Filed in: Surfboard Reviews | On: March 22nd, 2007 | Comments: (165)
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Firewire Surfboards have finally hit Hawaii surf shops and the hype has been building. These boards have a Rolls Royce like price tag at over $700 a pop…I went into Hawaiian Island Creations and saw boards selling for $800! There’s been so much hype surrounding these boards and all I’ve been hearing is how Taj Burrow claims these boards are insane. For the steep price tag, I hope he’s right. Firewire Technology Firewire Surfboards feature their ‘Future Shapes Technology’ which produces flex memory and rapid rebound. Most of the hype surrounding these boards lie in the rails which utilize a parabolic balsa wood rail (not new technology). These boards have no center stringer and according to Firewire Surfboards, the wood rails flex and store energy (compress) throughout the turn and spring back to the original rocker (decompress) thereby releasing the energy in the form of speed which triggers rapid acceleration. All Firewire Surfboards are made with epoxy resin which ensures that these boards maintain their long lasting flex patterns unlike traditional fiberglass boards which lose their flex as they age. Customization While the majority of these stock surfboards are sold off the rack, the company’s website states that Firewire boards with custom dimensions can be ordered. However, I would expect the custom boards to take quite a while to get back to you. Durability One thing I noticed while looking at Firewire boards was that they lacked thickness. The company claims that their epoxy/composite surfboards are up to 20% lighter than traditional fiberglass surfboards which is why they can offer a shorter and thinner board. However, these boards last 5-10 times longer than tradition PU boards and the composite materials ensure that these boards do not loose their flex and ‘liveliness’. Models Flexfire – Standard shortboard outline with performance in mind and is designed for maximum speed and quick turning. The website claims “Flexfire series explodes through turns while the parabolic rail configuration guarantees 100% return memory for years.” Alternator – Slightly more forgiving shortboard outline geared for the intermediate surfer designed to paddle well but still turn in a tight radius. Probably the most all around shortboard shape for average to intermediate surfers. Quadraflex – Combines the control of the Alternator with the speed of a twin fin fish. This board basically looks like a shortboard with a wider swallow tail…board also features quad fin setup. This is Firewire Surfboard’s stab at the increasingly popular quad fin surfboard. Futura – Somewhat of a modern fish outline and design. High top-end speed with tight turning ability in a thruster fin setup.
Fishtail – Retro twin fin fish design and in my opinion the most fun looking board in the Firewire quiver. Old school design meets new school composite materials and construction. A twin fin fish with parabolic rails means the fastest fish ever built? I find it hard to believe but if you see the regulars at your spot running circles around you with this board, the myth must be true. Skeptic I’m somewhat skeptical that these boards really explode out of turns with a greater amount of speed than traditional surfboards. The one aspect that has me questioning the worth of these boards is their epoxy construction. I’ve yet to find an epoxy surfboard that has really worked well in choppy, windy, or sub-par conditions. The company claims that these boards perform well in windy conditions but I’ll let you be the judge. Perhaps the local rep here may let us test drive a few boards. We’ll let you know as soon as we ride one of these boards. Stay tuned for our conclusion. 165 Comments »By participating in online discussions you acknowledge that you have read and agreed to the TERMS OF SERVICE. Any violations of these terms may result in account suspension or deactivation. Please keep your comments civil and in good taste. To report a comment, email info@surfboardshack.comMike B, on April 4, 2007 @ 12:25 pm |I have a couple of these boards and am pretty stoked on them. I can’t exactly put into technical jargon what they do but a good way to describe how they feel riding them is that you feel like your standing on your sweet spots on your board. I noticed snaps its a lot easier. You don’t feel like you bog rails as much and they snap out of turns really nice. tommy t., on April 6, 2007 @ 8:49 am |My buddy just got one of these. He rode traditional PU boards forever, and just recently broke his surftech board he had been riding for 1 1/2 YEARS!!!! the thing still had life in it but he claimed he loved it. I can attest that he surf WAY BETTER on Epoxy too. I personally love my epoxy board as well. We both got NEw FIREWIRE’s and think they are god’s gift. They flex so well out of turns and out of bottom turn’s! ITS LIKE YOU SURFING A LOADED SPRING!!!! IT JUST SHOOTS YOU BACK INTO THE POCKET AND THROWS HEAPS MORE SPRAY THAN ANY OTHER BOARD I HAVE RIDDEN!!!!. I love thse things, they’re awsome! carlos, on April 10, 2007 @ 6:00 pm |you guys are silly for paying that much for a board that is going to get dinged and will snap. man I thought I was paying a lot for surtechs. they suckered you in as soon as they paid Taj all that money. How has Taj’s surfing improved his ass can’t even win a top rated contest. Bobby Marinez has one more top rated contest then Taj. you guys are consumer kooks. The ex billabong reps are doing the same things to get you to buy their shirts. you know what those boards are they are the Air Jordans of surfing, shit I never felt like I could shoot better with my MJs, but I sure looked good. So basically you clowns are trying to look good in the lineup, that is sad but hey is your money. By the way I ride surftechs cuz they are going to last me way more than PU boards and I ain’t sponsored like some of you fools think you will be. tajrips, on April 12, 2007 @ 5:43 pm |Never surfed a firewire but saw the Bells footage and Taj was full on ripping on one of those things. Must say it did look like that board had a lot of pop and spring (but then again it was Taj). Who knows though – when’s the last time he won a big event? whythehaters?, on April 13, 2007 @ 6:32 am |Congratulations to Taj for winning the Bells WCT; Taj rode his FW all the way through the event! poop, on April 24, 2007 @ 4:18 am |lost xtr and firewire all the way. i rode my friends firewire and it was truly sick it likes to fly and goes fast slaps the lip nice too Rick C, on May 13, 2007 @ 10:33 am |I just bought a futura, and i would not call it a fish in any way. personally, i bought the futura simply because i weigh a little more and needed the extra float and they do run a little on the thin side. i love it. i have rode surftech’s and like my firewire way more. no comparison. Justin, on August 14, 2007 @ 2:54 am |hey i need help, im buying a firewire in panama today(only day i have) and i need to find out whetther to buy it 2inches shorter than my normal shortboard(as i have been advised by a buddy)or get it the same size as this is what firewire says to do. Justin, on August 14, 2007 @ 3:21 am |please someone, moderator. anyone. if you dont know call your shaper. ask him 4 me Bill, on August 23, 2007 @ 7:23 pm |Carlos, eldad, on August 24, 2007 @ 2:07 am |a reminder for you all surfers araund the globe Johnny A., on September 7, 2007 @ 8:42 am |I’ve own and tried variouse epoxy boards with the surftech, tuff-lite, etc… and I don’t like the stiffness and wierd boyancy you get with them. Out of all of them the EPS was prabably the best. So I chucked the idea of riding epoxy boards and continued to ride my PU boards – until now… I just bought a Firewire and it’s one of the fastest boards I’ve ever ridden. It beats sections that I could only dream of beating with my PU board. It could be a combination of the fin setup as well that gives it the drive and projection out of turns, but this thing just flys. It gives you a real smooth and controlled feeling when doing hard turns. It accelerates out of turns like no other board I’ve ever ridden. The second time I surfed it was in winding conditions and it cut through the chop like butter. I feel it even does better that PU boards in windy conditions. Not to mentions a regular epoxy would have felt like I was either going to fly off the wave out of control during turns or and not get the drive needed to get down the line. The only problem is getting custom dimentions, since you will only have the specifications that are available in production. The sales guy told me that the boards float better than PU boards, but I feel you should stay as close to your normal board dimentions as possible. I’m ridding a 6’0 Alternator and 2 1/4 of an inch thickness. My normal board is 2 3/8. I do feel like it might paddle a little better than 2 1/4, but it definately does not paddle as well as my 2 3/8 inch thick board. Sometimes I feel like there is too much flex in the board, but I think even this will be more dialed in over time… It’s