Firewire

[pinhead]

Im not gonna fight out a long argument here.!

that's a sensible approach, because its an argument you'll lose. FWs have a more complex construction hence more points of failure. But put a properly built one against a PU/PE of equal weight and it's no contest for durability.

BTW I have nothing to do with the surf industry and have no financial interest in any surfboard tech. I've been making FW type boards since before FW existed - I wasn't that enthusiastic about their early attempts, but the boards I see in shops now generally look and feel pretty sweet. Not that keen on the shapes but some are. I make myself a new board about once a year when I want to add a new shape to my quiver, (too lazy to make them for other people) After riding and shaping a couple of techs I can't see myself going back to PU/PE. I like light and strong with a bit of flex to soak up the bumps.

[pointboardrider]

But put a properly built one against a PU/PE of equal weight and it's no contest for durability.

Yeah sure i agree with ya. Im pretty good with my normal glas boards...I can actually get around 3 - 5 years out of them. No snappages lately thank fark, but stll the decks all sink. Im pretty surprised though that Firewire decks sink. Im not saying all of the decks sink, they boards I have seen have though. I was fairly interested till I found this out. Also is it true that with a Firewire once you get a crack, it has to be fixed otherwise it will continue to grow? Also if your deck sunk would it throw the balance of the board out more due to the construction?

[pinhead]

Im pretty surprised though that Firewire decks sink. I'm not saying all of the decks sink, they boards I have seen have though. I was fairly interested till I found this out. Also is it true that with a Firewire once you get a crack, it has to be fixed otherwise it will continue to grow? Also if your deck sunk would it throw the balance of the board out more due to the construction?

I believe FW went through a period where they experimented with different materials and build schedules and some boards went to market that had problems like you mention. I don't think they still have these issues though. Like I said the construction method is complex so there are more things that can go wrong - and the consequences are more serious - the EPS core will drink water if the board gets holed - the balsa will go soggy and moldy if it gets saturated. So if you see anything that looks like water is getting into it - you need to get it properly repaired. PU/PE can go wrong too, cutting too much off the deck of the blank, sand throughs, cooking the fin plugs with too much catalyst, slicing the tip of your finger off by accidently touching the planner blades as they were spinning down and decorating a freshly shaped blank with a spurt of blood etc.

[bohdidontsurf]

Im pretty surprised though that Firewire decks sink. I'm not saying all of the decks sink, they boards I have seen have though. I was fairly interested till I found this out. Also is it true that with a Firewire once you get a crack, it has to be fixed otherwise it will continue to grow? Also if your deck sunk would it throw the balance of the board out more due to the construction?

I believe FW went through a period where they experimented with different materials and build schedules and some boards went to market that had problems like you mention. I don't think they still have these issues though. Like I said the construction method is complex so there are more things that can go wrong - and the consequences are more serious - the EPS core will drink water if the board gets holed - the balsa will go soggy and moldy if it gets saturated. So if you see anything that looks like water is getting into it - you need to get it properly repaired. PU/PE can go wrong too, cutting too much off the deck of the blank, sand throughs, cooking the fin plugs with too much catalyst, slicing the tip of your finger off by accidently touching the planner blades as they were spinning down and decorating a freshly shaped blank with a spurt of blood etc.

Cant say I didnt piss myself at the finger on the planer blade joke. I saw a guy turn on an angle grinder while holding the blade with the other hand once, the funny thing was he was talking to me when he did it and pretended that the big piece of finger he was missing wasnt anything to stop the conversation for.

[Haz]

If you can't get your head around a Firewire or another tech board, I highly recommend the TL2's. Rides exactly like a PU, but still got the strengths of a tuflite (fast, strong) while fixing the problems (buoyancy, corkiness etc). If you find a TL2 that fits your normal dimensions, get it NOW NOW NOW!

[LONGINUS]

Given the Resin8s are currently a US product and the state of the $AUD you can only wish them well.

