SURF Buyer's Guide

Most surfers would have said that Kelly Slater was “under-gunned” (riding too small of a board) when he paddled out at the 2008 Billabong Pipeline Masters on a 5′11.” Pipe’s heaving barrels traditionally send professional surfers running for a board in the seven-foot range. But Slater has been tinkering with board shapes, and through “guessing” (in his own words) and trial and error, he came up with the surfboard he dubs “Deep Six.” This is the board that took him to the top of the Pipe Masters’ podium for the sixth time in his career.

The round-pin-tail Deep Six marries two pre-existing shapes—Kelly’s 7′0″ Channel Islands K-Step (named for what pros call a “step-up” board—in between a performance shortboard and a big-wave gun) and the 6′0″ K-Board.

“I messed around, flattened the rocker, lengthened the tail and figured out how to fit this nose on it,” said Slater in an interview with Surfline’s Marcus Sanders.

Most noticeably, Slater also moved the wide point of the board forward. The wide nose and flattened rocker make it possible to catch waves early (important in fast, hollow surf), while the narrow tail and short overall length allow for shortboard-like adjustments in the pit. The combination adds up to a single board that works like two: pressure the nose for speed and stability, or weight the back foot for loose maneuverability. Slater also added that, “fin placement was further up,” increasing the radius of the turns.

Watch the video (below) to see the Deep Six in action during the Pipe Masters final.

A Deep Six model isn’t available yet from Channel Islands, but inspired surfers should take a cue from Kelly (and make a note of the specs: 5′11″ long x 18.5  inches wide x 2 .5 inches thick), and get to work with a shaper.—SBG

Do you know of other boards that surf like the Deep Six? Fill us in by leaving a comment on this article.