only going to get better. I haven’t been this excited about board technology in a long time. I feel the Firewire is revolutionizing surfboard design. Colin, on September 23, 2007 @ 12:56 am |buying 2 firewires tommorow!a 6,2 and a 6,6 step up! Off to Tavarua october16.I guess I will see if all the hype about these boards are true.See Ya!!!! Neal, on September 23, 2007 @ 2:31 am |Colin, let us know how the boards work when you get back. Have a great trip and many barrels! Peter, on October 14, 2007 @ 12:29 pm |Carlos, Taj Burrow is number three on the WCT, and has won a quarter of the events on tour this year so far all riding FW. FW costs about the same as a tuflite.. you should try it before you say they aren’t any good Mark, on October 28, 2007 @ 4:07 pm |I bought a flexfire about a month ago and broke it completely in half today in crappy waist hight Virginia Beach surf. I think it was a manufacturer malfunction, so if they replace it for me then cool if not then don’t make the same mistake I made and waste all that money on something that won’t even last a month…unless of course you can’t surf and just want to look cool. I have been surfing for fourteen years and have never had a board break so quick. Mine didn’t last a month and i have pictures and a receipt for proof if you can rip i wouldn’t recomend one unless this is just a manufacturing problem in only my board. $700 dollars is a lot of money for something that might completely break in half on you in waist high surf on the East Coast Tronic, on November 1, 2007 @ 2:52 pm |Firewires take a dozen or so wave to get used to, but once you do, you can put power in the bank and spend it w/interest. Not very good in weak surf though(I would stick w/PU if you surf weaker waves). Parabolics will most likely start showing up more in all forms of surfboards- teebs, on November 18, 2007 @ 8:23 pm |tb wouldnt ride sumthing that made him surf like crap. he wants a world title u guys. The only way to judge a firewire is to buy one and compare for urself, they probably suit different styles, good luck so-cal, on December 26, 2007 @ 5:14 pm |I’ve ridden tuflites and PU boards. I’m very tough on boards but tuflites float way to weird. Can’t duck dive them that easy. I would like to try a firewire but as everybody says they cost a lot. I’d hate to get one and not like it. So can somebody tell me all that you know about them so I have some better back-round knowledge about them. Neal, on December 26, 2007 @ 5:33 pm |So-Cal, you should see if any of the local shops in your area have firewire demos. If you can’t find any, try contacting Firewire. They have a few demos here in Hawaii though I haven’t had a chance to ride any of them. so-cal, on December 27, 2007 @ 4:28 pm |Okay cool. Thank you for the info. I’ll look into it. And until then if you get a chance to try one post something on here and tell us how you like it. so-cal, on December 29, 2007 @ 11:20 am |Hey everybody, tomorrow i’m going to one of my local shops and i’m going to demo a 6′ firewire. I normally ride a 5′ 10″ so I won’t get the best feel but I’ll still be able to see what it feels like. jay k, on January 4, 2008 @ 5:48 pm |Anyone want a $700.flex fire thats busted completely in half?Ya well me neither but I got one now.Does any one know if they will replace it? Neal, on January 5, 2008 @ 1:46 am |Email them or contact your local rep. It really depends on how it broke…most times they won’t replace a board like that… lance, on February 17, 2008 @ 5:27 pm |do you guys think a 5 10 quadraflex is a good board for a scrawny 14 year old east coast kid such as myself naten808, on February 19, 2008 @ 3:01 pm |I have had my Alternator for over a year now. Since before TB started ridding these boards. People though i was a kook riding some funky ass board, always the questions about the hardware above my wax line. Seriously though my board has been ridden every other day for over a year now, yes it will ding and I do have 2 small cracks and in this one spot that i consistently land on it is starting to delam! but I LOVE THE SHIT Outa it. It is the most consistent board i have ever had and durable. I find myself surfing stupidly strong shore breaks like Makapu (after the life guards leave) and there have been too many times to count that i should have broken my board. But no the damn thing is still there. I am happy to say that i will be retiring my old alternator and getting 2 new Firewire boards. a 6’6 flexfire and a fish! I cant wait to ride them. I can honestly say that this board (minus the week it tryed to kill me) has been my best board i have ever owned. Growing up in Hawaii on glass boards was amazing and i only wished that the surf tech was pushed into these creative ideas earlyer. I hate to say it but for being surfers we are very closed minded. Every improvement was well fought and every improvement will continue to be a fight. honestly if you say its not the board its the surfer then well your wrong. It is as much the board as the surfer. Not to say that anyone who goes and dishes out 700+ bucks is going to be a great surfer, but if you put a good surfer on a good board you have an even better surfer with more possibilities. scott, on February 19, 2008 @ 4:13 pm |The futura seems really stiff to me on the wave. is the board required to have a thruster fin setup? can anyone comment on this? phil, on February 20, 2008 @ 6:33 am |I bought a alternator two years ago and love it. I store it down at my place in Costa ans it can handle most any condition. They key for me is I am a bigger guy and this allows me to have a shortboard with less weight. It floats as well if not better than a longer, heavier foam board. They might not be for everyone, but if you are a bigger guy looking for a nice shortboard check out the Alternator. bruce, on February 21, 2008 @ 4:18 pm |OK…I’m ready to take the plunge for an FW. Just need some advice. I’m 6’2″, 175 lbs, 58 yrs old…currently ride a Surftech (epoxy) Knotfish (6’2″, 20″, 2.5″). I’m in fairly good shape for an old geezer. Like to surf in 4 to 6 ft stuff. Do you think the 6’2″ Alternator is a good choice? Thanks!! Neal, on February 21, 2008 @ 5:15 pm |Bruce, is that 4-6 ft face value? Also, what types of waves do you surf in? bruce, on February 21, 2008 @ 8:11 pm |Neal, Neal, on February 22, 2008 @ 12:19 am |Bruce, I’ve yet to try these boards but reading the descriptions on the Firewire website it seems like the Alternator gives you shortboard performance and a bit more volume for paddling. Considering you surf the Lane that may be a good board for you…or if you want a bit more wave catching ability you can opt for one of their fishes e.g. Futura or Quadraflex…not sure if guys ride fishes at Steamer Lane though. I’ve surfed Pleasure Point a few times and it seems like a fish would be insane there! bruce, on February 22, 2008 @ 6:03 am |Thanks Neal…Actually I have only rarely seen anyone ride a fish at the Lane, but it’s not too uncommon to see them now and again at the Point…mainly during mid-tide or higher periods…when the waves can be a bit softer at times. However, there are lots of good spots for fishes along the beach breaks that run along the coast from San Francisco down to Santa Cruz…not for Ocean Beach though…that place is an all together different place (a little on the spookey side at times–broke my let there a few years ago)…when it’s on at OB, a narrow pintail is the only board that’ll work. Because of my age, I am beginning to feel a bit of a transition taking place…I am just not like I used to be in paddling into waves…that’s why I was asking the question about length and buoyancy to the FWs. I have two fish already…I am just contemplating as to whether to get the 6’2″ or 6’4″ Alternator. Neal, on February 22, 2008 @ 10:07 am |Hey Bruce, sorry I mis-understood your question. I hear those boards are more buoyant than tradition PU…an extra 2″ can only help w/ the padding though…I’m sure the 6’4 will turn unreal. Let us know how it works! bruce, on February 22, 2008 @ 3:17 pm |Neal, Joe, on February 25, 2008 @ 8:59 pm |I’m 5’10, 175 lbs, intermediate surfer (5 years). I’m considering a Flexfire or Alternator in 6’4. I think a 6’2 or 6’3 could be good for me but I live in San Francisco and need a little more board around here. Anyone have any advice on which model, which size? The Alternator would seem to get me more waves but at 19 1/2 wide I’m afraid it will hamper my ability to throw hard turns, especially when I travel to better waves. Any thoughts from those familiar with the designs would be appreciated. Neal, on February 26, 2008 @ 9:04 am |Joe, you should ask Bruce, I think he ended up getting a new Firewire Alternator just recently. Waiting for him to post how it went… phil, on February 27, 2008 @ 10:38 am |neal and joe – I am a big guy and a intermediate to good surfer – I would go for the 6’6 alternator. I ride a 6’8 but that is just a preference for better float. even with the width, you can still carve some nice turns and it will work in the mush as well. bruce, on March 6, 2008 @ 4:15 pm |Hello Joe and Neal, It’s been a week since I