Kelly Slater isn’t afraid to try new things when it comes to surfboards. Come to think of it, he’s not afraid to try new things in general. New businesses, new ideas, new whatever… if it piques his interest, he’ll give it a go. One of his newest offerings is a surfboard called the S Boss. In the video above, he gives it a go at Ehukai Beach Park, which, as you’re likely aware is home to a little wave called Pipeline.
He doesn’t just test drive the S Boss, though. He pulled an FRK+ in I-bolic technology with Volcanic Lamination out as well. They’re both relatively similar shapes, so testing them out in one day with similar conditions is a good way to figure out what those small tweaks to the shape make.
An interesting little fact about the FRK name. It does not, as many assume, mean “Freak.” It was initially called the RFK — Rocker for Kelly — after a rocker that Dan Mann dreamed up for the 11-time world champ, but the all-knowing marketing team didn’t like it all that much. So they did something very simple: just switched two letters around.
Slater didn’t test the boards on on the most epic of days, which is actually kind of a good thing for board tests. Not every day is the best day ever, so testing a surfboard in average conditions is a little smarter.
“Waves like this you don’t treasure each wave like you’re going to get the best barrel of your life. You don’t care if you fall. Because there’s no one surfing today, you just catch a million waves. I actually enjoy these surfs a lot more than some of the surfs in the winter when it’s more crowded.”
The FRK, according to Kelly, is “fast and lively off the top.” Any board under Kelly’s feet will appear that way to the casual viewer, but Kelly’s a little more attuned to his equipment than most.
Next up, he pulled out the S Boss. A vee-bottom double concave with a round tail and a round(ish) nose, the board is a bit of an experiment Kelly’s been toying with with Dan Mann for a few years. It’s more of an everyday surfboard for everyday conditions.
“It feels like it just locks in,” he says. “It has a big sweet spot for me. It works great. I’ve been loving this thing in Florida. It’s really good for airs… super fun.”
