The desire to develop a high performance wooden bellyboard grew over a number of years. When Will wasn't surfing or SUPing he tried many different wooden bellyboards but found they weren't much different to taking a plank of wood in the ocean and designed mainly to go in a straight line. He was also fed up with the generic polystyrene bodyboards that don't last and litter UK beaches over the summer.
When Will met Sammy, a keen surfer who would happily spend all of her life in the ocean, the pair would spend many weekends scouring the coastline for something clean and peeling to surf. Whilst often they scored, there was also a lot of time felt wasted surfing messy conditions that didn't always feel worth the effort. This frustration with average UK surf conditions and the desire to be able to spend more time in the ocean having fun motivated Will to make his first KROC board for Sammy as a present.
The pair first tried the KROC boards at their local Cornish beach break on a dark October afternoon in what would normally be regarded as sub-optimal surf conditions (messy heavy close-outs). They coudn't stop smiling. Sammy was so excited and surprised by the adrenaline that she got. The feeling riding a KROC board is much more intense than regular surfing or bodyboarding picking up more speed than you'd imagine and harnessing the energy of the wave more effectively. As cheesy as it sounds you feel more 'at one' with the wave. Sammy was also so happy about how easy they were to catch waves and how effortlessly they duck dive. The KROC boards don't require much skill, if any, and depending on the conditions you could easily get barrelled on your first go.
All of a sudden there was an opportunity to have an amazing session on days that would be miserable on a surfboard. They would get excited by a heavy close out or a tiny wave that would be too small for longboarders, giving them a new appreciation for the sea.
Eager to share the enjoyment, Will and Sammy made some more KROC boards for their families and friends to have a go. The first test was Sammy's little brother, Leo, a fair weather, ‘perfect conditions only’ surfer. Here's a picture of his first session which he loved so much he was in the workshop the next day making his own KROC board. Everytime Will and Sammy let somebody have a go on one of their KROC boards it reinforced why they needed to do this.
The real test came when the local bodyboarders at Porthleven had a go. They were all surprised at how it performed, how fast it went , loved the comfort of the soft cork deck and tail design as well as the way it looked. Will listened carefully to their feedback and developed the board further - creating channels for better hold on the wave and used thicker cork for extra flotation.
Will and Sammy took their KROC boards on their post C-19 surf trips to Mexico, Sri Lanka and Tenerife, easily fitting them into their suitcase. With an unlucky week of onshore small conditions in Sri Lanka in March they were so grateful for their KROC boards which gave them that guaranteed fun!
What Will and Sammy love the most about their KROC boards is how sociable their sessions are. Far smaller and lighter than a surfboard with no nasty fins or sharp edges massively reduces the danger meaning you can share waves together much easier. It is also much more accessible. You don't need to be a surfer or a bodyboarder to get amazing waves on a KROC board even for your very first time.
