Firewire's Linear Flex Technology -

Agree. I repaired a couple of those older FWs for friends and couldn't believe the construction. Nightmare to repair, and prone to just falling apart once the skin was compromised due to lack of any real "core" integrity.

For me, straight PU/PE construction still makes a lot of sense..its not bullet proof like a surf tech, but I'm not hucking many airs or riding up onto the sandbar, nearly any repair is easy, quick, and basically permanent, and local shapers have it dialed.

 

My vote goes to hand shaped 2lb pressure molded EPS with wood stringers and hand laminated directional 6oz E-glass and high quality surfboard specific epoxy. Finished weight comes out just under standard PU/PE... nearly identical feel under your feet (with some design modifications) and I'd say twice as ding resistant, never delam, highly resistant to deck denting, and hold their pop literally for the life of the board.

 

I agree with all of this 100% construction wise. If I had a properly heated workspace for doing epoxy repairs, access to a better range of EPS blanks, and local shapers who like cutting EPS blanks etc, it would make it more convenient to go away from PU/PE. I really like being able to go out in the sun, and completely repair multiple dinged boards in an hour or two in an afternoon.

 

You said it... I glassed and hotcoated three boards in one day last summer. That's the one big downside to epoxy, which has gotten better in recent years, but still a huge disadvantage compared to PE. Cost is the other disadvantage, but if you're conservative with the resin and don't leave much on the floor, you can get pretty close in terms of total cost per board.

Getting back to the flex issue... another advantage of epoxy is the fact that you can have multiple combinations of resin formulations to get the flex you're after. Glassing heavier to get the strength advantage means a stiffer board, which you have to compensate for if you're after that traditional PU/PE feel.