Firewire Surfboards

[Nick Carroll]

The problem is everyone on these forums think they are experts and prefer to believe journos for their board advice over shapers. This pisses me off!

Everyone IS an expert ... on what they like.

I kind of think this is one of the big points of the past 10 years or so in surfboard making. If you're selling something to someone, you don't wanna be thinking of them as no-account dummies, or as problems. I know you don't really think that way rex, but a lot of old school boardmakers do have more than a shade of contempt for their potential customers...and it's cost 'em plenty in the past decade.

Guys who bag Surftechs for instance, do they get that they're bagging everyone out there who's got a surftech and really likes it? Wouldn't it make more sense as a boardmaker to try to find out why they like it?

And what's the issue with journalists, I'm one of 'em and also a highly experienced surfer who's been through hundreds and hundreds of boards over many years of design trends, which of those qualifications makes my advice on boards of less account than a shaper's? Heck, most surfboard reporting is just quoting shapers' opinions in the first place.

[Nick Carroll]

So I guess my question is, do you think there are some disadvatnages associated with the changed flex patterns in a parabolic stringered board in terms of unpredictability or is it simply a matter of getting used to it?

I think this would be different for everyone, it relates to style and turn timing and how quickly you can translate that good feeling you're getting from the occasional turn into other areas of your surfing.

Some people are very quick to manage this, others less so. Take your time with it I reckon, ride it on the days it seems to work best, and increase your familiarity with how to reproduce the sick, snappy, bigger-than-expected moves.

Also: not all parabolic rail boards respond like Firewires, nor do all centre stringered boards respond the same way.

[pinhead]

Just an observation regarding my firewire..

I enjoy surfing on my firewire, however I find it is really unpredictable to surf on. Sometimes I will do a turn that feels sick and real snappy and bigger than expected but other times it will do something completely different than what I was intending to do.

Is it a quad?

[Carpark King]

nup. 6'1 flexfire

[bohdidontsurf]

I have just read all 13 pages of posts on this topic (beats watching so you think you can dance) and its been fascinating reading. I am 37 and have been surfing on and off (kids/uni/work) for 20+ years. Over the last couple of years I have been surfing a couple of times a week , as much as I can really. I have to say that I am just about finished selling my last PU boards and wont be buying any more. I have just got a new quiver consisting of Firewires and a couple of Stretch F4's (not tufflites the real ones from the US). I was just sick of PU boards spliting, creasing and shattering. I am an average surfer (sometimes a very average surfer) but the boards I am riding now are not only more durable but feel livelier , to me anyway. I wouldnt ride them if they didnt work but they do for me and with the added bonus of knowing that I wont be running back to the ding repair shop every couple of weeks or throwing it away after a couple of months. By the way I have done the tufflite thing too and destroyed those just as quick as PU boards. I saw a guy riding a full hollow carbon Aviso board (Nick you would be familiar with these) the other day and will be having a test ride of that soon. The guy with the board, who weighs about 80kgs put it on the grass, stood on it and did little jumps up and down. Not a dimple crack compression or split. Try doing that with a PU board. Anyway horses for courses but as long at the design works I think its false economy to ignore durability.

[surfercross]

Buy a Sunova.Those boards are what firewire is really supossed to be.Firewires are good boards but some of the tech is left out to make pruduction cheaper.

[philw]

Out of all of this - all of this amazing new stuff that has come to light - what will make me surf better?

That's all.

[wanto]

of the 5 or so people i've seen on firewires, 2 of them could surf.

[g_u_m_b_y]

of the 5 or so people i've seen on firewires, 2 of them could surf.

of the 15 people ive seen on them, none could.
i saw some guy ripping on a fibreflex but he was doing chophops so he lost all respect

[Nick Carroll]

Out of all of this - all of this amazing new stuff that has come to light - what will make me surf better?

You will.

Equipment's just a part of a surfer's ability to put all the pieces together. You know the saying, "A bad workman blames his tools"? What makes him a bad workman is the fact that he's picked bad tools.

[philw]

>>>What makes him a bad workman is the fact that he's picked bad tools.

shit. my cynicism evaporates just like that!

[bro]

NC, you have more experience than probably anyone on these forums when it comes to boards having been fortunate enough to have boards by some of the worlds best and by doing the ASL board test for a number of years.

So if you could (and I know this is over simplfying things a lot) what would you recommend, materials wise, in order of preference for the average surfer wanting to push his limits a little by getting a good responsive board

PU
Surftech
Fibre Flex
Fire wire
Aviso
other


Or is this impossible?

[philw]

cheers bro. that's what i meant.

i don't want to have to try all of 'em to find out i can't tell the difference.

[mustkillmulloway]

look....there shit

don't buy em...even if u got the money...just make u look kookier

goodbye firewire.....just like s-core...thanks for putting ad's in the relevent magazines

YOUR DISMISSED

P.S I WANT A BOARD JUST LIKE JORDY...HE OWNS TAJ

[dreweboni]

All we need now is a Firewire SUP that is 15ft long, with a kryptonite full rail suspension system and a massive double ended penis shaped carbon paddle that is ipod enabled and plays music directly into your brain. I will name it "Fudge rocket".

[Surfa 69]

All we need now is a Firewire SUP that is 15ft long, with a kryptonite full rail suspension system and a massive double ended penis shaped carbon paddle that is ipod enabled and plays music directly into your brain. I will name it "Fudge rocket".

crackup!

For the record I'm gonna buy one myself - why? not to be a kook but to get a board which improves performance. I think its obvious parabolic rail epoxy boards are at least slightly better than pu, thats just my opinion based on all the feedback I've heard.

No1 smart could make a comment saying all people who buy these boards are kooks, I wouldn't have even said this about people riding surftechs and firewire and fiberflex are in a completely different ballpark than surftech.

[Nick Carroll]

NC, you have more experience than probably anyone on these forums when it comes to boards having been fortunate enough to have boards by some of the worlds best and by doing the ASL board test for a number of years.

So if you could (and I know this is over simplfying things a lot) what would you recommend, materials wise, in order of preference for the average surfer wanting to push his limits a little by getting a good responsive board

PU
Surftech
Fibre Flex
Fire wire
Aviso
other


Or is this impossible?

Well they all have their pluses etc. I'd be much more comfortable advising an individual surfer on precise equipment needs. But generically:

FF has the customizing advantage and a lively super-responsive feel

FW is super sick if you get one that exactly matches your volume needs

PU is just fine still, but will always feel the way it always has, so if you want materials to excite you, it's not the answer

Surftech is OK but lacks the customizing advantage of PU and FF and the flex liveliness of FF and FW

Aviso has yet to find its true slot and is out of most guys' price range, though the DVS fishy looks pretty f**ken sick to me.

Generally, rule one with surfboards: If in doubt, trust the designer. What's your experience of the designer's skills. How does his work match your needs. This still matters more than materials advances, since design (and high performance surfing) has been ahead of materials for a very long time. Things like FW, FF etc etc are beginning to help materials cross this very wide gap, but still have a way to go IMO.

[Nick Carroll]

cheers bro. that's what i meant.

i don't want to have to try all of 'em to find out i can't tell the difference.

Well there ya go. Turn that on its head. Find a way to try all of 'em out of surf stoke and you'll get somewhere. They all have test days and demo models these days. Give it a whirl and see for yourself.