bought the 6’4″ Alternator. I took it out last week on a head high day at Pleasure Point, Santa Cruz. It’s the fastest thruster I’ve ever ridden. I made waves that I felt I would normally never made on my other boards. Unfortunately, I got injured and haven’t had to experiment more. Will let you know when I can get back in the water. I’m 6’2″ and 175…and 59 years old…I think Joe, you’d find the 6’4″ a good all around board for anywhere else other than Ocean Beach. I agree with you, I think a narrower, pintail type board is more conducive to that crazy place. But, anywhere south of OB…like Montara…or Pescadero…Waddell, that Alternator is perfect. Neal, on March 6, 2008 @ 4:37 pm |Hey Bruce, thanks for the feedback. Do you think the Alternator is faster because of the materials and flex? Or is it because it has more volume, wider, thicker, and or less nose rocker than your older boards? The company seems to insist it’s the flex and materials of the board that make it work insane firewire Mike, on March 8, 2008 @ 9:10 pm |Got a Futura, my skill level is about Mid-Intermediate. And I must say… this board is built to fly. I love the perfect shape, and it turns on a dime. My previous board was a Merrick Flyer 2, and it took me a long time to get good on that board, this one was a lot easier. It feels good like it was connected to your mind. bruce, on March 20, 2008 @ 3:03 pm |Hi Guys, Kelly, on March 27, 2008 @ 1:06 am |Hey guys, I had arguably the first FW quadraflex in florida and it took four months to get. It was definitely worth the wait! The fastest, most responsive and easiest to paddle board I have ever surfed. However, I had a kook drop in on me and cut through the rail about eight inches above the front fins. I had it professionally repaired only to have it break in two three weeks later. I did happen to pull the biggest air of my entire life and landed in the flat section in front of the wave. I got out of the water and went to the nearest surf shop and could not believe my luck that they had a 5’10” Quadraflex, which they said had just arrived the day before. I immediately bought it and surfed 6′ to 8′ Hermosa,CR for ten days. I have had the board for five months since then and have no dings at all. The morals of this story are: Sometimes you get more than what you pay for and whatever you do protect those rails even if you have to sacrifice your body. I am planning on buying one for my girlfriend and will be buying the new direct drive 2.0 as soon as it is available. Yea, they are expensive but they are better for the environment, last longer and are just plain better than anything out there. Anyone thinking about getting a Firewire, stop thinking, save up and buy it! mike, on April 2, 2008 @ 10:50 am |I have a 6’0 alternator. its pretty tight. have gotten some unreal waves on it at jalama and SC points but for my surfing I think for a 6’0 it is way to wide throughout the whole board and its thickness. the 6 would be better in like a 5’10 because of how much volume. the only reason I got it though was to try it out and sell it for more than I bought it for but I ended kind of liking it. ive had it for like 6 months and its already delaming where my front foot goes. anyone want to buy it Dan, on April 5, 2008 @ 6:05 pm |Firewires work well in average surf. In really good, pumping surf or large waves I’ve found at times there is too much flex. I’ve had the board bog out on me on really hard bottom turns because it just flexed too much. And It has been too springy in big stuff feeling like it would flex on one rail, bounce back and flex the other rail, hence the spring effect. But, that said, I liked a lot on your everyday socal surf. As long as the board doesn’t flex too much I think you can learn to surf them and they may work really well. I’d day 80% of us have only surfed on PU boards our entire life so that is the feel we muscles are used to subconciously. I really felt like I was starting to “get” the board’s performance before it snapped on me. Read below for that story if you want to. One other thing to know is that the do break easier than a PU board. They are brittle which is why the stand up so well to standard abuse so well. No heal dings, no spider cracks from bonking it on the door jamb on the way out of the house or pulling out of the back of the car. But, it’s going to snap like a carrot or celery stick when bent too far. Mine snapped on a bottom turn I did on a very shallow section at a beachie. My rear fin caught the sand at the bottom of the turn and the tail snapped exactly like a fresh carrot. A standard pu would not have snapped, I might have ripped the rear fin plugs out and possibly buckled the tail but that’s it. Anyway, if you can manage not to snap one it’s probably going to last a while and you may end up getting your $700 worth. I did not, I only had it for a few months. No, they are not going to replace it for you if it happens to you. Joel, on April 15, 2008 @ 1:08 pm |I have surfed PU boards my whole life and switched to surftech only to find that any sort of chop or wind ruined a session. Went back to riding merricks cause i loved the shapes but once i tried a firewire i will never buy any other board again. the sheer durability is worth it with the best warranty of any manufacturer. it is by far the fastest board i have and handles like a dream. because it is so light and strong you can even ride down a few inches and once you get used to the difference in material it will definately improve your surfing noticably. Craig, on April 16, 2008 @ 9:54 am |I have been riding a 6′ 4″ Alternator for over one year. It’s an original Nev, so I have no comment on the the more recent Dan Mann (California) boards. Just got back from Centro America, board worked very well on 5-8 foot (face) point waves. Ran really well down the line, super drivey. It does feel like it flexes, especially on tight pocket snaps. Best of all, it doesn’t seem to be breaking down with repeated use. Still feels as lively as when it was new. Can’t say that about my year old p/u’s. Adam, on April 30, 2008 @ 4:57 am |I get my 6’4″ firewire this weekend! I am living in Japan over here they only sell 6′ – 6’2″ models and are charging $1600 for one so buying one from the states for $700 is a steal! As soon as i get it out in at least head high surf i will write a review on it, my buddy Dan also is getting one in the same shipment, he has been surfing for 30 years in just about every kind of wave, so I will add his review there also. Firewire Futura, on May 4, 2008 @ 10:09 pm |[…] After writing a post on Firewire Surfboards back in March of 2007, I finally got a chance to try one of these hyped up boards. Luckily for me, Kumau at Tropical Blends was cool enough to let me his personal board. For some reason, the Firewire people have been uninterested in letting me demo a board…who knows, perhaps they’re not into free publicity? Anyway, I recently got a chance to try a 5′10 Futura on a dying south swell which would be a good test to see how this board worked in less than perfect surf. The Futura is available in 3 models: […] monk, on May 14, 2008 @ 10:46 pm |I have had a firewire (first series) for a year now and it goes like a rocket and turns really well, has markedly improved my surfing. HOWEVER, I am having a pretty major problem with it and was wondering if anyone else was having the same prob – I have crushed or cracked the rails along the balsa wood 4 times now, 3 times with my body falling onto it from close-outs(i am not a heavy guy)and once hitting my mates glass surfboard – never on reef. Last week i landed on it in a closing out 2 – 3 foot wave and my shin hit it (not very hard) and completely caved in about 10cm of the rail like an eggshell. I have noticed that the new series have a lot less wood showing and was under the impression that this must happen a lot but reading this blog not a lot of people have complained. I am thinking about buying a new series firewire because of the shear performance, but dont want to fork out the cash if it breaks on the soft wood easier than a glass board. Is anyone else having this problem? craig, on May 15, 2008 @ 6:46 am |Monk: I have heard that there were some production problems at the North County (San Diego) factory. Possibly the rails on your board were sanded a wee bit too much. I’ve had no problems with mine. In fact, the edge of the squash tail got hit by (the fin) of a guy high lining at full speed on a good sized wave (guess I didn’t paddle over it fast enough). I reckon the impact would have torn the tail completely off a standard p/u. Possibly you could sand the rails, tape off along the pin line and run a layer of 2 0z. cloth around the balsa rails to increase impact strength. noah, on May 22, 2008 @ 2:45 pm |I want to buy a 6,2 fireflex probably, but the one i’m looking at has a rounded tail when i am only used to surfing 6,2 squash tails, does anyone know how these fireflex round tails perform? as i live in england the waves aren’t barreling everyday but i heard round tails perform in mushy too?? also how do you know how new the board is, im buying second