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December 17, 2008
74290 views | 222 comments
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WEEK 06, DAY 01 Kelly Slater's Billabong Pipe Masters winning surfboard has been at Surfline's North Shore HQ for about 24 hours now, and it's stressing me out. We've been joking about putting it on E-Bay or surfing really, really small, Backdoor on it to see if the rail cracks will start taking in water, but in reality, it's a big responsibility, having this thing lying around. |
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Truth is, this stubby little 5'11" so-called 'Deep Six' model won the Pipe Masters in pumping six to eight-foot Pipeline, and has rightly become the most talked about surfboard of the season. Channel Islands' Travis Lee was kind enough to lend us the board to shoot it, which is why it's been here for the last day, and explains a little of the magic: "Kelly worked with Channel Islands' CAD software and library of designs to marry a 7'0" K-step and a 6'0" K-board into a completely original 5'11" with the wide point pushed forward. Once our in-house CNC machine milled the blank based on Kelly's specs, he walked the board over to Al's shaping room to have him put his finishing touches on the Deep Six. This 5'11"x 18.5" x 2.5" round pin enabled Kelly to get into the hollow waves earlier and deeper allowing for adjustments that only a shorter board can provide." Kelly himself has been on the Big Island the last couple days, but Surfline caught up with him last night and asked him some questions about his magic carpet: SURFLINE: How did the idea for this crazy board come about? KELLY SLATER: I've had it a couple times where the nose of like a seven-footer has snapped off in bigger surf, like in Haleiwa, and the board has actually gone better. Some of those boards have too much swing weight in the nose; you have all this unnecessary weight out in front of your front foot. So the idea was to take the tail of a seven-foot board that has the same width but more curve. "The idea was to take the tail of a seven-foot board that has the same width but more curve."
--Kelly Slater
Travis mentioned you shaped it yourself? Yeah, Al [Merrick] said I should start shaping, and I got on the computer for a couple hours and took my small-wave board and laid it on top of a seven-footer. Then I messed around, flattened the rocker, lengthened the tail and figured out how to fit this nose on it. This was a shot in the dark -- I was guessing as I went along. That machine has allowed our theories (Al+me) to be tested out on real boards with instant feedback, which is great. I actually made four boards based on this design: a 5'3", which I rode in Micronesia last week in waves bigger than the Pipe Masters, and would have ridden in the contest if it didn't break; the 5'11" I rode in the contest, a 6'0" and a 6'6" that I rode at 10 to 12-foot Pipe on the day of the Eddie opening ceremonies, where I would have normally ridden a 7'2". What else makes these boards unique? I put more thickness in the board; it's thicker than my normal 5'11" -- more like my 6'5" - and all the curve is in the nose. When I drop in, the rail is engaged in the face and the wave is pushing against the rocker. All that curve in the front helps with late drops and pumping through sections. Plus, fin placement was further up, like a longer board. I was putting the fins on the 5'3" where a 6'0" fins would be. This increases the radius of the turn. Also, the front fins were pretty flexy: you can handle more flex in a fin for big waves 'cause the turns are longer - smaller waves need stiffer fins, 'cause you have less play. Will any of this translate to regular surfers? I'd like to think it will translate to regular guys, but I'm not sure. The most important thing is catching waves, but once you're on the wave, you want to be on the shortest board possible - guys are riding the biggest waves in the world on 5'6"s. I hope there's something that will translate. This is our first batch -- I'll be working on it all winter. SURFLINE HOME PAGE MORE SURF NEWS |
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Comments: (222)
Rick 12/23/2008 10:31 AM
I'm not the best surfer, and far from the worst, but I agree with eddie, it's the magician. I know guys that can make a '60's experimental work beyond your wildest expectations. Go Slater!
David Longman 12/23/2008 09:33 AM * PREMIUM MEMBER - Real Name
Kelly got asked about the board. He's only telling the story about how it came to be made. He's not making any claims that nobody ever created something similar. Let's just leave it that he, plus his friends, create magic in the sea for all of us to enjoy. Enjoy, and admire brilliance, please, and those who make it happen.
Johnny 12/22/2008 10:08 PM
Always has to be a miserable hater out there. Not only does Al make great boards, he is a great person as anyone who as ever met him will attest. Never heard a bad word about him - ever. If you lived in Santa Barbara, you would see how accessible and engaged he is in his craft. Pros come to him because he is one of the best shapers. Your fin broke out because you hit something moron. Probably while proning in. Lemme guess, you rip so hard you break fin plugs out...right. Kook.
bob b 12/22/2008 06:43 PM
I think Kelly needs to ride this out at 25 foot Waimea to show that it REALLY does paddle like a 6'10''
rusty 12/22/2008 12:47 PM
does anybody have a picture kelly and chris with their boards side by side on the stage before the final heat. take a good look at the difference in shape,
ztg 12/22/2008 06:28 AM
well back in '75, my mom shaped one just like it out of cookie dough and I ate that sh** up way before Al or Kelly could get their hands on it, Everybody needs to quit claimin!!!!
Mike E. A. Sommer 12/22/2008 02:34 AM
Al merrick sucks. Ya, thats just it, there for pros who just need a board to break and get a new one to brag about. Yes, I bought one more ugly and broke the fin like a twig.
LanaiMudWater 12/22/2008 12:36 AM
Very fun looking board,but not sure what all the hype is about.Not dissing Kelly or the concepts behind the board,no doubt there's some finer details to it that go beyond this article,but it seems to be the same basic idea behind a fish,a "piece" of a bigger board,but with less meat in all the right places,perhaps a bit more fine tuned,and with a rounded pin rather than a swallow tail.Flay me alive,but it reminds me of a $250 6'0" Realm fish I got at Maui Costco and rode in up to 12ft faces.
VIVAPINA 12/21/2008 09:38 PM
Way to go Kelly and Al
been making and riding some 5-10 fat quads
for the last 25 years after shaping all kinds of
aircraft stuff in the 8o's for Grumman Product Development. Breaking down a board into its working components and then cheating the normal measurements to create more from sometimes less or les from more.
It's that R&D part of the Art of Shaping we love most
tom 12/21/2008 06:46 PM
theres always someone else who did something first. its how you bring it to peoples faces that makes the difference.
dave 12/21/2008 04:19 PM
abraham, couldn't stop laughing at your comment--- that brazilian with the nose chopped off his board at v-land is too much.. couple years ago --he went off on me for paddling for "his" wave-- telling me -- I have no respect--- truth be known though -- most brazilians have much aloha-- well-- out of the water maybe
dmang08@yahoo.com 12/21/2008 05:03 AM
its actually a version of the Board called the Majik carpet made by JS i have one its a ffing rockett. sorry Al.
steve 12/20/2008 05:41 PM
jeff alexander already has this design in a double nose gemeni nothing new with this board same old stuff.
Enzo 12/20/2008 03:24 PM
Al made me a 6'2" 2.75, I weigh (155pounds), the board rides insane in huge surf, the next board I have is a 10' gun and a tow board. No more 7 and 8 foot boards, I'm sold. Keep up the great R and D.
abraham 12/20/2008 02:35 PM
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moses 12/19/2008 09:32 AM
all this time i thought that guy at velzyland with the nose snapped off his 6.6 just didn't have the money for a new one...
no, thats just his thing.. like being agro towards everyone he meets .. he thinks hes the "#1 most local haole" i guess he forgot hes from brazil.
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