Slater Designs FRK REAL Review

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When designing boards for Kelly I’m trying to remove as many variables as possible and make it something that can level up his talents, or the talents of other surfers, without any glitches, or ever feeling like its in your way.

Dimensions

5’2” x 17.88” x 2.00” | 18.60
5’4" x 18.00” x 2.125” | 20.60
5’6" x 18.13” x 2.25” | 22.70
5’7" x 18.25” x 2.31” | 23.90
5’8" x 18.31” x 2.31 " | 24.30
5’9" x 18.38” x 2.38” | 25.60
5’10" x 18.50” x 2.44” | 27.00
5’11" x 18.75” x 2.56” | 29.10
6’0" x 19.06” x 2.63” | 30.60
6’1" x 19.31” x 2.6875” | 32.30
6’2" x 19.63” x 2.6875” | 33.20
6’4" x 19.63” x 2.75” | 35.20
6’6” x 19.75” x 2.75” | 36.40

From the Shaper

“If I had to describe the nuts and bolts of the FRK's design, I’d simply say it’s made to make you forget it’s there. ”
Dan Mann

REAL Review

Additional Details

REAL Review:

The FRK powers through turns, rides the barrel well, and it is super light and durable.

Jame Jenkins on FRK at Kelly Slater Surf Ranch

Tech Specs

•Every day high performance shortboard
•Round tail
•Single to double concave
•Medium rails
•5 fin option
•Linear Flex Technology Construction

What We Like

Super punchy waves with a lot of juice and the FRK fit right into the pocked.

Jame Jenkins on FRK in barrel

Whether it is rippable and head high or hollow barreling beach breaks the FRK performed wonderfully.

Insider Info

While doing tight turns in critical sections, the FRK seemed to grab the wave well and flow with a lot of control.

Jame Jenkins on FRK ripping a turn

We rode it as a thruster for the most part but when it gets bigger and hollower, I throw in a quad setup and it handles anything super well.

Even though the board we rode was in the top of our volume range it felt slightly too small when we first picked it up.

In talking with Dan Mann who designed the board with Kelly and he was telling me how he and Kelly were discussing it and “if it feels just a little bit too small then it’s the perfect size”.

Jame Jenkins on FRK air

The first wave we got on the FRK we immediately fell in love with it. The board felt really good and our first impression was “wow this board will do whatever you want it too”.

Why You Want This Board:

You want an all around high performance shortboard to rip like Kelly Slater.

Review by James Jenkins

Firewire’s Description:

According to Dan Mann: “In 2015 I was asked to shape Kelly a board for the first time. I knew immediately what I wanted to make him.

I saw it all in my head immediately; from the bottom contour to the tail template. The way the volume would distribute through the width, the whole shape… It might actually be the most intuitive design I’ve ever done, probably because I’ve spent so many years both watching Kelly surf, and shaping boards.

The odd thing is, after sending him the board in 2015, I never heard from Kelly about how the board went, and I sort of just moved on to other stuff. Then one afternoon in 2017 I got this stream of text messages one day about how Kelly was blowing up at Trestles on my board. It totally caught me off guard. Just text messages and phone calls flying in from everyone. I sorted through everyone’s messages and learned that Kelly’s good friend from Florida who was in town at the time had grabbed the board from Kelly’s shed where it had sat un-surfed for two years.

Actually the FRKs he’s been riding this Winter have been straight out of Firewire’s factory, and I’m stoked we were able to so smoothly transition the custom FRKs I’ve been making him since 17’ into the final version from Firewire’s factory that will be at surf shops everywhere. To see Kelly embrace the shape and build exactly as it will hit surf shops is awesome.

If I had to describe the nuts and bolts of the FRKs design, I’d simply say it’s made to make you forget it’s there. When designing boards for Kelly I’m trying to remove as many variables as possible and make it something that can level up his talents, or the talents of other surfers, without any glitches, or ever feeling like its in your way."

Firewire Surfboards