I hear you Rick, we are the exclusive online reseller in Australia and we have done our absolute best to ring the price down on the Resin8's but $900 is the best we can do. .

I met a guy in bali who bought one of those, i think a pro model 6'2 squash tail Sam Egan.Everyone who rode it loved it. a couple went on and bought there own.
It was ridden/tested at a lot of breaks between g-land and lombok, but the guy says hes too big for it now.

Yah, the pro models are pretty highly tuned. I'm 90Kg and waaay too heavy for the pro models but a better surfer would get a lot more out of it. Sam put a lot of effort into coming up with weight recommendations for each size / shape and they are spot on.

[pridmore]

the wax is great..bit of rash but plenty of grip....its the shitttte.... I often wonder why the other pros arent riding Firewires or similar ??? if they are so much better or even a tiny bit of an advantage, surely the pros would want to be on them ??? even though they are sponsored by other board labels, surely some or even just a few would be riding them for this performance benefit ??? Not knocking the boards, just wondering ??? Johno, by getting the Firewire, do you hope to surf more like Taj ? have a look how Taj surfed before he rode them, when he rode PU's from Webber and co...he surfed just the same mate, dont be fooled by marketing hype, sure try the boards and if you like them, get one, but just buy for the right reasons, again not being negative anout firewire or any boards, just lots of marketing hype and not even Taj is on em now so gotta wonder why ???? JMO

Marketing Hype - your kidding right?? Fat Bat travelling round the east coast just as a kind gesture for all your brother surfers right? Cmon, I admire and respect what your doing and hope you do well out of it, but your no different to FW. No one markets on this site like you. I have a couple of FW's and love them, I have tried some of their shapes and they didnt work for me BUT..... I have given all of them a massive flogging and hardly a dent. Tough as and a joy to ride. Much rather pay the extra couple of hundred and have something last. BTW lots of pros ride them. Brent Dorrington has been riding them and his old man shapes PU boards.

It is actually a fun thing for fellow surfers to enjoy, thats is the main reason I did it and main reason I surf, FUN. If i get some promo from it and some feedback than thats great too, but it never was planned as a big marketing scheme like you have suggested...anyway, no apologies for self promoting coz if I dont, I would be a fool and my kids would go without and for you to say spade for spade makes me laugh but thanks ( i think ), no way is what I do on the $0 budget can be same as Firewire. My info about their boards has come from discussing them with customers who have owned one so if it is bad info then it has come from Firewire owners. Elbows, thanks for your comments and glad you are enjoying the project, me too and many others, its been fun. at the risk of marketing again, I will just let you know boards start from $499 but if you wanna discuss further, please pm me or go to my web-site....

[Wingnut]

This is a little bit sideways, off the topic. Regarding FW and their no stringer timber rails. I can see how that might work regarding flex, as timber will flex linearly and has a memory. My query is with the carbon railed FF made by hayden. With carbon being so stiff no natural memory and with it so much stronger than the foam, wouldn't the boards twist laterally instead flexing linearly?

I believe that it's the way the fibers are laid that determines the flex direction.

[Wingnut]

The carbon does actually flex, it all depends on the weave, direction of the fibres & the amount resin surrounding the fibres.

I do a lot of bike racing & constantly read that various manufactures constructing frames/forks with carbon fibre have certain carbon inlays that can make the bike vertically compliant but laterally stiff. Basically they are tuning the bike for the feel desired.