hand and not sure if it has the rod things in the board or not? cheers. Kenhaole, on May 22, 2008 @ 2:45 pm |YEARS OF R&D SOLOMON S-CORE I bought a Solomon S core 6’1″(no longer made) I really like the performance and the spring. I could get alot of drive out of it. I didn’t realize that this was even more brittle than a standard PU board. I generally crush the toe side rail between the fins on all my PU boards. I crushed the Solomon in the same place twice as quick. Not to mention the glass could not handle the flex. It began to crack on the bottom in the center towards the nose and tail. I would fix it only to have it continue to crack. I finally gave up and figured I would ride it until it disinigrated. The airline took care of that for me. Back to my trusty 6’0″ PU. FIREWIRE I still was looking for durability with perfomance. I found it with Firewire. I demoed a 6’2″ flexfire Nev shaped for Gerr. The paddle was unreal. I initially found myself paddling to far out in front of the wave because of the paddle speed. The wave would end up breaking on my back. Although it took 4 sessions to figure out the sweet spot, I knew that I was hooked after 2 good waves. I ended up buying the Demo. It had a little bit of delam on the deck. Firewire took it back and fixed it before they would sell it to me. I have ridden it for a year solid with only one quarter size bubble on the bottom. (Probably from the summer day I left it in my car while getting a hair cut)dumb Otherwise, no other problems. I have ridden this board in all types of surf. Knee high to couple feet overhead, smooth to bumpy, bowling to mushy, I like the way it rides. 5’10” QUADFLEX I had a chance to swap boards on a small 1′ day. I loved the speed and feel of this 5’10” quadflex. It paddled with little effort and got into waves with ease. I felt like I was getting some good hits with it. When I got back on my board I wondered about buying a quad for those tiny days. It would be nice but I am not made of money. Hope this answers any questions that people may have. thomye, on May 30, 2008 @ 6:02 am |interesting thread. i’m actually considering the 5’11” Taj model. i’ve been surfing 20 years (i’m 38), 16 of which were on PU’s. 4 years ago, i bought 6’1″ m10 ratboy surftech and rode it for about 3 years. Wanted a board that would last. That thing held up good. Although stiff, it improved my surfing mostly cuz i was able to paddle better and get into more waves. Because of the stiffness, I spent a lot of time surfing on my back leg which I needed to. It seemed faster at first but on my last year, my brother told me i wasn’t coming off the bottom turn as quick as i used to on my PU’s or as quick as the next guy. Although I didn’t believe flex was a necessity, I wanted to try more flex but didn’t want to buy a PU board as mine only last about 6 months. I put massive heel pressures on the deck and usually, the flex dies out rather quickly. So, I opted for a 6’1″ T. Patterson TL2. Right away, my surfing got 10% faster. Although at times i fell like its 20%. Making sections, more speed, harder turns. In fact, I found myself unprepared giong into an off the lip cuz my bottom turn wasn’t as drawn out. They were really quick and vertical. I’ve now been on the TL2 for about 9 months and it’s holding up like a surftech. no dings, no pressures. The one thing I have noticed is at times under socal conditions (mostly 2 to 3 with occasional 4’s), it feels a tad big to me. So, i’m considering a 5’11”. As is, i’m sold on flex. I know i’m getting either another shorter tl2 or trying the firewire. I’ll post my review of my experience in about two weeks. As for those who comment on price, I bought 2 PU boards a year and the last 2 cost me $450 out the door each so one TL2 that might last me 2 years or one firewire even if it only lasted 1, would be a better deal. crob, on June 13, 2008 @ 2:52 am |thomye, Thanks! carl, on June 14, 2008 @ 8:48 am |how do u repair dings on a firewire? just epoxy? and what happens to the vacuum once air of water gets in? craig, on June 16, 2008 @ 1:53 pm |Carl: The vacuum (bag) is part of the manufacturing process, ther is no vacuum in the finished board. You MUST use epoxy resin if the puncture extends into the soft core foam. Polyester resin eats styrofoam. You CAN actually use standard polyester resin for minor damage on the rails, it won’t hurt the balsa. Be sure to prep sand with rough grit paper if you use polyester, it doenn’t like to bond with a smooth epoxy surface. David, on June 26, 2008 @ 7:14 pm |I’ve been surfing for 32 years 5.8 165 lbs. I grew up in HI surfing spots like V-Land and Kaisers. I’m thinking about picking up the 6.0 alternator. I usually ride 5.10 to 6.0 18 3/4 X 2 3/8, and am concerned that the 2 1/4 thickness of the 6.0 Alternator wont give me enough buoyancy, especially with a full suit on. I could step up to the 6.2 Alternator, but the 19′ width is kind of wide. craig, on July 9, 2008 @ 12:48 pm |David: My Alternator is a permanant part of the quiver, but I save it for quality, lined up waves. It works quite well at Lowers. For weak/slow surf, I prefer a slightly higher volume P/U quad. I think that the firewire works best with enough juice to get it flex/rebounding from turn to turn. Also, go into a shop that carries a bunch of em, sometimes a board will run thicker than the specs. boardman, on August 7, 2008 @ 1:13 pm |I have many boards from 5’10 to 10’2″ pu, epoxy,1 stringer 2 stringer 3 stringer and parabolic rails. The two most responsive boards in my 20 board deep quiver are my 6’2 quadflex and my futura. With well over 25 years surfing experience, I have never thrown buckets as big as I do on my firewires. I was a non believer too, but now I have unlocked a new level of surfing I never thought possible. Chris, on August 15, 2008 @ 1:46 am |Bought a Firewire Quadraflex a year ago in So-Cal. (live in Europe) Took my FW to Indo, Hawaii, France, Morocco, Spain and Portugal. I bought it because my PU kept getting dinged up while traveling. I love the board. It’s a 6’2 with Stretch fins. I surf this set up in any type of break and love it. Its fast, alive and helps me make sections that I never made before. I have landed some heavy punts and never had problems with the deck. I love the board. I have heard that I still have a San Diego board from the good batch. They did have some issues with production. However, there are stories going around that they are produced in China now and suck.. Wondering how that works.. I am stoked about FW.. Dunno why Taj rides sprayed PU’s..! Craig Fasselhoff, on August 18, 2008 @ 7:34 pm |Carlos… your a beaner, and only look good in the line-up south of the border FW beeauch Farham, on August 18, 2008 @ 7:51 pm |Craig your a hater. And how can you talk smack with a last name like. Night Rider. Anyways I always take my boards to work with me and leave them in the car. Are these things as sensitive to the heat as some say? Will I just be wasting my money with a firewire? John, on August 21, 2008 @ 10:28 am |These boards are very sensitive to heat. I had a firewire alternator for 6 months and took it to work with me and left it in the back of my truck for roughly 6 hours in a day where it was in the high 80’s in Southern California. The board developed a large heat bubble and started to delam. I tried to get Firewire to warranty the board but they turned me down and told me that I had cooked the board. I’ve given up on Firewire. big hammaa, on September 15, 2008 @ 8:27 pm |hi – good comments. i’m actually looking for a 6/2″ quadraflex FW…i’d love to try one out and see for myself how good they are (or aren’t). i’m in SD county. please let me know if you’ve got one for sale. thanks!! hammaa-at-yahoo-dot-com Steve New Zealand, on October 2, 2008 @ 1:16 pm |Hi peoples, I am looking at getting a FW and have read this comprehensive list of comments to help educare myself. I am 5.10 and 176pound. I surf at an advanced level. I am a board braking demon, last summer I brok 5 pu boards!!!!!!!!!! I then switched to a placebo flexilite 6,2 cory lopz model. The board was insane till i snapt it 3 weeks later! I then bought a surftech cos of the rep for being much stronger. I nearly Sh@t myself on the first wave, the board was horrible, to stiff, to corky! The waves were pumping and evertime i went to put the board in the juice of the wave ( barrel) it would jump out like a scared school girl yuuuuuuuuk! Horrified I went back to the place I bought it and swapped it for a tl2 surftech 6,1 phil macca model. The board went ok! Didnt have the drive and liveliness of the placebo. Therefore I forked out premium price for another log. So I need your help. Given my weight 176pds, height 5.10 and ability: advanced I was thinking either a taj 6,2 or a flexfire 6,1 I have been surfing 6,2’s my whole life and have found it hard to move away, but from reading the comments it will prob be beneficial to try a 6,1 FW. If anyone has any comments or suggestions they would be appreciated. Dont want to spend all that money and get another log flume, help me find the magic carpet. Cher cher Chris, on October 15, 