Gimme Dat Fu
Dane, Kelly and Italo’s favourite wax lands in Aus and it’s here to stick around.
I remember first hearing of Fu.
A top secret chemical agent pros were using to stick lofty airs courtesy of the unparalleled tack Fu conferred.
Ever thought of the punts you could land if you had invisible tow straps on?
Das Fu.
In 2016, When Taj Burrow arrived in Sydney from the Billabong Pro Brazil in May, his excess baggage charge featured a lot more than just fond memories of Rio and a runner-up trophy. It held upward of 20 kilos of a wax that he thought was so good that he’d never return to traditional wax. That was, if he had bought enough of it.
At the time, Stab wrote an article on it titled, A Stupid Little Wax Theory
Taj was turned onto the wax by his Calfornian pal Kolohe Andino. And he in turn heard it from his friends Luke Davis and Nat Young. Nat had won the Coldwater Classic at Santa Cruz and Luke had gotten straight onto spruiking the gear to Kolohe.
“This shit is crazy,” said Luke. “It’s the best stuff in the whole world, you gotta get it.”
Kolohe ignored the claims (“Dude, I don’t care about your wax”) until Brazilian surfer Wiggoly Dantos stayed with him for a contest at Trestles. Wig said he should try it. The results were mind-blowing.
“Oh my gosh! I’ve just fallen in love. It was just goo’ing everywhere,” remembers Kolohe. “It was the like traction you get when you’re wearing booties.”
Can a wax really be this good? “No one ever believes at first,” says Kolohe. “Taj texted from Brazil and was, like, ‘Where do I get this wax? I need that shit!’ It was like it was drugs or something. You have to have it.”
In 2020, Stab ran a painstakingly thorough surf wax test.
Fu emerged the winner, by a landslide. A quick poll of the world’s top surfers revealed they’d already reached the same conclusion.
Kelly Slater, John Florence, Dane Reynolds, Gabriel Medina, Italo Ferreira, Lakey Peterson, Jordy Smith, Caroline Marks, Kolohe Andino, Filipe Toledo, Michel Bourez, Jack Freestone, Creed McTaggart, Matt Meola, Ian Crane all came clean on Fu being their wax of choice.
Wonderful? Yes.
Want some? You fuul.
Australia, until now, has been deprived of the substance.
While some in-the-know surf shops secretly imported batches available in small quantities, never has there been a true Fu merchant.
But now, Aqueo Import and Distribution (the masterful distributors of Havaianas in Aus) have stepped in to spread the Fu love. Reputable surf stores around the country are currently stocked up, so you will be able to find Fu, reliably.
The story of how Fu came to be is fascinating. You can read all about it here.
TLDR.
Fu is a small-scale, family-owned and operated label from Guaruja Island, São Paulo. There were almost bankrupted after years of unsuccessful testing before a serendipitous mishap melted a raw material before its expected tipping point, leading to a premature liquification that produced a paraffin ideal for surfboards.
It worked like nothing else.
And the rest is history.
How to create the perfect wax traction
1. Use base coat on its edge criss-crossed up and down your board.
2. Lightly stroke from in front of your front foot down to the tailpad until beads appear.
3. Change blocks to the Brazilian wax.
4. Wax flat – oldschool style – and watch the stringy and grippy wax job come to life.
5. Be spellbound by what can be possible in the brine.
You can find a list of Fu stockists here.
Comments
Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.
Already a member? Sign In
Want to join? Sign Up