[bohdidontsurf]

the wax is great..bit of rash but plenty of grip....its the shitttte.... I often wonder why the other pros arent riding Firewires or similar ??? if they are so much better or even a tiny bit of an advantage, surely the pros would want to be on them ??? even though they are sponsored by other board labels, surely some or even just a few would be riding them for this performance benefit ??? Not knocking the boards, just wondering ??? Johno, by getting the Firewire, do you hope to surf more like Taj ? have a look how Taj surfed before he rode them, when he rode PU's from Webber and co...he surfed just the same mate, dont be fooled by marketing hype, sure try the boards and if you like them, get one, but just buy for the right reasons, again not being negative anout firewire or any boards, just lots of marketing hype and not even Taj is on em now so gotta wonder why ???? JMO

Marketing Hype - your kidding right?? Fat Bat travelling round the east coast just as a kind gesture for all your brother surfers right? Cmon, I admire and respect what your doing and hope you do well out of it, but your no different to FW. No one markets on this site like you. I have a couple of FW's and love them, I have tried some of their shapes and they didnt work for me BUT..... I have given all of them a massive flogging and hardly a dent. Tough as and a joy to ride. Much rather pay the extra couple of hundred and have something last. BTW lots of pros ride them. Brent Dorrington has been riding them and his old man shapes PU boards.

It is actually a fun thing for fellow surfers to enjoy, thats is the main reason I did it and main reason I surf, FUN. If i get some promo from it and some feedback than thats great too, but it never was planned as a big marketing scheme like you have suggested...anyway, no apologies for self promoting coz if I dont, I would be a fool and my kids would go without and for you to say spade for spade makes me laugh but thanks ( i think ), no way is what I do on the $0 budget can be same as Firewire. My info about their boards has come from discussing them with customers who have owned one so if it is bad info then it has come from Firewire owners. Elbows, thanks for your comments and glad you are enjoying the project, me too and many others, its been fun. at the risk of marketing again, I will just let you know boards start from $499 but if you wanna discuss further, please pm me or go to my web-site....

Mark your hilarious. You covered 3 of the 4 P's of marketing right there. If you want to kid yourself that your somehow different than FW and not fighting for a dollar that will buy a board, maybe yours, then go ahead. If the people you were speaking to about their FW's were stoked on them, why would they be coming to you? Truth be told not everyone who rides the fat bat is going to love it. Cant deny the obvious.

[pridmore]

some of the guys who came to me still liked their firwires but most werent happy with quality, some had broken 2. I never said everyone will like a Fat-Bat and I know that . I did the project for fun and maybe a bit of promo too, never did I think or say that everyone would like the board, but I and others have had fun...you can compare my small scale marketing to FW, if you want, thanks alot, take it as a compliment. Yes I do want to compete for a dollar but who doesnt who is self employed ???. all started when you said that I was kidding about marketing 'hype' and there was alot of hype around the whole firwire thing, nobody can deny that.... You seem to like to argue over small issues such as this and I have enjoyed your arguments with others on the forums and agin you are good entertainment but I am not going to continue this anymore, but thanks again .....

if I was a shameless marketer, I would have mentioned that I am shaping Tom Carroll a quaddy ATM but nah, wont bother coz dont wanna big note...

[bohdidontsurf]

some of the guys who came to me still liked their firwires but most werent happy with quality, some had broken 2. I never said everyone will like a Fat-Bat and I know that . I did the project for fun and maybe a bit of promo too, never did I think or say that everyone would like the board, but I and others have had fun...you can compare my small scale marketing to FW, if you want, thanks alot, take it as a compliment. Yes I do want to compete for a dollar but who doesnt who is self employed ???. all started when you said that I was kidding about marketing 'hype' and there was alot of hype around the whole firwire thing, nobody can deny that.... You seem to like to argue over small issues such as this and I have enjoyed your arguments with others on the forums and agin you are good entertainment but I am not going to continue this anymore, but thanks again .....

if I was a shameless marketer, I would have mentioned that I am shaping Tom Carroll a quaddy ATM but nah, wont bother coz dont wanna big note...

I certainly don't want to hitch my wagon to bohdi's little show, But I have to say without doubt you are the most accomplished marketer of surfboards i have ever seen. You're honest, grass roots, direct, self effacing, humble, know when to back out of an argument, relentless and constantly positive. Nothing to be ashamed of. Be proud, though not too proud cause ... well you know. Some other people who try to use this site as a tool to sell their product (Longinius) would be well served to take a leaf out of your book. My only criticism would be spruiking the cheap price of the boards. It can look like your trying to undercut the competition, and it may only serve to lessen the perception of the product. One might think if the boards are good why are they so cheap. Not my thoughts just a theory.

