Craig Anderson at Kandui on the world’s best selling surfboard, the Hypto Kryto. Photo:Iker San Martin/Instagram
It’s no secret that pro surfers have a hand in selling boards for their shaper’s brands. These guys absolutely rip, and to tell the truth, most of them could make a door look like it surfs well. So just how important is it to take note of what custom surfboards the pros are surfing when you’re just an average, everyday surfer? Well, let’s take a look back.
The Mid-90’s
Kelly Slater on his Glass Slipper sometime in the 90’s and on something shorter, wider, and more user friendly to the masses in 2009. He can make both work, the rest of us will have better luck with only one. Photos: Devine/Rowland
Back in the mid-90s, Kelly Slater and the whole crew were riding ridiculously thin, narrow, rocketed out boards. Sure, they made them work, and work really well, but the masses of us “average” surfers were more or less kooking out, because those boards that were neither suited to our needs or the waves we are surfing day-to-day.
With that said, it is the pros like Slater that are still influencing us with new models… remember the Wizard Sleeve? The Wizard Sleeve was one of catalysts for the masses to start riding shorter, less rockered boards. The thing is, many shapers were already turned on to short, wide, high volume boards–it just took someone like Slater to bring that to everyone’s attention.
Replica Boards
What the pros are doing has an impact on the general consumer. The Mick Fanning Ducks Nuts Replica came out for the masses as Mick was tearing apart his 2015 campaign, and became a very successful model.
What Darren Handley did (which we were not seeing in the 90s) is offer a few sizes of replica model so the average surfer actually had a chance of being able to surf the board. But not too many; it is meant to be a replica, after all. The board is available from a 5’10 to a 6’1. Mick Fanning is stoked on his Ducks Nuts, and since they are offered in sizes appropriate for the average everyday surfer, you can be too.
A Current Favorite
Now, let’s look at the best-selling board worldwide. The hyper-popular Hypto Krypto is the best selling board world wide, and it won Surfboard of the Year award two years in a row. Is it a result of having someone like Craig Anderson pour his style all over the place on this model (most of which when the waves are pumping), or is it because it is a user friendly board that can be surfed in anything from knee high slop to pumping overhead and hollow? Well, it’s a little of both.
Having Ando show you what this board can do certainly helps, but word-of-mouth, reviews and referrals are still essential for success. If the Hypto Krypto didn’t work for the average surfer, it wouldn’t have gained the popularity that it has.
What Actually Works for the Average Surfer
Wider boards with a little more volume can make a world of difference to your surfing. Don’t get me wrong here, there are plenty of surfers that already knew this, but there are also plenty of people out there that simply want what their favorite pro rides.
Luckily for them, many of their favorite pros are starting to ride equipment that suits the average surfer a little more, and surfboard shapers know exactly how to scale boards appropriately for the average surfer. Advanced tools like the Board Engine also help.
The vast majority of us don’t have the ability to hop on a plane and chase perfect waves around the world. Our average surf session consists waves in the knee to head high and not so perfect, and usually before or after school/work when we may just be missing the right tide, wind, or swell windows. If we want to maximize our precious water time, we need those wider, higher volume boards that we can actually surf. They don’t necessarily have to be hybrid models, but customizing a high performance pro model appropriately for an average surfer certainly goes a long way.
Accessibility
There are a lot of factors in making a board popular to the masses. It’s the combination of marketing, user friendly boards, and accessibility. The reason brands like SUPERbrand, DHD, Haydenshapes, etc. sell so many boards is because they are easy to get.
There are many great shapers around the world. They very well may sell a lot of boards, but on the world stage, they’ll probably remain relatively unknown. While some larger brands may have a bigger marketing budget, in reality, whether or not the board is actually going to work for the average consumer is the most important thing.
Remember, even the bigger brands were once small time guys that simply had to shape boards that work to get them to where they are today. But after all the marketing and the accessibility, if a board doesn’t work, it will be a short-lived seller. A board can look good aesthetically and be the right price, but what good is that if it surfs like a dog?
This was originally posted on Boardcave.com. Check them out on Facebook and Instagram.
