who is constantly looking forward, trying out new shapes that may or may not work all that well. Sometimes, they’re a hit. Other times, not. That’s the nature of testing things out, and Kelly loves to find new ways to do something he’s very, very good at. He’s often got his fingers in a bunch of new shapes, and is often influenced by the natural world. Take, for example, his latest offering: the Great White Twin.
“Ever since my first board,” he said, “I’ve had this sort of Jaws fascination. It’s called the Great White because it’s literally a template of the outline of a great white. Kind of a sharp wing and a deep swallow. It looked a little more aggressive, like a great white would.”
This new shape, which is built under the Slater Designs label, is a performance twin fin that’s constructed with I-Bolic Technology and Volcanic Lamination (proprietary terms, of course). Slater worked with Bali-based shaper Mike Woo to create the high-performance groveler. A lot of the volume is packed into the center of the board so it’s got the paddle power of something that might be a little longer. The rails are sharp to help with a faster response and quicker reaction time in the pocket. You probably won’t surf like Kelly on it, but it might — just might — make your session on an average day a little bit more fun.