2008 @ 7:07 pm |Damn, some good advice on here! I’m currently riding a Webber Afterburner (6’8″x19 5/8×2 5/8, and am looking to buy a Firewire Alternator. I’m 6’4″ and roughly about 190 pounds. I would like to drop down to a 6’6″x19 3/4×2 1/2 Alternator to compensate for the fuller width across the board and to get a little more performance out of the new board. I have also heard that some epoxys have a tendency to float, rather than grip, the wave and can be difficult to really sink the rail, another reason for contemplating the downsizing. My only concern is with Firewire’s being so thin, that paddle-ability may suffer as a result and i may be better sticking with a 6’8″ Alternator. Any light that can be shed on that matter would be greatly appreciated. Cheers. Neal, on October 17, 2008 @ 7:33 am |Chris, the boards may look thin but the epoxy makes up for that. I tried the 5’10 Future and at first glance it looked a bit thin. Ended up paddling great and catches waves with ease… ripitchick, on October 20, 2008 @ 8:17 pm |I have an 8.0 Flexfire which I love and jsut bought a barely used 6’10” Alternator that I have great feelings about. Bottom line – super fun once you get used to them. Really responsive, and extremely addictive. Not great in slow longboard surf. Optimal performance in faster, cleaner surf. PU better for mush or SanO Steve New Zealand, on October 28, 2008 @ 3:40 pm |Got a 6,1 flexfire. Dnt know about the flex tho it feels way to stiff. Going back to PU. If you can smash the lip you wont like these boards, to stiff and dont sit in the water like the pu board meaning if you wanna really smash a wave and lay some rail then you will prob get bounced off. Good for those who need more float, drive and paddleability. Im not hating just giving an honest opinion. I was so dissappointed with the way I was surfing the FW I went in bought a PU of the shelf surfed it 2 hrs later and I could surf again. Rejoice. It was quite strange, an instant transformation from kookn it to surfn good again. If you consider yourself a good surfer and want an FW go super thin!!!!! chris, on October 29, 2008 @ 8:35 am |I am 6’4 210 and am thinking about buying a 6’4 firewire alternator. I am an intermediate rider and I heard that the firewires have mad float. Do you think this is a wise choice or is it too small. Naver rode a firewire before so not familar with its strengths. Tiago, on November 3, 2008 @ 6:24 pm |hey! great comments here! they are really helpful! Tiago, on November 4, 2008 @ 4:00 am |Thanks everyone for these very helpful comments! gslam, on November 6, 2008 @ 1:43 pm |These boards dont live up to all the hype surrounding them. I had one and it lasted about 4 sessions. I broke the board in half, surfing crappy 2 foot surf. Durable? I think not. Chris, on November 30, 2008 @ 2:29 pm |Anybody try the FW Quadfish? http://www.firewiresurfboards.com/quiver_quadfish.php Thinking about getting one of those or the surftech tl2 quadfish….seems there are better comments about FW. MIKE, on November 30, 2008 @ 3:29 pm |I REALLY WANT TO GET A FIRE WIRE BUT AM SCAIRD OF THEM. NEED SOME HELP I HAVE ALLWAYS SURFED PU BOARDS mb surf, on December 6, 2008 @ 11:10 am |2 month old FW F1 6’1 buckled just above the kick pad during my NSSA college meet today. Fortunately I still made it to Sunday’s quarters round. Have emailed FW awaitng their response on replacement. Anybody else have buckled a FW? and did they replace? Use to buckle my Placebos but got them replaced and only paid team price of 250 each not like the 650 for the F1. The F1 is by far best board I have ever ridden. nbsocal, on December 7, 2008 @ 7:35 am |for me in newport beach the boards are the same price, if not cheaper than a p/u board made by a popular shaper. and if they don’t ding at all then im in and they give u a little extra sping than whats to lose HB 3:16, on December 20, 2008 @ 2:25 pm |All you guys who say you’ve snapped your firewire’s got any pics? Sorry, but it’s hard to believe. web, on December 21, 2008 @ 9:24 am |I just got a 6’2″ FW Alternator a month ago and was pretty stoked on it until I noticed my front foot was bowing in the deck drastically when i cutback. This was after surfing on it maybe 7 times. mb surf, on December 24, 2008 @ 6:21 am |Firewire is fixing it and feels confident it will be as good as new. Alex, on December 31, 2008 @ 11:16 am |I just bought a 6’2 Flexfire. I was looking in the shops and noticed that some of the boards looked totally different… There were some that had a regular glassy kinda color to them and looked like they had been ‘glassed’. phort, on January 14, 2009 @ 1:53 pm |i started surfing about 6 months ago and made my way down from a 9 foot to a 7,6 mini then a 6,5 18 x 2 1/2 shorty and almost decided to go a bit wider etc and get a alternator until i tried a demo flexfire. Straight away it paddled better then my other pu and floated a little weird. It has amazing speed doing bottom turns, i love the thing so im putting my down payment on one today. I really didn’t want to give the demo back. dan, on January 16, 2009 @ 11:16 am |iam 6’2 185lb have had a 6’0fw Alternator and gone thru 2 6’4fw taj’s surfed the taj 2 times and the snapped it in half in 3ft surf…love the boards but snaped just as easy as a PU…has anyone ridden the direct drive FW’s yet wonder if they hold up better or worse. Alex the red logos you have is because you probuly have a direct drive and that would account for the diffrence in color Brandon, on January 31, 2009 @ 11:46 am |Just bought a 6 foot futura I will write back and tell how it works, I am a little afraid because I live in virginia beach and we don’t get good surf, and people said that they broke their boards in knee to waist high surf so I’m a little worried, but I have a friend who is riding a 5’10 and he hasn’t broke his in the 2 foot crap we normally get, so and ways I will write a review when I use it! Caden, on February 16, 2009 @ 8:29 am |Well, Cheers for all your thoughts. Bought the firewire alternator 6.2 in the end after much deliberating about the price. I came to the conclusion that it was going to be that little bit tougher than your normal board and last a bit longer so the extra money could be well spent. 2 months now and I managed to come off and put my knee through the bottom of the deck. Didn’t notice until the end of the sesh. by the time I realized it had taken of literally pints of water. Took weeks to dry it out. Got it fixed up. Waiting for next surf on it. God knows how that has affected that valve thing and the pressure inside stuff. Also got a few more small dings from other knocks before. So. Maybe I expected too much. They are still delicate things like your normal boards maybe just a bit more robust but not much. I wouldn’t buy another. It does surf good. Yea it feels boyant and lively but so does every new board the first outing. Not sure mine will be so good from here on in now. Back to the local shapes for me next. Joe, on February 22, 2009 @ 7:10 am |I bought a Firewire alternator last year in Costa Rica, off a guy who was down there from California. I hadn’t even heard of them before but I had just broken my brand-new, locally shaped PU board and the waves were going off. Eric, on February 25, 2009 @ 6:06 pm |Just like to say I have had my 6’2 altanator for about 2yrs now. So worth the price! I live in hawaii have surfed it in almost every condition and it rides great. Sorry to hear about your broken boards but it seems like with every new tech there are some defects. Anyway gonna try the quadflex next let u know how it goes. Bryan, on March 1, 2009 @ 5:24 am |fix the mushy delam before the bubble takes over , it just recently happend to me and now the bubble caused it to crack between the fins , does anyone now how to fix this bubble problem ? DAZ, on March 2, 2009 @ 1:30 pm |My normal board is a 6’1 Channel Islands Jim, on March 24, 2009 @ 4:20 pm |I got a flexfire 6’1” from beckersuf.com for $549 and paid no tax or shipping. Still haven’t ridden it, but am excited to. And that price is almost cheaper than a PU board. Mike B, on March 26, 2009 @ 7:30 am |Wanted to add some more feedback about my experiences with Firewires. I am 5’11 and between 170-175 lbs, 35 yrs old. I am an advanced surfer, been surfing for 20 years. The current Firewire I ride is the 6’2×18 5/8×2 1/4 Flexfire. Have to say one of the best boards I have ever riden. I also have ridden the 6’2 Taj Model. WAY too much rocker. Extremely trippy to surf unless you like a ton of rocker. With all the rocker its actually harder to paddle into waves than the standard 6’2 Flexfire, as forget about doing big arcing roundhouses. I’ve also had the 6’0 Futura, trippy board. I think I probably should have gone for the 5’10 futura. But I think I found out I don’t really like fish type boards, too wide and hard to go back and forth between a normal short board and the futura, you end up changing your stance too much. I’ve also had the 6’6 step up. Tail and nose way too pulled in. The tail measures 12 3/4 and the nose is 10 3/8. The board is not loose enough. Doesn’t feel like a normal step up, more like a gun that you’d only surf in super hollow waves, where you’d only be doing high speed turns. I bought a k-step up instead. 