Firewires

cookie cutter boards.

 

You must have an Angel watching over you!!! The man that makes my boards does FW warranty work and always has one in his shop getting repairs from dings, delams, bad boxes, etc....Tells me they are junk. Some people are just harder on boards than others. Count your blessings!!

 

I've had one since Aug 2009. It survived many a good session, a couple of trips on planes, and yesterday when I landed square on top of it.
I think the construction is very durable and lasts a good while longer than PU boards. Maybe I just lucked-out. I'd buy another one. Keep in-mind, most boards are "cookie cutter" boards. Boards these days are made with robotic shaping machines using tried and true specs...Kind of like Firewires.

 

have 3 right now.. ordering another soon.. been riding them for over 8 years.. no problems.. love them

 

ggiimmmee the el fuego

they definetly dont ride the same as PU boards...firewires are much more responsive under the feet.

the downside is the price, especially since they are made in thailand.
( source - http://www.firewiresurfboards.com/technology.php?techid=faq#faq110 )

 

I love my Firewire. I bought it used, it was buckled and I had it repaired and its been my go to board ever since. Almost going on a year now since I got it. It even got washed into a jetty once last winter and didnt even get dinged!

I'd like to check out a Coil sometime for my next board, they are supposedly really durable as well and are made here in the states, based out of Florida I think. Regardless, I think alternative constructions that are more durable and last longer are the way to go.

 

ive had lots of diff boards all diff construction many of which were hand shaped in USA... however IMO firewires are sick, love my dominator and alternator. plus they are durable enough to kitesurf with when the wind is up (i know a bunch of narrow minded losers on here will whine "well why would you do that, kitesurfings not a sport, who cares blah blah") try that with a pu board itll snap in 5 min. and they last 3x longer than a pu board so the price is worth it. not to mention if u ever manage to actually break one that u loved u can go get the same damn board which is nice. and for the record, the same "hard core surfers" who cry about FWs not being hand shaped in America prob drive foreign cars, watch tv on foreign made electronics, wear clothes made in asian sweat shops by little kids, and occupy wall street and their mom's basement

 

My reason is...COIL.

Hand shaped, to my specs, in the USA with the same durability and flex characteristics as a FireWire.

I'm a bigger than average surfer, and off the rack PU boards were not holding up for me. Off the rack boards don't usually fit my size/shape/tastes either. I can get a coil tweaked to my liking.

That said, I looked long and hard at firewires before I went with coil. I'd still like to try one. I've heard mostly good things about them.

 

Most are, but would you rather have a big named machine shaped, robotic board like the firewire or dumpster diver? or would you rather go a few blocks down the road to your local shaper and getting a 100% locally handshaped, board that actually has a signature stating the this was a genuine creation..... not to mention the fact that cookie cutter boards are a general board, meaning they're made for a general populous. if you want something that will ride best in your local surf conditions, then going to someone who has local knowledge would be the smart option. Al merricks and firewires are just as good as the chinese popout version of canyon surfboards.

 

Personal preference, but I would go Coil over FW. The guys at Coil will work with you. FW, on the other hand, you buy what they give you. Plus Coil is made in the USA.

On a more important note: I pulled this thread up and the AdChoices in the side bar as a Thai girl dating/mail order bride ad or something. I was wondering why until I saw the multiple references to Thailand in this thread. Found it humorous.

And to pierpit1: Try to pull your head out of your a$$ long enough to grab a couple breaths of fresh air--you will realize the difference between autos, clothes, electronics and something traditionally hand crafted like a surfboard..... It's not rocket surgery, I have faith in you.

 

wish i can get some Thailand Ads, i been stuck with the same stupid girl posing on a goof-board for so long! oh god she's watching me type this.

 

I am general surf populus. I don't surf like Slater, do air reverses, or go snap 6 boards a year. I like to keep a board around for a few years that I can rely on. I have found that my Firewire rides just as good if not better than any east coast shaped board I've owned. PLUS it hasn't dinged, de-lammed, or yellowed yet. It actually saved me money. I believe in supporting your US shaper etc, but shape me a board that rides well and lasts a long time, then we'll talk turkey. Nev Hyman is a serious shaper who's been around forever and most of FW's shapes were designed by him. Canyons and Surfboards Australia are cheap popout Asian Boards with absolutely no emphasis on design or peformance. I dunno, I guess I drank the Firewire Koolaid.

 

Every time i hear "Firewire," I can't help throwing in "Sunova." They're hard to get and expensive, but they will absolutely blow your mind. I like to say they feel like a Firewire on steroids.

 

It completely depends on whether the guy a few blocks down the road is going to make a better board for me than the dumpster diver, or not. Some can, some cant. I bought a 5'8" Xanadu Gipos last year that may well have had machines, robots, and AutoCAD programs involved in its creation. But guess what, it works great at the spots in my backyard. I've got some locally shaped boards that are great as well. My guess is that Xanadu, Al Merrick, AND SOME of the local guys down the road, are capable of making a board i will LOVE and capable of making one that i will HATE. So i try to keep an open mind about it.

 

How much for the sunova boards? Also most firewires can now be custom orderd to any dems you want. Its just about the same wait time as any custom board. I have two firewires that are great, and have 4 pu boards some eastcoast made some west coast. The firewires outlast my pu boards by far, i am 6'2 190lbs the deck of a pu board looks like the surface of the moon after 3 surfs i have a firewire thats 2.5 years old that dosnt have a single pressure dent on the deck. For me without glassing the sh@t out of a pu board which makes it heavy as hell and takes a ton of flex out of the board, i get about 3 months out of a board vs 2.5 years going strong do the math. I love pu boards just wish they could hold up better. Most ppl probably dont have problems with pu boards when they weigh 140lbs and wear skinny jeans.

 

great second post, lersurfian...

Sunovas are about a thousand bucks.

 

Looked at Sunovas on their site and they seem very high performance boards...probably not so good on the east coast. Alos, they claim their boards are super light and no doubt they are when you see the volumes of their boards (most are in the 20's whereas Firewire has volume in the 30's). I am curious though as to the density of the foam vs. Firewires......

 

I'm 6' 220lbs, and have the exact same sentiments about PU shortboards. They just don't work well for us bigger guys....well they do, but only for a handful of sessions before they start falling apart. For me they always delaminate under my rear foot after the deck caves in there.

The skinny jeans don't work too well for us big guys either.

 

This is all true stuff I have two coils and they are great one is 2 yrs old and the other is a year both look brand new when I scrape off the wax and they have traveled to CR a few x's. On the other hand I picked up a pu Rusty that I am liking right now when it start to delam ill get coil to shape me a replacement..