It would be interesting to hear what Kelly would have to say in a public anouncement.
What Kelly would say in a public statement would be exactly what his contracts would require him to say. I’d find it far more interesting to hear what he’d have to say in confidence.
doh .
you got me tom , i knew i was pushing my luck there …
at this point tho , its obvious to me that future world champs will be on sandwiches …
thats easy for me to say , based on the dominence of sandwich in local competitions …
and even not so local , going back mid to late 90s , mel redman was on sandwiches and rose up to number 2 and sat behind lane for years , that was almost 10 years back and my ability(or inability) as a shaper back then probably had more to do with her not progressing further , her small wave boards were dynamite , but for big waves i didnt know my stuff back then , as regards shape , flex , fins, etc , so its all a learning curve , but to get that close as a 26 year old shaper back then , makes it all the more probable we will see sandwich having an impact on the ct in years to come …
so keeping with theme of the thread , thats just another reason why so many of the arguments of those wanting to keep to the status quo still dont carry weight …
how could someone get to number 2 in the world on boards that didnt perform ?
and on top of that be riding boards shaped by a guy who was way less experienced at shaping for that level …
the performance features of the construction made up for my abilities at the time …
i think slater is clever enough to know that urethane and polyester have hit a dead end as far as development in boards and performance surfing , future world champs will be on dramatically better equipment , attaching his name now, stands to put him on the forefront of the next wave in surfing evolution , crew will look back and say , yea slater he was one of the first , the guy had vision … …
for me its so clear , im lucky enough to see the reactions of surfers as they are handed equipment that blows them away , 9 out of ten times the first words are WTF , then come the performance appraisals after theyve ridden them …
its only a matter of time …
to guys who havent seen whats coming , they dont even realise what their arguing against …
regards
BERT
er, ah, make that six WCT titles. Five were consecutive.
Now I wonder how many thousands of boards it took to do that?
He has publically said he has at least 200 stashed at houses around the world at any given time.
sorry…
How about this? All he has to say is: “It was a licensing deal.”
Just one more in his portfolio of licensing deals.
His “K” brand, while maybe not a great performer in the US is huge in Japan. Maybe that is where the Surftechs are going.
Hmm now isn’t Japan close to Asia? Gee, I wonder what he could possibly be thinking?
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and even not so local , going back mid to late 90s , mel redman was on sandwiches and rose up to number 2 and sat behind lane for years , that was almost 10 years back how could someone get to number 2 in the world on boards that didnt perform ?
Seems to me these statements illustrate any number of things…I can just hear “core surfers” saying “well she was a chick so what did she know, using an 'effing sandwich board, world class girl surfer same as entry-level high school surf contest winner”…shoot, I don’t remember her equipment getting any U.S. press back then (brain subject to wear and tear though)…the same thing that would no doubt still provoke scorn from the masses offered here as obvious illustration of at the least basic performance at Swaylock’s…overpopulation fractures surfing into God Nose What…
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i think slater is clever enough to know that urethane and polyester have hit a dead end as far as development in boards and performance surfing , future world champs will be on dramatically better equipment , attaching his name now, stands to put him on the forefront of the next wave in surfing evolution , crew will look back and say , yea slater he was one of the first , the guy had vision … …
I think this new Slater issue is both simpler and maybe a bit more complex at the same time. Tom says it’s about the contracts, but isn’t that another way of it being about the money? What makes a “pro surfer”? MONEY…otherwise he or she isn’t “professional”. The marketing interests need to move Slater on right now. “Old hot guy”? Occy did that. Following his own weird? I think Curren could fill that bill. Slater will always “own” the 25-35 year olds of today, same as Curren owns the 35-45 year olds of 2005. Richards before that…then I guess that whole first crew en masse. But the money is in 12-24 year olds. Which money is that? Well, it isn’t really the surfboard hardgoods money…is it? Does anybody ever wonder how much Quiksilver spends on it’s funky soul surf ship? $$$$$$ Compare that to what surfboard companies probably gross. $. The money is in the sidetrack accessories. Young people are the ones with endless tomorrows. Why buy one pair of trunks when you can buy three? Slater needs to make decisions financially, as this is his business at the moment, and his viability is winding down. His ability, however, is confounding the industry. New is always better in marketing, right? That can cut both ways. Having a surfer endorse a molded board is new at this point. There is at this point absolutely nothing public to indicate this is anything other than a business move, just another endorsement. But as you say Bert this does position him at the technological forefront should this technology mature and expand within surfing. If not, hey, hey made a few bucks selling his name, which apparently is the goal for everyone in modern society, sporting or not… he really isn’t risking anything until he rides some in competition. On the other hand this could be part of a larger exit strategy for him. Establish the technology, exit the tour, and espouse the product. For a guy who seems to travel constantly it might be nice to travel without boards and have an (eventually) perfect replica of favorite tuned boards available in every surfing country on earth.