13 3/4 inch tail works sooooo much better, loose yet still holds in solid surf. Now I am back down to only my 6’2 Flexfire and considering either a 6’0 Alternator or Quadraflex. Anyone have reviews on those? Rob, on April 13, 2009 @ 7:44 pm |Hey guys Im 6,3 200 pounds intermediate surfer that surfs primarily central america will a 6,4 alternater be big enough? Angus, on April 15, 2009 @ 7:10 am |Good info, still not sure. To those who have fixed/ had on fixed. Did you just use epoxy resin to fill or did you add a lap of cloth over to do a proper job? nobody i know is totally sure how to fix epoxy. Also not sure about quality coming out of thailand factory… is this where they all come from? Gary G, on April 16, 2009 @ 6:33 am |Last weekend I got to try the Firewire Flexflight (9’1″) along with several other boards. The waves were small and it was pretty windy, but the board really felt different from the others. I found it to be light, responsive and fun to ride on a day when I wasn’t getting much cooperation from the waves. Whatever the cost in Dollars, I am sure it is worse in Yen. Greg P, on April 16, 2009 @ 12:35 pm |Any feedback on the 6’2″ flexfire round tail? I have heard both + and – comments about tha flex. Andy, on May 2, 2009 @ 9:38 pm |A mate of mine has a Quad fish he let me have a spin on it i such a fast board and for a fish it turns very well even if your trying to surf it Virt. He got it from new and its still mint has had it for almost a year it had a couple of pressures in the deck. Neal have you brought a FW yet?? Bruce hows the 6′4″ Alternator going mate? francois, on May 4, 2009 @ 7:41 am |Hi , I have bought a firewire quadraflex 5″10. Neal, on May 6, 2009 @ 6:51 pm |Andy, haven’t bought a Firewire yet…the company has been reluctant to get a few of their fish models in Hawaii…talk about bad PR! Neal, on May 6, 2009 @ 6:52 pm |Francois, I would contact Firewire and see if they can do anything…I’ve heard of similar stories with the Firewire boards. Scott, on May 14, 2009 @ 6:50 am |I am 6’1″ 175lbs and coming up on 40. I am a solid surfer and currently have the 6’4″ quadraflex. It works great for me in softer waves like Trestles. I need a new high performance short board and am considering the Flexfire or Lost F1. I could go 6’4″ to 6’6″ and will be sufing this board in faster, hollow waves. Any suggestions on the 6’4″ flexfire versus the 6’6″ flexfire. I think both will work but I am a litte unsure as to which length. Let me know. Jason, on May 26, 2009 @ 7:01 pm |I have a 6-0 FlexFire and a 6-0 Quadraflex. The Flexfire is for top riders, and very very responsive. My teenage son likes the twitchy rapid response, that is way too loose for me. The tail is very thin and it does not develop a lot of wave power. The QuadraFlex is 3/4″ wider and has a lot more tail, which catches the wave earlier. The board is uber fast, stable and very forgiving which means I can relax and rip with confidence. I’m just an average old 175 pound guy out to have fun. Dave, on June 6, 2009 @ 12:43 pm |I’ve got a big delam bubble under my front foot on my quadraflex. Love the board, but is this problem going to get way worse? Shane, on August 7, 2009 @ 10:51 pm |I’m 32 5’10” and i go between 170 and 180 in weight. I surf at itermedate advanced level. I do well in barrels and point breaks but I need a little more push from the wave than a pro would to generate my speed. I have had a 6’0″ quadraflex for over a year now. It is my every day board. It is the best board I have ever had. I ride trestle mostly. I have surfed it about 3 times a week except for this winter. I took 2 months of due to a torn rotator cuff. It has no delams and the only dings i have had to repair were from drop in colissions with kooks. I use it in any thing good shape waist high up to double overhead, as long as it isn’t super hollow. I just rode it in the big south swell we had in socal at trestle and it just ripped. I’m getting a quad fish for the mush ball days. I would also like to get a 6’2″ and 6’6″ thruster to for some variety but I will have to budget my money. My only thruster is a 6’3″ flyer II tufelight. I only use that as a step up because the FW surfs so much better. My every day board before I got the FW was a 6’3″ merrick MBM. i would say get the board close to your current PU size in length but don’t be scared to go thinner. I tend to like my boards a little wider and shorter these days, maybe because I ride point breaks all the time. David, on August 14, 2009 @ 3:17 am |I live in Florida so we get a lot of wind chop. I heard that Firewire boards preform well in these conditions like a PU board. Is this true? Epoxy board suck in these conditions and FW are epoxy. I would love to buy a board durable like epoxy but rides like a PU in all conditions. Anyone know? Neal, on August 16, 2009 @ 7:31 pm |@David – I rode a Futura for a couple sessions and being that I ridden a number of Surftech’s, I think Firewires don’t really ride like your typical epoxy pop out e.g. bumpy and hard to sink the rail on windy days. The Firewire definitely rode more like a poly board in my opinion even in windy weather which we have here in Hawaii almost every day. Jim, on August 29, 2009 @ 7:01 pm |I’m 6’2 and 90kg. I’m thinkin of gettin the Firewire Lost F1 6’5. Does anyone have any feedback on this model? cheers chase, on August 31, 2009 @ 10:02 am |hey guys ive been surfing a rusty 6’4 but i feel like its a little thin and hard for me to stay afloat but then i get on a 5’7 fish thats pretty thick and i have some speed and can hit some cutbacks. Im a rather larger guy not fat but muscle 6 ft 205 im a baseball player so i cant loose the muslce to surf im just wondering what the best board to ride would be that firewire makes for me and my size i love to surf but i feel like my rusty is hindering me. Luismx, on September 7, 2009 @ 6:29 pm |Hello everyone… I am a 6ft 4inch,200+pound(90kg) 17yr old kid,looking for a new performance surfboard. I have only been surfing for 1 year,but I am already considering myself a very experienced surfer. I know that it may be a stupid idea buying a firewire so early in my surfing career,but my 18th birthday is approaching and I was thinking of buying myself something nice for once…. The firewire flexfire and alternator seem really nice,but I am prompting more for the alternator because of its size. I only have one problem, and that is whether or not to buy a Rapidfire,or a FST…I like the bamboo deck skin,but I am not too sure how it will perform. Many users of it have said that pressure dents appear after some use.I know that this doesnt affect performance,but I am an astetic guy,and I am also looking for an attractive board. Can someone tell me about the deck skin and whether or not the bamboo deck looks “cool” or “rad”? I cant picture throwing a traction pad onto it as I am worried about its appearance… I know this all sounds stupid,but if im going to purchase a 600$ board,why not have a beautiful one?? Thanks for your help. Matt, on September 14, 2009 @ 2:28 pm |I demo’d a firewire quadraflex for one week. Took it out for a double overhead day at El Porto in SoCal and snapped it in 1/2. I have heard since I did it, that these have a tendency to snap, anyone heard anything? When I did ride it, it was super fun, but not I just have two pieces of a firewire Quad. scott, on October 21, 2009 @ 2:10 pm |My son has had 3 firewire Lost F1s. Same thing happened on all three, the tail buckled in almost the same area 3 to5 inches up from the tail. He surfs on the UCSB team and although firewire has repaired and then replaced one at no cost and a second at their cost enough is enough. He loves how they surf but they do no hold up any better than any other quality board and the F1 appears to have a real tail issue. Jon LaLanne, on November 29, 2009 @ 8:41 am |All of you with your pop out Surf techs and! Fagger waggers! Here’s the problem.These pop outs do not cater to one’s individual needs .IE a custom!!!!Go look up Resin X.Now a surfer can get his dimensions the flex and strength of a fagger wagger.in a PU blank.Your getting parabolic shafts remed up your butts.I will be making firewire like boards hand or computer shaped in my factory in Hawaii for 2010. for 250 less. mikooz, on December 12, 2009 @ 3:59 pm |thinking of getting a fw direct drive.i ride a tufflite 6’3 slater at the mo not sure what size i should go with,any ideas pierre yaldo, on December 17, 2009 @ 2:08 pm |i got 2 pu boards and i just snapped one last week and iv been thinking about getting a firewire for a long time, but every review has people saying they snapped them in 3 foot surf and that they snap and buckle super easy… anyone know if its true? cuz i cant afford to break a 650$ board in a day pierre yaldo, on December 28, 2009 @ 5:56 am |hey guys i made the last post before this, i got a 6’6 flexfire with a pintail, so im only going to be using it when its atleast 8ft in san diego, so far i took it to 9 foot blacks