I saw how well kelly’s poly worked at J-Bay. Everyone has off days.
well i was going to leave this one alone , as i really have no place commenting on FW’s …
but the talk is just as much about the tech as it is about Taj and FW …
yes , the rail spray , all board builders will tell you that a rail spray can be handy after a few bloopers …
Taj only rides set fins , only six months back i finally convinced him to try FCS as part of the package , because what i had in mind could only work by using FCS , but i never ended up getting the opportunity to build those series of boards for him …
there done now , but with a different brand of coarse …
just like a pro surfer who needs to have every aspect of his career in focus , its more than just being able to rip …
time management …
money management …
your support network …
your boards …
your physical and mental health …
the list goes on …
the same goes for putting boards under the feet of the worlds best surfers …
its not just about good boards , just like its not just about the best surfers …
so many other aspects need to be considered …
what FW did really well , was facilitate all the other aspects to create a support network so the best boards could be put under the feet of the worlds best surfers …
just like an F1 driver , he is supported by a team of specialists , his results can vary on the day , but he doesnt win by rolling up in his old beater and pulling onto the track , with half a tank of fuel left from the last race …
like Many ,even GL has admitted , FW had teething problems …
but that tells me that if a product that is not up to its full potential , can still go out and win CT events , then what will happen when the real thing emerges ??
the point i am trying to make is that whether parabolic sandwich tech remains in the winners circle or not , at the elite level , all the other factors have a huge bearing on the outcome , because P/U is the predominant construction of all the businesses that have established themselves with the resources and ability to be able to provide that team support network to surfers , then its obvious we wont see more new tech in the hands of leading surfers until that tech can be married with logistical and business support …
silly , right on the money , if you want to not have issues with flop , you need wood …
Taj has horizontal stiffeners added to his front foot area …
anyway , difficult for me to make FW comments in general , hopefully nothing in here gets taken out of context …
have to fly as usual …
regards
BERT
BERT STOP WALKING ON TIGHT ROPE
PS KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK MORE PICS’’
Now that is what I am talking about.The man who knows the most is giving some input that is what this website is supposed to be about.I know politics come into play on here sometimes but f that stuff.I want to know about the latest and greatest in surfboard design so thanks Bert for throwing some thoughts out there.PEACE KARL
well i couldnt think of a better place to drop a few board and new tech pics …
also found out recently that the black railed board is still the original hand build from 18 months back …
still the favourite , classic …
speaking of classic , is my board ready yet ?
well , almost , me and Josh need a little more time to drool over them …
does anybody know the difference between the original hand builds and …
yep , and here was the original layup , but with all the new fruit ,plus , the new mixmaster 5000 does the cream in record time to perfection …
a glimpse into the engine room …
where does the arrow go ?
man , that thing flew past so quick , we couldnt get the right logo on it …
regards
BERT
Well Done! Integrity speaks for its self. Deserving admiration, for sure
Nice looking boards (especially the Xray photo)! I’ve rebecome a huge fan of the springers (they’re going in all my boards). I’ve been playing around with placement and its nice to see that I’m on the right track 
I was wondering how the weight of your currents boards are comparing to the “vintage Sunovas”. It seems that the dramas grow exponentially as the weight drops. I’m finding I can pretty easily get a 1 pound per foot on my longboard outlines. Going lighter seems very hard.
Sweet Jesus I hope that one of those boards is mine.After seeing that latest run of pics I feel like its christmas.Your springer setup looks alot differnt from the firewires.You should update your website with some pics.Did Taj get to ride the boards yet? Later Karl
So, you telling me that the J’Bay board is the same one Taj came second on the previous year, a board over a year old, just with the rails sprayed black???
Ok, that makes sense…handmade board…joins in the rail balsa…
Would’nt want me putting up my hand for the glory again now would we!!!
Josh
like i said josh
smokescreen
Hmm…
Yeah, when you have a block of EPS foam, some sheets of Balsa, a roll of fibreglass and a pot of resin, who do you call?
P.S…sorry I did’nt leave instructions on the goo-grinder!
