Kelly Slater Has His Most High-Tech Board To Date
Kelly Slater has never been one to stick with the status quo of surfboards. From the razor-thin Channel Islands in the 1990s to the Pipeline-winning Wizard Sleeve in the early 2000s to founding his own board label, Slater Designs, and collaborating with skilled shapers across the globe.
Wade Tokoro, Akila Aipa, Daniel Thompson, Dan Mann, Mike Woo. Kelly has worked and produced boards with all of them. On the heels of the recently released Spaceship model, the brainchild of Kelly and Mike Woo, Firewire has unveiled its newest board construction after years of R&D The brand’s Proflex Technology is, according to Firewire, its “most advanced high-performance surfboard technology to date.”
From a shaping standpoint, the Spaceship has the outlines and concaves you’d expect in a good-wave shortboard. But its interior is far from conventional.
A driving force behind the advanced construction is Brett Savage, the general manager of the brand’s surfboards and hardgoods. To hear him get into the technical minute of the material (as well as Kelly ripping), see the video above.
Todd Glaser
In basic terms, Proflex Technology is, essentially, a carbon and EPS sandwich. Beginning from the interior outward, the construction starts with EPS blank reinforced by layers of a carbon cage, fiberglass and a high-density composite skin. The board’s rails and bottom are wrapped in carbon fiber, and that’s not just for looks. The idea behind the design is that it allows for a faster rebound and responsiveness compared to traditional polyurethane or full carbon boards, which are often criticized for being too stiff.
“This blank does not have any core construction, unlike all the other blanks we do, that’s why this is so exciting for our brand,” Brett said. “All the strength and flex technology is built on the exterior, on this exoskeleton, (an) engineered composite combination between the materials we use and the lamination schedule we have for this board.”
As you’ll see online, a Proflex Spaceship doesn’t come cheap. It’s a premium option. But Kelly, who tested this board across Indonesia, believes this layup gives the boards an inherent durability while still feeling electric underfoot.
“The advantage of this build is the strength you can build into the board," he said. "It will last a long time. I mean, don’t go over the falls at Teahupo’o on it, but this thing should last a long time.”