yes - I know i’m behind the times - and if already discussed i apologise -
But i just checked out the Rip curl Pipline results and Taj pretty much blew out early…what happened?
as far as i could make out …all the surfers that made it to the finals were riding standard pu/pe tech…
not to be cynical but…why does pupe still reign supreme?
For lightweight guys on disposable pu/pe the advantages of a compsand are small or non existent. If you can afford a new pu/pe every 6 to 8 weeks you too can have a board that is lively and responsive everytime you get to your feet.
Now if you are in the 190lb range and up I do not care how many you can afford you will not be able to get the same responsiveness that you can get with a properly shaped compsand.
I do not know if you have made one yet but if I recall right you fit that size range. So make one and take 1/4 to 3/8" off your standard thickness and bring the rails down accordingly and you will see where the magic is in this type of construction.
Christian
Taj did okay in the the first jewel at smaller stuff at Haleiwa but at macking windblown sunset or pipe a super light isn’t going to make alot of difference. Parko’s style fits in well at sunset and he won there while the pipe specialists had their day at pipe since it was going off as well. Those realy aren’t “hotdogging” kind of waves… Maybe an event at Honolua it might be another story though… Hotdoggie just like Alii but way longer.
here’s a hint…
when the wave does all the work for you
you don’t need any help from your board
it’s more a case of keeping the beast under control if anything.
That’s why adoption is always slower here
the waves are more than enough to keep everyone happy
even with what might be termed by others as substandard equipment.
you’re looking for control on the northshore more than you’re looking for speed.
hopefully that’s helps others understand this place a bit…
Oneula,
Well put.
-Jay
I cant wait to see Taj ride his firewire in perfect high performance superbank waves. and then i’d watch the footage in slow motion.
Hawaii was the ultimate proving ground for the thruster.
I’m not sure you could really argue that the best waves with the best surfers doesn’t provide the best test of competition-style surfing equipment.
Taj rode Firewire ALL YEAR. He did marginally better, on the year, than last year (4th vs 7th). That ain’t chump change for the first year of a company. It certainly demonstrates that Firewire can at least keep up with the best that the rest of the surf industry has to offer.
But it is kinda hard to argue it is a make-or-break kinda change. We’ll see what next year brings.
I would venture to say that a firewire is a board for lesser waves than pipe. I have not rode pipe or a FW but i would geuss that the super light flexibile board would just be a little sketchy there. Besides you are not going to be popping airs and all those other HP maneuvers at pipe like you would at say hossegar or trestles. When I asked a friend who is a pretty stark follower of wct results he said taj also doesn’t fair as well in big surf so that also comes into play. I think it is mainly not the arrow but the archer.
I watched sunset and pipe online
At sunset he rode a firewire and almost every time he tried to bottom turn he was thrown off his boards
I suspect it was to much flex
It looked like he couldn’t surf
scores were under 1.0 for the most part
At pipe he rode a pu and was killing it
Make your own decisions
i agree with bernie
when the waves are cracking overhead
it dosnt matter too much
taj can have a composite board made to any weight he wants
the ole too light argument doesnt stand
if they had to paddle in when they break there boards
that would be a different story
I watched sunset and pipe online
At sunset he rode a firewire and almost every time he tried to bottom turn he was thrown off his boards
I suspect it was to much flex
It looked like he couldn’t surf
scores were under 1.0 for the most part
At pipe he rode a pu and was killing it
Make your own decisions
Ditto… I watched online!!! When he surfed at sunsets he just kept catching rails and falling off. You could see how frustrated he was. He was loosing all his speed in his turns and getting reallt bogged down…
I say…Flex…too much flex!!!
Didn’t Taj’s Firewire snap in two in 3 foot OBSF a month ago? Relax girls. I’m kidding. Mike
Sorry not on topic but silverback could you look out for a PM from me later in the day about Senegal. As I remember you went there and I would like some info. Someone else on here was also inquiring about surfing there too!
thanks
Right I’ll ride a PU/PE at Sunset and Pipe everywhere else I’ll ride a compsand.
Pipe and Sunset are two INCREDIBLY different waves. I think a compsand tuned for a wave like pipe could work very well there, especially backdoor. Backdoor is usually pretty quick down the line, almost a closeout. Who doesn’t want more speed for that? The drops are steep and the texture is usually pretty smooth, Oneula, didn’t you post about how nice your firewire felt in the pocket as the flex of the board conformed to the face of the wave? I could be mistaken on this, but I think that’s what I read in a previous post, if memory serves me. I’d leave myself in Bert’s hand on that one, plenty of West oz reefs that do a good pipe impression.