and it was actually prettty awesome, i took maybe 3 wipeouts, one of them was extremely heavy, easily a board breaker, but theres no buckles or anything, also i can sit on the outside cause this thing catches waves like that greedy longboarder that was there at blacks…iv only used it twice so far but im already considering replacing my 6’0 with a firewire….10/10…. but the vent hole on the flexfire gets kindof annoying cuz im scared of getting sand n stuff in it, and also im used to having the deck of my boards look like golf balls after a few surfs, so far this one has 1 small dent from when i rammed it into a doorjamb, i cant even compress the glass with my thumb, deck and bottom. most amazing thing iv ever seen. although i wouldnt reccomend the boards with bamboo decks because those are the ones that have been known to snap, the flexfire is 10x the performance and durability of any board iv ever seen Jim, on January 7, 2010 @ 7:46 pm |I’ve been riding for over twenty years and I hardly ever see a “snapped board” . I’ve got a 6’2″ futura that’s my daily driver that I’ve owned for almost three years and it has stood the test of time. I currently own a quadraflex (two years old) and had a flexfire; both with no troubles. Some of these posts I think are BS! The only way I could see you bust one these boards in three foot surf is if you hit it with your fat oversized head. If your breaking these things then poly hasn’t got a chance in hell. On a positive note… I love the futura; It’s a great all around shape. I’ve ridden mine in knee high too solid double overhead. In small waves I use the “super twin ” set up, and when it gets heavy I go with the thruster. It’s a very versatile board. Zach, on January 26, 2010 @ 9:22 am |Hey Everyone – Just wanted to let you know that I bought a 5′ 11″ firewire dominator for my 15 year old son and it snapped in half on a 3′ wave. I asked the shop about the warranty which is why I bought the board in the first place and received an email back from firewire saying NO warranty. I sent them further pictures showing that the entire deck was delaminating. You can clearly see that the finishing on the deck is substandard. They (firewire) will not acknowledge this. My advise to anyone buying a firewire is don’t believe them when they tell you about the warranty. Mick, on February 1, 2010 @ 5:31 pm |Hello – just letting you know that i have also snapped one in 2-3 foot surf. it was one of the best boards ive ever surfed on, just a shame it only lasted 6 months. my advise would be try and go for the direct drive seems to be a little stronger and doesn’t surf too different from the flexfire, or save the firewire for bigger surf where it doesn’t seem to have the same problems. Jim, on February 6, 2010 @ 3:34 am |Hey Zach, let’s see a picture of the “snapped” Dominator. A 5’11” for your 15 year old; must be a pretty big kid. Oh and they don’t come in 5’11″…only 5’10” or 6’0″ Zach, on February 6, 2010 @ 8:09 am |Hey Jim – You are correct. It is a 5′ 10″. How can I get pictures posted? You won’t believe how the deck has peeled away. Firewire rep won’t return my calls either. Jim, on February 6, 2010 @ 1:27 pm |That sucks..Was it a Rapid Fire or a standard Future Shapes board? Zach, on February 7, 2010 @ 11:08 am |It was standard Future Shapes. Thanks for the suggestion also Mick. My son really liked the board but can’t affoard to give him a new one every 6 months. Jim, on February 15, 2010 @ 3:12 pm |Just got another 6’2″ “Futura” a couple weeks back. It’s lighter and the outline is slightly different from my first generation model. Stripped the wax the other day and noticed that it’s not as durable as my first gen. It’s already getting very visible dings in it! Think I’m going to hold on to my first one. It’s three years old and heavy’er but it’s held up great. My buddy rides a 6’2″ “Alternator” that’s also a first generation. He got it used two years ago and it’s still his daily driver. Guess they are not make them like they used to. Spence, on April 3, 2010 @ 6:45 pm |Like the look of the boards and the pitch I got here and at the surfshop but how many of you bloggers work for Firewire and how many of you are unbiased? Are there and Consumer reports type organizations for surfboards that can confirm some of the success stories? Neal, on April 4, 2010 @ 9:34 pm |@Spence you just gotta go out and try them. I only rode the Futura a couple sessions…liked the board but I can’t really comment on all the reports of board breaking and warping people here have been mentioning. The Firewire staff is pretty lame…they refuse to let us demo any boards in Hawaii so I can’t really give you more thoughts on the board. The board I borrowed from a friend worked well in two sessions but I wasn’t able to test it in different waves/conditions. Just gotta take a chance and buy one or borrow a friend’s. Good luck. SJ, on April 10, 2010 @ 7:15 am |Neal, I need ur advice on my FF board selection. 6ft/175lbs w/20yrs surf experience. Not really true expert yet. Normally at Lower/Upper Trestles. Currently ride Lost SD2 with XTR composition, 6’2″ x 18-3/8″ x 2-1/4″ It works very well on those waves. Now I am wondering whether I should get i) Taj model ii) Flexfire(maybe DD) or iii) Lost F-1 (FF) in order to bring my level up to true expert. Obviously throwing $700+ will be huge investment. Neal, on April 10, 2010 @ 1:30 pm |SJ, I really think it’s personal preference. The TAJ model is built to his surfing ability, weight, style, etc. and I’ve never been a fan of pro boards like Al Merrick’s Kelly Slater K-boards. Those boards you mentioned all look pretty high performance so I think it will ultimately go with your preference…the best thing you can do is demo a couple of them or just take a chance and sell it on our site or craigslist and try another. SJ, on April 10, 2010 @ 7:02 pm |Neal, thank u for ur prompt reply~! Ok, O will then check up on some of SoCal dealerships. Johnny Aguilar, on April 18, 2010 @ 8:06 am |I have a problem with vent,it drain water,a lot of water, some body now how the vent works ,apreciate Johnny Jason, on April 23, 2010 @ 12:55 pm |Thinking of buying a Firewire 5’11 F1 Lost model…how do these boards hold up? Do these boards get as many pressure dings on the deck that PU boards do? cassandra, on April 28, 2010 @ 12:19 pm |I live in Pa. I have to do a paper on surf boards. brad, on April 29, 2010 @ 1:20 am |I had a taj pro model firewire.I have only surfed it a limited number of times and it has broken in 3 seperate places the first was diagonaly betweenn the fins (splitting from about the centre of the board to the rails) then next surf it completely cracked the deck from rail to rail. After having that fixed it snapped clean in half across the side fins away from the original crack all in under 3ft soft surf. Paying $950 for a board which prides itself on its supposed strength I would suggest is not worth the investment. It would be understandable maybe happening once but in 3 seperate locations…you have to wonder??? especially considering I have not snapped a board in a 14 yr surfing career. Neal, on April 29, 2010 @ 5:31 pm |I remember hearing stories of Nev Hyman jumping on the bottom of a Firewire board to demonstrate its near indestructibility but after hearing everyone’s comments it seems they can break like any surfboard. Here’s what the Firewire site says regarding board breaking: “Please note our boards are definitely not indestructible and if slammed by a thick lip, or if you land incorrectly in the flats after doing an aerial, it is possible to break them” Even Surftech Tuflites break though I’d assume those are way harder to crease or snap than the other softer composite boards. PokerSurfer, on July 20, 2010 @ 5:16 pm |Just Bought the 5’5 El Fuego! Wasn’t even planning on buying a surfboard today but was working up at the North Shore today so I do my typical drive thru Haleiwa routine and figured I’d stop at a surf shop or two because this summer has been lame to surf and low and behold I crept upon this little guy known as the “El Fuego”? Measuring a cool 5’5″ 19 1/4″ and 2 1/8″ thin. It looked absolutely SICK! It had a pulled in sweet swallow WITH a five fin FCS Fusion set up! It also had a narrower nose ouline which the board said “shreddable” all over her and not really a fishy fish. Took about a half an hour to ponder it over ($700/cough cough) and before I knew it she turned into my girlfriend in the passenger seat for the long ride back home. I owned a 6’0″ Flexfire when they were first introduced but this El Fuego or post-Firefly is what I’ve always were looking for. Seen a few 5’6 Dominators in shops now and then but they seemed to wide for my liken but I like what I see and can’t wait to try her out……. now should I go with the quad set up or magical MR-TFX’s as a thruster, what to do what to do. Well I tried my board FINALLY today in windy challenging conditions and here is my take FWIW: Board was incredibly fast especially coming off the bottom (fastest board thus far for my surfing career). I think I will order another El Fuego 5’7 this time and keep riding my 5’5 