Monsta Box 2019 SBIA Surfboard of the Year

Our Monsta Box, the SBIA Board of the Year for 2019, as voted on by surf shops around Australia for the second year running.

Flores wins France

Jeremy, on top of the world at home in Hossegor. All photos by Ryan Miller & Jack Barripp. 

Glass Ceiling Of Happiness - Kai Hing

Kai Hing’s surfing and travels through Indonesia, South Africa, and Australia. Shot in 2019.

Board breakdowns, below (he's 5'10" / 68kg):

Parko's Maldives Quiver

Parko, ready for every division at one of surfing's most fun and original events. More info and board breakdowns, below:

Ryan's Twin Fin Grin

One session in Bali, with R-Cal and his Black Baron twin. The first thing we noticed? He's going faster and having more fun than just about any other surf clip we've seen this year. Enjoy! Clip by Alessio Saraifoger 

Mateus Herdy joins the Traktor Team

"I always thought JS made the best boards in the world. Now I know for sure."  

He's the WSL World Junior Champion, one of Brazil's brightest prospects for the next decade, and the type of talent we know will push us to innovate constantly to create even better surfboards. Here's one minute with Mateus, filmed during a few sessions in Australia on a fresh batch from JS. We can't wait to see what he'll do with the rest of this year and beyond. Filming by Ian Tavares, edit by Dan Scott & photos by Peter Boskovic. Board breakdowns, below (he's 5'8" / 60kg): 

WIN Occy's Raging Bull from Bells

The great man is back in a big way since his Bells heritage heat, and to celebrate, we're giving away the exact Raging Bull he rode to beat Tom Curren. The winner will be drawn July 1, 2019 from our Traktor Board Riders Club, so if you're not a member already, all you have to do is sign up here.

Also included is a TBRC gift pack with some of our favoruite merch, and a $500 AUD Billabong voucher. Further details, below:

Occy's Bells Quiver

Occ’s surfing and training regime in the last 12 months has seen him in the water more and fitter than he has been for years. Last winter, he started spending extra time working with JS on an updated quiver, then jumped on some Billabong trips to WA and Hawaii, throwing down some of his best performances in recent memory. And now, he has a heritage heat with Tom Curren at Bells to reignite the fire even further. 

In honour of the great man’s return to form, we’re updating his original Raging Bull shortboard and Bullseye step down. This quiver also includes a beautiful 6’5” Raging Bull channel bottom that’s a throwback to what he rode during the infamous Bells domination at the skins event 20 years ago. 

With JS riding similar, generously proportioned dims in his own boards lately too, he’s managed to dial in exactly what Occ needs to keep performance surfing easy at 52 years young. And considering how much Occy and Jase have loved these last two batches, it might be the only type of shortboard that gets Parko out of twin fin retirement and back onto a thruster. 

Quiver details, below:

Stab and RedBull's No Contest Gold Coast

Just before the CT circus really kicked into gear for the 2019 WSL Season Opener in our backyard, we held a few #TraktorTeam R&D sessions to get everyone excited and prepare for the year ahead together. All of the CT crew from Julian to young gun Mateus Herdy prioritised their most high performance shortboards, while Parko and Occ couldn't get enough of the Black Baron twin fins. And thankfully, we invited STAB & RedBull Surfing along for the ride too. Clip above, dims below:

Mikey Wright in DUST

Our favourite edit of the year so far, Dust is STAB's new profile film on everything that went into Mikey's road to qualification throughout 2018. Injuries, honest insights, and of course, the kind of surfing that stops you in your tracks. Long form interview over here, and full board breakdowns, below (he's 6'0" / 75kg):