Introducing Kelly Slater's First Ever Performance Midlength

Firewire Surfboards and Slater Designs are thrilled to announce the release of the BOSS UP, the first ever performance midlength surfboard model from 11X World Champion Kelly Slater and his longtime surfboard design collaborator Dan Mann, now available to order.

An evolution of his popular S BOSS model, released this past February, Kelly Slater describes the BOSS UP design’s intent “for whoever wants to just cruise, catch waves and have fun.”

However, the versatile nature of the BOSS UP design ranging in sizes from 6’6” to 7’6” lends itself to a whole range of conditions. Slater elaborates: “I did see a video of Michel Bourez getting a crazy barrel in Tahiti on a BOSS UP… Shane [Dorian] and I have been talking about trying this thing on a big day at Laniakea or Sunset [Beach].”

The creative process between Slater and Mann in designing the BOSS UP was much different than their prior efforts towards creating the S BOSS, which spanned a four-year period of research and development before launch.

“The BOSS UP is the bigger brother of the S BOSS,” explained Dan Mann. “I surprised Kelly with the BOSS UP. He didn’t know we were working on a performance midlength until I showed him the first sample. And thankfully, he wasn’t just surprised, he was stoked.”

With regards to everyday surfers, Dan Mann thinks the longer rail line on the BOSS UP will elevate sensations of drive and control not common in shorter rail lines.

“Draw out your bottom turns. Do wide wrapping cutbacks. The BOSS UP can elevate your surfing game, and help you learn to link together turns and put together full waves,” Mann elaborated. “Long rail lines force you to learn good fundamentals, but they’re also just pure fun. The BOSS UP offers an incredible mix of progressing your performance capabilities and maximizing the fun you can have in a single session.”

For optimizing its performance, both Kelly and Dan suggest pairing the BOSS UP with fin options found in Kelly’s signature Endorfins range of fin templates. In small waves, Kelly suggests his signature ‘Twin + 2’ template, sharing: “In really small waves, you get a little more lift with the Twin [+2 Template], so you get a little quicker turning radius.” While in larger waves, Kelly firmly recommends his KS1 template, set up in the quad configuration.

Built in I-Bolic Technology and most notable for its application to a near universal cross-section of surfers, skill levels and wave types, the BOSS UP represents a continued intersection of Kelly Slater’s pursuit of high- performance progression and Dan Mann’s mission to make performance surfing accessible to all by design.

Releasing today, the BOSS UP has the potential to be a one board quiver for any surfer seeking a single shape to surf in all conditions. Explore additional features, benefits, and info on the BOSS UP.

About I-Bolic Technology:
Firm, drivey and reassuring underfoot, I-Bolic excels at enabling drive, hold and precision. Ideal for powerful surfing in quality waves, I-Bolic Technology is the preferred choice of Kelly Slater and the Slater Designs team. I-Bolic engineering creates a core with three separate points of flex control including an I-Beam down center for unrivaled break strength, and high-density foam in both rails from nose to tail.