till then, this is how my session went today: FWIW — PS rj, on July 26, 2010 @ 3:51 pm |there is not any board that will not break given the correct circumstances. the best board i ever had i snapped paddling out at boneyards in c.r. it was a true magic 9.6 single fin. that being said the firewire new spitfire is my go to board with a slightly larger dominator for the back up. they are the quickest boards i have ever ridden, save a few ‘magic’ boards over the years. the spitfire i am using a quad set up with smallish fins. it is probably the best all round board i have ever ridden. btw i have been surfing now 45 years, and am almost 60 and still on short boards. time takes its toll, but the firewires have given that back and more. they really are no more pricey than the custom c.i.’s i have or other hand shapes by the top guys. indestructible, no, but far more durable than any poly board could ever be. Andy, on July 27, 2010 @ 11:54 am |well i hope your last longer than mine did! josh, on July 30, 2010 @ 6:22 pm |i just bought mine about a month ago and i’ve probably only surfed it 15 or 20 times and today i went to pop up and i felt the board squish under my hand, i got out of the water and there was a crack with no apparent cause, its the 5 10 lost stealth model, it so dumb. is there any kind of faulty construction warranty? i paid WAY to much for this board to have it take a dump on me this soon james, on August 31, 2010 @ 11:00 am |Tried an alternator demo at head-high Rincon last year, out of the blue. First wave, dropped in at the Rivermouth behind a big chunk of chandeliering section. Hit my rail at the bottom and rocketed around the section so fast I couldn’t believe it. I hadn’t heard about the rails and didn’t know what to expect. When I came back to the loaner guy, and he asked what my impression was, I told him about how lively the board was. Then he explained why it happened. Parabolic or not, the board worked. john, on October 17, 2010 @ 12:31 pm |i just bought a 60 spitfire a few weeks ago , as my old pu rusty dwart 510 cracked over the fin plugs on the deck lettin in water and now has more craters than the moon only afer a year gutted.The Spit is great, i was amazed that a board so much wider and thicker than my reg 60 webber tuflite is just as responsive, and goes well in most conditions not like the webber. I absolutely love the spit doesnt matter what board you buy some one else will always have a bad review on it.In my opinion if a board puts a small grin on your face after kick out and elation fills the body then that is pricless lol PokerSurfer, on October 27, 2010 @ 1:49 pm |Don’t know why there are so many haters out there for Firewire……. conspiracy related perhaps? PS Pistol., on November 20, 2010 @ 11:07 pm |Thinking of making the switch from pu. Im a taller and heavier surfer than most. The model im looking to jump on is the 6’10” ADDVANCE. Puindeep, on December 18, 2010 @ 2:39 pm |I am raised on Kauai with the Wolfpak. I demo’d a 5’6″ Dominator today at Kaiser bowls and it felt weird for 3 waves and then the next wave I launched a fat air with almost no effort. The thing just started to rip for me. I am 5’5″ 170lbs… My PU always feels a little resistance exiting the lip. These things are air machines. I want one so bad but these kooks with the delam comments have me scared. Any no BS guy can tell me? Feels way more solid in your hands than a PU…I can’t imagine these comments about durability to be true? Maybe they are riding the boards on their stomachs 🙂 juan carlos vivas [jc surf boards], on January 31, 2011 @ 8:31 pm |aloha I work hard for my money buy my firt firewire is the best deciction of my life so stoke I’n surfing very good this board is majic jj, on March 22, 2011 @ 9:06 am |Got a Firewire Stealth and rode it for two weeks before it buckled. Repair cost $150. Rode for another six weeks before it buckled again. Altogether, nearly $1000 for a board I rode for eight weeks. I’m an average to above-average surfer, who’s not doing huge airs or air drops and I only rode the Stealth on 2-6ft waves. I don’t think I’ve put unwarranted stress on this board. I think they ride similar to PU, cost twice as much, ding a little less and buckle a lot more. I’ll never buy another one. Craig, on April 7, 2011 @ 8:29 am |I bought a firewire taj model twelve months ago and snapped it in four foot surf out duranbah. It was a good board to ride but it broke way to easy. I think maybe because they dont flex much and have wood in the rails this may be the problem. I was not happy that I spent that much as I thought spending a bit more on it would save me having to buy a new board sooner. I will be going back to the normal boards from now on but i did like the feel of them. Scotto, on April 15, 2011 @ 7:12 pm |Delam? Breakage? I surf RJs btwn Huntington & Newport in Socal and have been ripping on a 6’2 Quadraflex for 3yrs on EVERY good swell (slow work then unemployment) up to double-overhead. When it hits my leg, arm or head it cracks, and I fix it with a Superglue! Rub it into the cracks to seal it good with a few coats, then sand it lightly. I can still see them but it works great!! Scotto, on April 15, 2011 @ 7:35 pm |My wife is buying me a new board when I’m done getting my degree and it will be a new 6’2 Quadra5! I’m hard on my boards. I have bony feet and surf in shallow beachbreak, pulling into closeouts. This board holds up and surfs better than ANY previous board. Frog House says dealing with firewire sucks ’cause they’re jerks. But I know several guys with them and all of us love ’em. I’m just sayin’. NO BS!! -SCOTT erik, on April 23, 2011 @ 1:21 pm |urfing for 30 yrs I know epoxy is not supposed to delam off a NEW board then buckle, or any NEW p/u board as well, Mike at FW try’s to down play this common under front heel delam to buckle situation still to this day with FW, he will say that water got in thru a ding -completely false- then has the balls to try and twist my words saying I put my foot thru it to gain credibility and to try too discredit the slow building egg air bubble a chemical delamination situation still happening at FW, I was told that the bonding issue was all fixed which why I bought my now 3rd fw 2 of which delam (one was replaced Thank You) 1 that I ride more then the others is fine no delam hmmmm that’s wierd. so some do delam and some don’t why do some of the delams only happen under riders front foot, I think that when the board stress flexes over and over under the heel it works like sandpaper between the eps foam and epoxy layering creating integral structural damage directly under the heel then bubbles up and POP! it buckles or then just snaps in half seen that lol. don’t try and help fix your board if it bubbles up they will not replace, anything mike posts after this is corporate BS meant to gloss over the FW de-LAME situation he’s good at smoke and mirrors that’s why they pay him the big bucks but remember he’s the one thats gotta live with himself Jake, on April 28, 2011 @ 6:53 am |Hey im a average surfer. 5ft 9 150 pounds 16yrs old. Thinking about getting a hellfire. I have a 5ft 8 lost rocket and finding it harder to get into bigger waves on it. What size hellfire should i get. Will it buckle on me? beaver, on May 3, 2011 @ 9:01 am |100’s more delam-and-buckle posts be aware they will take your hard earned money and laugh all the way to the bank, I heard they manufacture in far east now! boards are not made in SD USA anymore haha go figure the quality is gone along with the name http://www.firewiresurfboards.com/forum/discussion/780/delam-and-buckle/p2 Meeks, on May 17, 2011 @ 1:33 pm |I just snapped my 6.4 Firewire Dominator this morning, pretty much clean in two, albeit the bamboo deck held it together. Gutted. It wasn’t even that heavy a wave, 5ft something. I loved this board, and an totally shocked that it broke so easily. Am definitely going to think twice about spending that much money on a board again. rsnotyours, on August 29, 2011 @ 1:14 pm |Just scored a FW Hellfire, 5’10, im 175 and it feels like a great board to transition from intermediate to beyond, floats sooo goos, i had a tuflite and these boards perform much better in chop in my opinion, but the response and lightness just makes me laugh sometimes. its really that good. is anyone trying to make the case that these boards break easier than p/u boards? yeah….right. and i was just in hss and the merricks are about the same price. but id look for a used firewire if possible, cuz 650 hurts. lol. Delam, on September 12, 2011 @ 3:15 pm |Epoxy delaminates. Always has, always will. luke, on February 24, 2012 @ 1:00 am |anyone know where to get a salomon s core plug or how to seal a board without one? Was given one in brand new condition on a recent trip to the states and want to give it a spin but i lost the plug and can’t find replacement. Leave a comment |
Roy Stewart, on March 22, 2007 @ 1:19 am |
Firewire are indulging in misleading advertidsing, thee is no parabola in any of their stringers.. . it is pure bullshit (although the flex thing, which we promoted back in 1996, does work)