Cheers to the firewire customer service department. I sent an inquiry in yesterday regarding changing out fins/sizes and plug integrity. Chuy Reyna responded via email within 12 hrs. Very cool.
I’m gonna try the MRTX with small trailer in my 6’4’’ alternator for small waves.
Firewire thanks you for the good comments.
Now all we have to do is stave off the trolls who will say we put you up to it!
I really like that it’s a good sign and shows they are turning the corner…
I emailed Chuy back in April/May (from work I might add) about how to order an Alternator and never did receive a reply and ended up buying a used FW fish off ebay. Still might get an Alternator one day if I don’t luck out and grill a real magic burger of my own like Dave, Paul, Ben and Dan have done…
But this is a really good sign customer service is the most important survival aspect in a commoditized industry.
Starting up a company from scratch is near impossible and they’ve come a tremendously long way with a huge burn rate to do so I’m sure… But when the owner of BB can buy a house on an Aussie cliff over two football fields long you know they have the deep pockets to get this baby up and running against all odds.
Might as well add my FW pics to this thread: I picked this one up last weekend. Its the 6’6 step-up with the “springer” in it. The weight is about the same as a standard PU/PE of this size. Haven’t had it out in proper size waves yet, so I can’t comment on the ride; other than it paddles suprisingly well for its size and duckdives great.
My standard shorty is 6’2 x 19.25 x 2 3/8 XTR - I’m ~6’ 190-195lbs and the narrower FW still fits me fine.
Oh, the balsa down the rail is continuous without any joints!
nice to see firewire catching up to the backyarders 
a wee change in production methods methinks
can you give us an exact weight please surfstar101
On my bathroom scale it comes out to be 8.0lbs - with wax, tailpad and fins as shown above. Not the most reliable scale, but gives you an idea.
Some of the shortboards in the shop felt light, but none had the “this is the lightest board I’ve ever held” feeling that a pre-production shop board had when I saw one last summer.
far out
i didnt expect that?
whats the go there guys
i thought there supossed to be light
my heaviest compsand is around 6.5 pounds with wax fins and grip
and that things built like a tank
actually dont answer that
i know the reason
surfers want cometics
hell
iff they pay that much for a board they want it to look pretty
my own experience is that cosmetics add weight
paint, gloss, thick hotocats, invisible weave etc etc
i would find it very chalenging to get one of mine to look that pretty as well
also
it is possible marketing claims have forced their hand
instead of going for a tough lite board that is somewhat possible to ding(although unlikely)
theve prolly gone for the toughest (normal weight board that is almost impossible to ding)
meanwhile
until firewire start making liteweight customs
performance compsand may still lead in the realm of backyarders tech
Silly, I can’t see why you think that going that light is so important, I think it’s just a pose making out that there is a ‘performance’ (whatever that means) advantage by saving a couple of pounds in weight, 6 and a half pounds is ridiculously light, when I surfed foam shorties I used to prefer them when they were waterlogged so that they had some grunt, don’t try to tell us that 8 pounds is not top shelf, the facts are against it.
.
Bathroom scales are pretty inaccurate down at the low end in my experience, they’re designed to measure much higher weights. I tried weighing one of mine on our bathroom scales and it was so far off I never bothered again. Kitchen scales seem to give more consistent results.
ok
what i meant by “performance”
in a shortboard design that is intended for the use
involving manuevers such as.
1 vertical turns in critical sections on a (preferably steep and hollow)wave
2 high speed cutbacks into critical sections
3 aerial manuevers
4 tube riding that involves more than a straight line trim
5 reverses and 360 etc
you know what im talking about.
ones that where having a light board with reduced swing weight in the nose
improves execution of above listed manuevers
could be right
i may have to eat my words
I think it’s heavier because it’s one of their semi guns, so it’s got the springer and bit of extra weight to make it work better in Hawaiian type conditions. In big powerful surf the advantage of compsand construction would be the positive feel you get from the rail, light weight is not so useful if all you are doing is taking the drop and threading huge barrels. I wonder if the springer makes them less snappable, that would be a good selling point - especially for boat trips etc.
I’m thinking Kevlar inside the top skin might improve snap resistance, I’m going to try that when I build a semi gun.
good point
i only ride smaller waves where i feel a lighter board is more desirable
I own a 6 10 x 20 balsa compsand that weighs 6.5lb with fins and wax etc…that fw seems quite heavy for its size…
Still…a bit of weight in offshore choppy conditions helps I feel…
when i ride the compsand in strong offshores it seems to be badly affected by the wind…or it could be me i guess?
contour to what most say I’ve got to add in the feeling I got from a light weight board in big hollow waves was completly insane! in a good way. however once the over 6’ waves get choppy and not clean i just get axed on the light weight boards.
Surfers will tolerate dings in their purchased surfboards.
They are far less tolerant of snappage.
FWs were snapping too frequently. Good to see they recognized their error.
I dont get it.
People gripe about having too light of a semi-gun board in heavy conditions, and how some have broken. Then FW puts one out there to satisfy those customers who dont want it super light and more break resistant, and people still find ways to slam them.
I guess if there’s no soul, it isnt worthy of praise.
Altho that hasnt hurt Surftech’s chances tho (where do they make those again?)
Hmmm. I didn’t read any of the above observations as gripes. Boards break all the time. So do FW’s. I think FW markets their boards with better flex, weight, and strength. I guess that is what people are discussing. I think Patagonia was making similar claims 10 years ago when they first started. I was told they replaced at no charge snapped boards by the owner of a Patagonia who was on his 3rd. I don’t think that is part of Patagonia’s marketing strategy anymore for obvious reasons. The FW I looked at were light and beautifully foiled. Almost like a Longbow when looking at the foil. A talented local surfer I know took one for a test ride. Not an average recreational dork like me. He said it was a really nice board that surfed good. That’s it. Not a quantum leap in performance from the boards he normally surfs. Anectdotal reports on perfomance are pretty useless anyway, because it’s all so subjective. However, I think anecdotes from those that are not ‘true beleivers’ may be more valid than anecdotes from those who are. Don’t you? I think the market for FW’s in the USA will probably be SUV driving, middle aged, recreational surfing dorks like me that can afford to drop 700 dollars on a new surfboard and believe all the hype will keep them “in the game” just a little bit longer. The same demographic that buys Patagonias and overpriced Surftechs. Mike
Compsand Builders,
What is your take on the appearance of a continuous un-spliced balsa rail on the board pictured in this thread? Are they using full length strips?
Dave_D