Mark & Bert,
I have the utmost confidence that the next big advance in surfboard design will have to do with new materials and sandwich design techniques. And, if Kelly seriously gets behind the endorsement of a Surftech the sheeple will follow. But, I think there's a big difference between a six time world champion (thanks for correcting me Mark) using his established reputation to endorse a product that's been on the market for years and Simon Anderson who was attempting to over come the Shaun Thompson/ Mark Richards single fins vs. twin fin rivalry of that era. Now say if Taylor Knox went out and won the biggest Tavarua Event ever on an EPS sandwich/Epoxy compsite that he made himself and went on win the title for that year. Well, that would be more like Simon's acheivement.
I think the surfer as renaissance man days are mostly over. Pros don’t stay home and shape between swells. Their contracts and contest touring demands don’t allow it. They have to travel. And they have to surf. And there is more money for them doing that than there is making boards. It’s a lot easier to tell someone what they want than to actually make it themselves. And they need to log the water time to prepare for competition, because so is the competition.
Division of labor has entered the industry. Interestingly it has taken 50 years for that to occur.
About the same amt of time it took in the auto and farming industries as well.
It seems as though a paradigm lasts 50 years.
So, now, adding experimentation to the already packed schedules of the current crop of pros is going to be a tough add. But that will be necessary to get sandwich construction going.
agree there tom …
i know i was using an analogy that was barely a connection , i wont bother editing it , just so i can see what i was thinking back then should i ever want to look back …
even since ive been coming to sways , some interesting thoughts about the future have surfaced , and a few have now actually happened …
i remeber greg saying over a year ago what will happen when kelly signs on with surftech ??
well what will happen ?..
i have my theories , but there all doom and gloom according to some .
funny coz its all bright at this end …
regards
BERT
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And, if Kelly seriously gets behind the endorsement of a Surftech the sheeple will follow.
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Now say if Taylor Knox went out and won the biggest Tavarua Event ever on an EPS sandwich/Epoxy compsite that he made himself and went on win the title for that year. Well, that would be more like Simon’s acheivement.
Well shoot…more people=lesser times. Your Knox/Anderson analogy is apt, and I don’t think we are going to see that kind of situation much more in surfing. Period. I guess at this point we have little to no info on the Slater thing…one would have to wonder just what if any influence he actually had on the design of the Slater models. I’d go check the website but I’m spooked…don’t want the computer to blowup or get some nasty yeast infection…
There is another thread glowing still about what gives a board soul. I think it’s the same as what makes an endorsement credible. It feels like 99% of pro sports endorsing is about endorsing the checks, not the products. Slater’s Surftech models will have credibility when he rides them in competition. If he says they are just for recreational use or entry level surfers his “endorsement” might actually have a negative effect in regards to how the technology is seen in general.
Any polyboard anarchists with pockets as deep as the Mariana Trench might buy off the complete Kauai Wolfpack and put them on alternative technology boards for 3 months, then pay them to violently (what else) disrespect it…that would automatically buy 7-10 years of relief from any large-scale thought and innovation …
This year Kelly is riding Pu/epoxy boards. Better flex/return and a bit better durability. This combination seem to adding up to an advance this year.
Pooepo??? Do we have a new sub speices?
When Mungle was out here all my boards were PU/Epoxy. But, now that’s he’s back in Tennessee I don’t have an epoxy guy across the street anymore. And, while I liked the concept, I did not notice a huge break through difference in performance. Greg I know Kaysen has expressed interest in RR. Have you gotten him on the program? I’m probably going to be doing a board this week or next and I’d get RR if it were available and not a 9 month wait.
The change in surfbaord materials and construction and it’s acceptance is more of an evolution process. It is driven by new “outside the box” thinking and experimenting with newly developed processes and modified product applications. The acceptance of such products is a difficult and daunting journey. Having built a sandwich constructed hollow carbon fiber surfboard (the Segway Composite KOLSTOF surfboard) has taught me many lessons about the surfboard industry and the resistance to new concepts. While some embrace the notion, others are totally against the idea having never ridden or experienced the product.