Speedy
yea dan , your pretty much hugging the boundries there …
with any type of foam skins you can nail a certain weight with consistency …
when you do all Balsa , thats when you can get those freaky bits that are real light but still with good stiffness and spring …
sometimes i could go through a box of 1000 peices and find as little as 18 bits , not even enough for a whole longboard , would cull them by weight , then by hardness and then by spring …
so if you want to go lighter and still keep some zing , then your going to have to annoy your wood supplier , maybe go into a hobby shop that sells it , who if your lucky, has enough of a selection to try and pick out some good bits …
finding those magic bits of wood with just the right spring and rebound yet still solid , then getting all the other elements right , will get you into that light yet still strong and springy area …
if your bagging your outer , get the tightest finish you can and keep recoats to a minimum , try not to over bag your deck area or else you will suck to much resin out and kill the compression resistence …
also , most of the time , excess wear happens in tight spots , so instead of all over fabrics , just patch the problem areas and keep the rest light …
always look at resins , preservers , contours , that will increase the compression strength of the deck skin …
this means , high barcol readings , low viscosity , and potentially machining in ridges into the skin material …
then another area is dry inners , not completly dry , wet enough for an eps bond , but not so wet as to weaken the tensile strength of the fabric …
the drier your inner the better tensile strength and flexibility it has …
to wet and you turn it into a brittle biscuit with a honeycomb core …
instructions ?
come on Josh ,this stuff is basic , even a thong salesman could figure it out …
no Karl , these havent been ridden yet , ive still got them for a few more days …
regards
BERT
good rave there bert
helps a great deal on a couple of little things im trying out
re.wood
i can get my supplier to select the stuff i want so i get it sawn off the same 4 by2
at the moment though, lightness isnt my main objective
ive got to find a balance because im sellling them
i only get freaky on my own boards
everyone else gets a 6 pounder or more
btw
i know exactly what it does
Hey Bert - Thanks for all of the incite! Today I got a chance to take my new 8 footer out for its first surf and it blew my mind. It was so much fun I couldn’t believe it. I was catching every wave that came my way. I used my 9 foot rocker table, but shimmed the nose and tail so that I got the same rocker measurements, but they kicked in the final 2 feet from the nose and the 1 foot from the tail. What made me so happy is that on my last board I came up with a bunch of new concepts that were magic on the 9 footer (but I couldn’t be sure if it was my new techniques or just luck). On this board they work even better (so I think I can rule out luck)!
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if your bagging your outer , get the tightest finish you can and keep recoats to a minimum , try not to over bag your deck area or else you will suck to much resin out and kill the compression resistence …
I’ve finally got my prefabbed skins working good. I use a real tight weaved S-cloth that lays super flat. Paul (silly) spent a lot of time trying to convince my of the benefits of not overbagging the skins, but I fought him on it. On my last board I was forced into lower pressures and it really made a difference.
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then another area is dry inners , not completly dry , wet enough for an eps bond , but not so wet as to weaken the tensile strength of the fabric … the drier your inner the better tensile strength and flexibility it has … to wet and you turn it into a brittle biscuit with a honeycomb core …
I have a question about this. About a year or so ago jjp had a board that a friend busted. At the time I was running less than 1:1 on the inner glass. I thought you said something about how part of his problems came from running his inner coat to dry. Since that time I’ve been running at 1:1 and have actually seen better performance.
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would cull them by weight , then by hardness and then by spring …
I just got an order of a couple hundred sheets. I’ve been sorting them by weight. Maybe its time to become even more selective!
Are you planning on making a trip to Cali any time soon?
Dan
Quote:
then another area is dry inners , not completly dry , wet enough for an eps bond ,
yes its cutting a fine line , from memory jjp had large dry areas after he pulled the skin …
if the fabric is wet , then its wet enough for a bond … also skin pre treatment , so when bonding the skins on you use less resin coz it cant soak in … i know you know what i mean …
im out for a week , heading down the coast for some waves …
so wont be around …
regards
BERT
Quote:
also skin pre treatment , so when bonding the skins on you use less resin coz it cant soak in … i know you know what i mean …
Yep Colonel, I’ve been working my way through the secret spices. My newest word for the day is regrind. Have a great trip! We’re looking to get waves later this week.
might as well hear it from the man himself.
sorry if it has been posted already…
I can’t believe that Bert goes through that much to find the perfect pcs of balsa.There are no other materials that offer consistent spring.
hmmm that Taj interview he says the first ones were ok, but later batches were great . . . sounds like they were tuning them up for him and his surfing.
wait did I just say tuning up. Is that custom? I guess so.
My experience with firewire is it rides similar to rusty EPS 1lb epoxy thing . . . the FW is probably more durable though.