Greg Webber talks about the Banana by Slater Designs
"If only Kelly can ride them well what's the point in selling them?"
Greg Webber talks about the design of his new Banana boards created in conjunction with Slater Designs.
"Inspired by the extreme rocker boards that Greg Webber and Shane Herring developed in the early 90’s, the Banana is a far more user-friendly version that Kelly and Greg developed for intermediate to advanced surfers. It's meant to be ridden in better than average conditions. The Banana has a smooth outline curve from nose to tail, a slight bump wing in front of the fins, as well as a generous single-to-double concave bottom contour."
"The end result is an extremely high performance surfboard that can be pushed hard through turns, while holding it's own in deep barrels. In other words, the carving rail turns and extreme tube riding that Kelly was doing at Pipe on the smaller days during the 2015 Masters."
Comments
Do you think for the average to good surfer you could go a little longer on these boards? It seems the board is much more looser than a normal thruster... or is it just Kelly's angles are that much sharper?
Back in the day they made good surfers and really good surfers shithouse surfers...from watching slater ride them doesn't look like much has changed.
Also I took a look at a couple of Omni's and Schi-Fis on the weekend and I reckon he needs to up the quality control before I drop $950 on one. You could see glass weave and air bubbles in all three boards I picked up....dunno if this is common with firewires
Wouldn't call it common, ive had about 10 Firewire's now most of them have had pretty much flawless glass jobs.
I've got a Firewire (Slab) and it has a fair few tiny air bubbles. Still tough as nails and it's amazing to see how much better it is lasting than a PU. Two trips to the rocks thanks to broken leashes and only one tiny (like crumb-sized ding from that). A few hairline cracks on a rail two weekends ago - but that was from hitting me on the head so hard behind the ear it burst my ear drum and I came up dizzy.
So yeah, for $950 you'd expect no air bubbles, but at the same time, meh...they are tougher nonetheless.
Tux thats no good , the glassers under the pump , bit of a worry then they are making lots by the looks
Local surf shop owner said Slater had ordered a big batch of Slater Designs, no Firewires being made other then the new models eg Machado's etc. No idea if that's true or just waffle
Funny how everyone loves to hate on these boards, we all know they don't go good in crap to average waves, but guess what there not made to go good in crap to average waves, just like a grovel board isn't made to go good in overhead barrel's, there a specialty board made for a certain type of wave that being a punchy wave with curve or barrels.
Personally i have too many boards i want to buy as it is so wont be getting one new, but if i see one second hand at a good price id love to add one to my Indo quiver, i could see them going great in many Indo waves.
Exactly Indo. And you just know that the banana model will be especially popping up on second hand racks
Hadn't noticed until now the banana is FST. Thought SD was all LFT. Makes sense
Why didn't ol baldy ride one of these at Snapper comp
And who shaped the dog he did ride ?
Got a version of one of those in the shed. It ain't the exact Banana model but an ex-pro model made for Dayyan Neve with lotsa rocker, continuous throughout the board, plus a very deep single concave. Unlike most concaves that fade out through the fins this one runs to the tail.
Bought it about five years ago. 'Twas the board that got me thinking about the design again.
Just hope cloud break is big and clean when Fiji rolls around and well see how well Kellys banana performs.
With Udo on that woffa he had at Schnapper and he didn't look quite right at Bells either (same goes for Stu Kennedy, his board looked woeful at Bell's). If you look back at the footage of 2006 when he won it he was ripping with a turn similar to Seabas's in an 8 foot closeout on much more standard equipment. Mesmerising footage of him here though I am sure I am never going to surf waves of that quality, with no one out, and turn in those critical situations. So thats me done for the nana except as Indo said, if there is a cheap second hand one once the early adopters get frustrated with it.
The "nana"
Too good
They probably wouldn't be to bad if they flexed like those cream boards , pagey was floggin .... No good in solid conditions though .... The eternal poo man stance.
How's Slaters rio!?
But that's it, absolutely great in the pocket but seems to bog almost immediately he hits the bottom under the foam and has to force it out. Not sure how it would trim down the line, looks sluggish on the flat too.
Big Pipe pig dog, cavitating all over the place, let's wait and see.
If you want a proven board with lots of continuous rocker for rail surfing get a CI proton or the new Rook 15. Seabass showed they go OK at margies, Tom Currens 10 at J Bay on a Proton he bought at the local shop looked OK and ours are made and tweeked in Australia by Australians, designed by our USA brothers and not in some Taiwanese crap factory for peanuts. All Kellys knowledge came from Al Merrick anyway. Buy a new Aussie made stick for $800 off a good shaper, ride it for a year, look after it and sell it on Gumtree straight away for $300. Get a newy and do it again. $500 bucks a year must be the cheapest sport on the planet. Keep our local boys working in safe factories all employed lads.....Australians all let us rejoice for we are young and free with golden.....
Absolutely agree.
Exactly. Current is a Rod Dahlberg custom made.
Ah yes surfing Cronulla, our national treasure Rodney makes lovely boards and what a champ making his living from making people happy all his life.