Sunset is a heavy open ocean wave usually has quite a bump to it. I have a hard time picturing any lightweight flexy board doing well there. The power of compsands is the freedom to tune them though. You can put weight where you want and you can definitely stiffen them if you want. Redistribution of weight could be VERY benficial if you know where to put it, and for what conditions.
So…is the overall impression…“yes compsands will be better in the future…when all the variables are wired…until then…pupe is better for performance?”
I understand breakthroughs wrt durability…but if the performance incentive is not really there…then are we all better off sticking with what we know works best?..
Kinda distressing eh…I hoped that Bert’s compsand would be a real breakthrough…Taj is undoubtedly one of the best surfers on the planet…but when I’ve seen him on his firewire…he does’t seem to be surfing any better…but does seem to be having problems as described in previous posts.
If the compsand route is better performance wise…it certainly doesn’t seem to be a quantum leap as was the move to 3 fins…
I dunno…seems like a false dawn so far…
for those that suggest “too much flex” youre dead wrong.
FW’s do NOT flex more than an equivalently designed pupe.
The diff is the durabilty and power of the springback.
I dont think Taj has ever done well there anyway and besides, it doesnt matter how Taj or any of those guys do on the NS. That stuff NEVER affected my taste for everyday equipment, even tho Im in the performance surfer cat.
Watching Taj blow it at sunset doesnt mean diddly,
the only thing that matters is how it feels under YOUR feet.
"Watching Taj blow it at sunset doesnt mean diddly,
the only thing that matters is how it feels under YOUR feet. "
Hey craftee…I agree and disagree…For my personal surfing requirements - I’ll stick with a nice balsa compsand…feels good for me…but I’m a big guy - 215 lbs…and like the extra buoyancy and light weight…I like the durability above all…but in all honesty I surf no differently than were I on a normal pupe
BUT I think it does matter that Taj is not performing well on them…if …as they were hyped …they’re the next BIG thing that’ll improve your surfing capabilities…so far…that’s not been borne out by reality…
Interesting points.
However, Taj is just ONE data point. In statistical circles, ONE data point is just slightly better than zero. TWO or THREE points and youre starting to get somewhere. Surfercross is a true hardcore believer…now youve got TWO data points. The number of data points will grow over time…and as they say, time will tell.
As far as hype…Im not sure the hype extends that much further outside of this website. Yes there is a lot of hype on Sways, but who gives a rats…when you really think about it, this is an opinion based site.
If you were in the biz of selling domestically built, tech based boards, trying to take market share away from overseas imports, wouldnt you want to market your products as aggressively as you can? Even so, Ive looked at the FW site and I dont see too much hype there myself. To each his own.
You want to see/hear hype…watch some sporting event on TV and watch all those “LEGITIMATE” SUV commercials…or listen to the radio and hear about all the majic herbal potions that will grow your hair back. My personal favorite…
http://www.qlinkgolf.com/Scripts/openExtra.asp?extra=4
I could go on and on about “ETHICS” or the lack thereof in the biz (marketing) world. Just find your locally supported MLM and see for yourself.
Seems to me that FW is running a pretty good ship. But hey thats just one man’s opinion.
actually
I think Gerry had the best idea for designing boards for pipe.
you just want a board you point and go
you don’t want to have to be thinking about too much when your trying to manage a “situation”
like Greg once said…
pipe is all about making the drop and pulling in either side
nothing more
getting barreled and surviving is the essence of pipe
no one’s looking at doing big floaters int he lip at pipe except spongers
or those new school fancy butt jiggling moves
unless you want to pay the price sooner or later
insult pipe
and you’ll be pulling some coral out of your body before she’s done with you.
I love watching what Taj can do it’s more a front foot hop skip and arial kind of surfing but Hawaii requires power to handle the speed. That why all the new school skinny fliers eventual find out they have to bulk up and put on some serious muscle to manage the kind of gouges they want to pull off in this juice. Pretty much all the pretty boy fliers here eventually become serious gougers(sp?) and that requires power not flex… The west Ozzies always do well here because of that butthe only one that’s proven himself with new tech in some serious stuff is Kieran Perrow and his baby blue boards but then again he takes some serious beat downs.
they should get margo on one
he rips
if you can afford a new board every surf then perhaps pupe is for you
if you want one that last a good many years and feels new for the duration
get a compsand
silverback. sorry but i think your wrong.
we are talking no4 in the world and a deffinate title contender