This Is How Kelly Slater Waxes His Surfboard

The very first wax job on a brand new board can be religious — even sensual.

It can also be rushed, with technique forsaken in the name of efficiency. Just watch Italo slather his SITD sleds.

Some people wax with painted lines, or x’s and o’s — some are rigid and others scribble. Top coat? Base coat? Geometric? Are you a wax artisan or a careless latherer? A hopeless bump romantic or a sticky footed utilitarian?

Are you dogmatic about your wax practice? Most people are — even Kelly Slater.

For Tom Carroll, his waxing is done with the pace and dignity of sacrament.  Uniformly, he places the smallest of circles alongside one another, regaling his surfboard and observing the ocean. 

“Actually, Kelly showed me,” Tom says. “He saw me frothing so hard trying to wax my board once. He said “No Tom, don’t do that. Do it like this.””

Pat Gudauskas responds simply with a raise of the eyebrows. “If Kelly and Tom are saying that, maybe pay attention. School is in session.”

Watch Tom Carroll and Pat G put the new G-Skate through it’s paces — while contemplating their waxy inclinations — in the latest installment of “What’s Going On.”