Kelly Slater's New Surfboard Is Not What You'd Expect

Originally posted on SURFER | By Dashel Pierson | Last updated 4/19/24

“I’m in my 50s now. So, I can’t be trying to shred all the time.”

Finally, it seems, Kelly Slater’s age is catching up with him. He’s 52, he just fell off the Championship Tour likely for good, and he’s soon-to-be a dad for the second time. And accordingly, his latest surfboard model is a reflection of this stage in his life.

He’s trading in the sports car for a station wagon, per se.

Introducing, the BOSS UP from Firewire Surfboards and Slater Designs, aka “the first ever performance midlength surfboard model” for the 11x world champion, created in collaboration with shaper Dan Mann. Compared to Slater’s typical quiver, this board is completely different. It's longer, thicker, wider...and perhaps more age-appropriate?

As Slater explained:

“This is for whoever wants to just cruise and catch waves and have fun. Usually when it’s a bit mushier wave. I guess this board would be considered kind of a midlength. This is a go-to board for small days where you have to work too hard on a small board for people. It’s just something that allows you to cruise and have fun."

Midlengths, generally, are having somewhat of a moment. Lineups are teeming with 'em these days, especially in smaller waves. Just like the name sounds, they’re somewhere between a shortboard and a longboard. They catch waves easily, they work well in soft, gutless surf, and they’re more user-friendly than a potato chip thruster.

But this board does more than just cruise; Mann elaborated:

“Draw out your bottom turns. Do wide wrapping cutbacks. The BOSS UP can elevate your surfing game, and help you learn to link together turns and put together full waves. Long rail lines force you to learn good fundamentals, but they’re also just pure fun. The BOSS UP offers an incredible mix of progressing your performance capabilities and maximizing the fun you can have in a single session.”

Check out the BOSS UP here.

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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