Four Years Being Forged, Kelly Slater’s Got A Fresh Blade

You can count on one hand the surfers whose design choice moves the needle at your local lineup.

Dane Reynolds, John Florence, maybe Mason Ho. And most certainly the 11x Champ Kelly Slater. 

After a four year gestation period, the new Slater Designs FRK, as designed by American shaper Dan “Forever Frontside” Mann (see the video for Dan’s impressive switch stance at the Ranch), has been birthed onto the consumer market. 

A sleek, high-performance design complete with a rounded pin and very “fine” rails, the FRK works from Lowers to J-Bay to Hawaii to the wavepool. 

Below Slater puts his FRK to great use at Spot X on Oahu’s North Shore. The turn is great, but we’re most amazed by the speed Slater collects out of that second bottom turn. It just doesn’t seem natural. 

When looking at the FRK, Slater says to try the one that feels “a little too small” under your arm. Apparently they’ve got plenty of float.

Slater rides the stock 5’9. Find an FRK in your size here.