Introducing the Firewire DRK, the winning design of Stab In The Dark X starring Kelly Slater, designed by Dan Mann in the I-Bolic 2.0 Technology.

Dan drew inspiration from the original shape he crafted for Kelly when first asked to make the 11x World Champion some boards, the DRK is a refined version of the FRK designed for high-performance surfing in good waves. When Dan shaped the original batch of FRKs for Kelly in 2015, they sat in his board shed until 2017 when a friend insisted he try one. He loved that board from the very first turn on it, he immediately clicked and felt he could mindsurf anywhere he wanted to on the wave, it drove and jumped to exactly where he wanted to go.

Kelly's FRK shapes went unchanged until 2022 for the Barra de la Cruz event when he wanted to change the rail and foil to be more balanced under his chest. And then once more before a trip to J-Bay in 2023, when he asked Dan to push the wide point forward making the back half of the board more narrow than the FRK, allowing for a more elliptical, pulled-in tail. More narrow meant more sensitivity, and more need to be on top of your game.

The DRK came to be with great care to keep the features that make the FRK such a great board, like fin placement, bottom contours, and rocker. It's a high-performance, refined, simple, and clean version of a high-performance shape that is surprisingly versatile in various conditions. As he does with all of Kelly's shapes, Dan made the fin cluster conducive to changing between Quad and Thruster configurations. Kelly's been riding with his all-new Slater Designs Endorfins KSR Fin Set.

The Firewire DRK surfboard in the new Ibolic 2.0 technology.

Ibolic construction is a leap forward in surfboard manufacturing with the best elements of LFT and Helium combined. This Patent Pending technology is built into the core blank construction to create preloaded structural flex together with structure strength and durability. The FRK+ has Fibre Reinforced I-Beam high density foam stringer down the centre with Parabolic Rail Springers from nose to tail. There are three independent points for flex control and break resistance. I-Beam ensures firmness underfoot and unparalleled strength. The two Parabolic Rail Springers enable even flex and give great recoil through your turns. I-BOLIC Technology is an engineering feat that builds performance into the core of the surfboard there are no external carbon layups or heavy laminations with this cracking tech. What this all means is that get a board that is stronger than a helium board and has the feel of an LFT with even faster recoil, this tech is really nicely weighted too- you'll surfer faster and harder all in the knowledge that the Ibolic tech is Firewire's toughest yet. .

Boardshop is stoked to be a key partner for Firewire surfboards across Europe and beyond, we've been with them since the very start. Firewire surfboards are more durable than other surfboard manufacturing processes, and for 90% of surfers they will improve your surfing. Firewire is pushing the limits of applying new technology and innovation to surfboard design and always has an eye on the environmental impact of what they do, they truly are different to the other board companies out there.

We're happy to consider trading in your old board against a new Firewire, so If you have any questions about this we'd be delighted to answer them and advise on any potential board choices or enquiries you might have, just drop us an email to [email protected] or call us on 0044 (0) 1243 674250.