I am not suggesting the KOLSTOF surfboard is the ultimate in surfboard construction, only that there are other methods of producing a product. I felt it was a way to show some alternative use of pre-existing methods and materials that could be utilized to produce, enhance, advance and exploit given technologies and designs.
I think change will come, and while the classic designs and shapes and construction materials have served the surf culture well, it is time to at least look at and consider better and/or alternatives and advancements. I love my 1949 MGTC, but would love to have a new Ferrari parked next to it!
Another aspect to keep in mind is while Bert’s surfboard construction methods are advanced and diffrent, I suspect the evolution of the sandwich epoxy construction will continue to advance. I have made many changes in the construction of the KOLSTOF board due to excellent surfer feedback as well as suggestions made by some very knowledgeable people both inside and outside the surfing industry. There are many suggestions, thoughts and observations made by people such as Bert and Greg that have allowed for further refinement and improvement of the board. It is all a learning process sometimes based on theory and/or experimentation. Failure is an important part of the learning process. I’ve learned about a lot of things not to do!
With this evolution in mind, it was determined that the big leap needed to be made in smaller steps. For this reason we started production of the EPS blanks (based on Greg Loehr’s rocker design). This has progressed to producing, in limited quantities at this time, the parabolic stringer blank (also based on Greg’s design). These are some of the ongoing steps in the advancement of the epoxy and EPS foam surfboard construction. Sandwich construction is how the KOLSTOF boards are built, so is this the ultimate? I don’t think so. I think change and improvement is constant!
One of the things I have learned is that there are no experts! A PHd and certificates on the wall does not make you an expert, however it allows you to think with better understanding about a given process or concept. Education is a wonderful thing, and learning is something we all continue to do throughout our lifetime. One simply needs to be open to ideas…
Just a thought…
Ken
what a week…
silly’s got the pubee
now we add…
poo-ee-po
the list keeps growing…sweet!
Hey Ken, congrats on your Kolstoff carbon fiber boards inclusion in the current Esquire magazine and also for your addition as one of the Emmy sponsors. Am looking forward to seeing one of your boards on the “OC.”
Status Quo Intervention Program…
Grab/kidnap KS and bring him to Cerritos College, just needs a little re-indoctrination. OK, shove him in the autoclave, Mini-me, until he agrees to our terms.
How urgent is our situation?
The driving force in many interventions is urgency and safety. Do you need to act immediately to save the person’s life, or is this an ongoing problem that does not pose an immediate threat? The answer often determines what actions can be taken.
For example, a professional surfer slowly surfing themselves into the poly/surftech grave is not in as urgent need as a man on a Swaylocks binge with the computer keyboard clenched in his hand. A family dinner where adult children gather to speak reasonably to their parents about going into treatment could get the attention of the professional surfer, whereas nothing short of an arrest for incessant posting may stop the man on a Swaylocks binge.
Intervention services for alcoholism, drug addiction, gambling, COMPUTER ADDICTION and other compulsive behaviors. (Whoops!) Nevermind…
daddio… You ARE at the Addict level!!! I think it’s catching!!!
Thanks for the congrats on the Esquire article. The Emmy’s should be fun and the exposure won’t hurt! The plan is to also display one of Greg’s finished parabolic stringer boards as well. Hopefully Greg will also be in attendance at the “Style Lounge” event.
Thanks!
Ken
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Status Quo Intervention Program…
Grab/kidnap KS and bring him to Cerritos College, just needs a little re-indoctrination. OK, shove him in the autoclave, Mini-me, until he agrees to our terms.
now that was funny …
yea ken congrats …
your doing some great stuff …
and the latest project you got going with the retro revival is so perfect for the construction you have …
regards
BERT
Nothing to do with being a visionary…Kelly’s just looking at the end of his competing career. This move is more than predictable. Personally i’d like to see him jump behind something without getting paid to do it. Reminds me of those William Shatner commercials for price.com. Doubt he’d be doing them without the paycheck. Proving something is better isn’t fun work, especially in this industry. Persistence pays. The big payoff comes when people tell you they use it because it works!!! I’m in the same shoes and wouldn’t choose to be in those shoes. 
Lets see how savvy the general public is when the word gets out that he doesn’t even ride one himself.