Im pretty sure you were taking the piss but you have now mentioned on every thread you've posted that you're shaping a board for TC.

Anyway good luck.

Gee I dont know Mark, I reckon Dinosaur might want to take you out to dinner, then a movie, then back to his house for so he can show you his FAT... bat.

[bohdidontsurf]

[quote="pridmore"]some of the guys who came to me still liked their firwires but most werent happy with quality, some had broken 2. I never said everyone will like a Fat-Bat and I know that . I did the project for fun and maybe a bit of promo too, never did I think or say that everyone would like the board, but I and others have had fun...you can compare my small scale marketing to FW, if you want, thanks alot, take it as a compliment. Yes I do want to compete for a dollar but who doesnt who is self employed ???. all started when you said that I was kidding about marketing 'hype' and there was alot of hype around the whole firwire thing, nobody can deny that.... You seem to like to argue over small issues such as this and I have enjoyed your arguments with others on the forums and agin you are good entertainment but I am not going to continue this anymore, but thanks again .....

if I was a shameless marketer, I would have mentioned that I am shaping Tom Carroll a quaddy ATM but nah, wont bother coz dont wanna big note... [/quote]

Yeah ok point taken.......dont mention you are shaping a quad for Tom Carroll,,,,,,,,,,,,, cause that would be big noting yourself, oh, you already did hmmmmmmmm.

[Clif]

Where and who makes resin8s?

Same with FW?

Are either ecologically sound?

What are the working conditions?

There is something in buying local to offset carbon travel ... and supporting a fellow surfer/s

all important considerations on top of how a board goes, for me.

Love, a hippy.

[LONGINUS]

Where and who makes resin8s?

Same with FW?

Are either ecologically sound?

What are the working conditions?

There is something in buying local to offset carbon travel ... and supporting a fellow surfer/s

all important considerations on top of how a board goes, for me.

Love, a hippy.

Yep, most epoxy boards are made overseas. The main reason is access to technology. Vacuum seal technology just doesent exist in Australia. You know the cool little vacuum sealed shrink wrapped towels and T-Shirts in the shape of a surfboard? Cant be done in Australia. The best expoxy laminating process requires this technology and so thats where they are made. Working conditions? It's very far from a chinaman with a durry in one hand pulling on a lever while a 13 year old kid runs between the jaws of the press to set the logo. Some of the factories that make epoxy boards tool up after a surfboard production round and make precision artificial plastic heart parts.

A carbon neutral board is a great idea though, I was chatting to Mark Pridmore about exactly that. I'm going to get an auditor to work it out. Shouldnt be too hard to calculate the total emissions from production and then work out how much you have to pay to offset them. Would be interested to see how many tonnes of CO2 goes up the pipe to make a standard PU/PE Board versus an Epoxy. Once you have offset you get to slap a pretty NO CO2 sticker on it. I'm betting it would make a $500 board about $900. Not sure in this economic climate how successful it would be. Only have to look at how the government has shrunk away from ulturistic Green projects and sold out on emission reductions / carbon trading at the moment.

Dino - whooo, yeahhh man - -- whoooo DINO! - party on dino..party on man.

[Clif]

Ahhh I am now a long way from Bullet, Legacy of Brutality, and Night of the Living Dead. I probably should revisit though ... Drunk, with a tallie of VB in hand, a bourbon in the other

[Clif]

We seem to be a long way from sustainable surfboards huh? I like the image of the China factory, in a warped way. Durry in hand, resin in other. It always used to make me laugh when I worked in West Burleigh at the factory sanding while some of the lads did this. Always waited for the BOOM.

[PeepeelaPew]

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