Firewire

[kayu]

Good topic this , a lot of things the average punter woudn't bother asking about , but should be told...the old phrase " support your local" is always true......and not just with surfboards

[buzzy]

I don't agree with the notion that a Firewire is functional but disposable, although I kind of see where this comes from. I have one firewire board (an Alternator) and I'm totally rapped in the performance. In my experience the Firewire technology has more spring out of the turn...it feels great. It also seems pretty durable, particularly for the weight. But the light weight has a downside I reckon in strong offshores or just strong winds generally.

I may well consider a Josh Dowling board in compsand technology as I'm totally sold. Before I head down that path though I'll probably try one more stock firewire so I get a better feel for likes and dislikes against fairly predicable parameters. I'd love to see what Josh and Firewire find a way to put a little more weight in the boards but maintain the flex (for those windy days). Mind you, I'd love to see more traditional shapers start using the parabolic rails and epoxy - that way I can get the technology benefits with the close relationship you develop with a local shaper.

Anyway, I have way more conventional boards than Firewires but I definitely think they're the real deal and I'll definitely get another.

[Wingnut]

Buzzy,

I agree that Firewire's go great but they aren't glassed to last (single 4oz on deck ), the only thing giving the impression they aren't disposable is the price...

[buzzy]

I don't know how it works but I've had no dings or pressure dings on that board. So far it's more durable than a normal board.

[Rico]

aren't glassed to last (single 4oz on deck )

Keep in mind that the glassing is not the only layer between you and the foam. There is that "high density aerospace composite" layer which, I agree with buzzy, is very hard to compress.

[pinhead]

Buzzy,

I agree that Firewire's go great but they aren't glassed to last (single 4oz on deck ), the only thing giving the impression they aren't disposable is the price...

Wingnut - "normal" glassing schedules aren't relevant when you're talking about sandwich tech like Firewire.
The foam they use in their skins - Corecell is 3x the density of PU foam and has 3x the impact resistance. A single layer of 4oz over Corecell would be like three layers of 4oz over PU.

I'd expect a FW to last years longer than a PU board. The only thing you have to watch for is if the board has any holes that take water - this has far worse consequences than for PU.

[Wingnut]

Well they're doing something wrong then because I've seen heaps of delams, snapped boards & golf ball decks?

[pinhead]

Corecell is a kind of beige colour. Looks like they were spraying the foam white and then glassing it. With some batches it looked like they were getting too much paint causing poor bonding. Which would cause delams and golf balling.

[alakaboo]

good posts....interesting
this is how boards are valued second hand ( please note....a prawn brocker even with surf knowledge will stick with the scale...and keep the orginal M>R twinny for himself and put in on ebay for a grand after paying $25 for it)

pretty much the same scale my brothers used when working at a big surfshop. They only aimed to make $50 though...

p.s....seafood the price seafood hasn't risen all that much in 30 years....only product i can find...maybe it's a sea thing that keeps prices low :?

again, cheap imports from Asia...usually at the expense of the natural environment. huge clearing of mangroves for prawn ponds.

[mustkillmulloway]

the only import seafood i buy ...i'd use as bait

not eating that shit

but i got green prawns.....aussie .....$12 a kilo for tea tonight

lots garlic....too much **** milk.....and thicken cream.....basil fresh from tha backyard on a bed rice...nice....but no winner...recipes a work in progress i want something knock u bloody taste buds off.....got figure the sauce

regardless...@ $12 a kilo.....fresh oz prawns...is a bloody bargain.....same price as a decade ago

[alakaboo]

all that rain's good for something.

ditch the cream, add some lemongrass and ginger fried in the pan with the garlic.
Tiny bit of soy, fish sauce and chilli sauce in the coconut milk. Not the sweet kind.

[jack18]

hey guys,
some interesting arguments going back and forth. Personally I have been pretty impressed the boards I've got from Firewire. I got a Flexfire a year ago and I genuinely been stoked with its integrity and performance. After researching a bit, and from my loyalty to the flexfire I've been riding non stop for the past year, I decided to get a Hellfire and Sweet Potato. I'm sure others can relate to this, I actually had a pretty hard time finding a solid Firewire Stockist. I eventually got put onto these guys by word of mouth - http://www.naturalnecessity.com.au, I had a few questions before I bought, and there staff here able to help out quite well for all the questions I had, with variables in size, fins etc. I've only had a few sessions on the Sweet Potato but it goes insane..! I got a 5'4 and I can't believe how fun it is in small waves, you get going so fast on even the fattest waves it blew me away, and still seems to have a good amount of hold (doesn't skate out at all)

Havn't ridden the Hellfire but heard they are good. So yeah if you're looking at a new board, Natural Necessity might be a place to look, Free Shipping was definitely a bonus as well..! http://www.naturalnecessity.com.au

[PeepeelaPew]

...

[jack18]

lol sorry Legion bud, you going to cyber punch me are ya big fella? haha i'm sure you feel like a big man dropping the c-bomb? i'll share my opinion with other open minded people, have a good one

[PeepeelaPew]

...

[jack18]

hahhaha Nope, i'm afraid none of the above. anyway I've got better things to do then to listen to some pathetic kid go on a rant about nothing, you obviously haven't, so have fun there big fella

[jimmy]

hahhaha Nope, i'm afraid none of the above. anyway I've got better things to do then to listen to some pathetic kid go on a rant about nothing, you obviously haven't, so have fun there big fella

Get a dog up ya Jack.. Legion has been around a lot longer than you and contributes in areas other than the Firewire thread.. You come across like an interested party from Firewire..

Can I ask you which world champ has ever ridden one of your boards? And why does Taj say on twitter that he just got a couple of good boards OUT OF THE 20 OR SO HE GOT? Shouldn't they all be the same?

Just saying....

[Hatchnam]

natural necessity is an embarrassing surf shop
it's wall to wall tufflite
just cringeworthy stuff
you'd be flat out finding a decent PU board in there
walking into that shop feels like walking into an Ikea or Lego Land store stuck out in some sleepy boondocks
bring your own banjo and garnier fructis hair gel