As a ding repairer, I thank you for making lightweight boards that crack and ding with just a glance. You put food in my belly and pay for the boards I shape in my backyard.
If you're referring to surfboards in general. Materials have nearly doubled in price in the last 18 months. Factory costs have gone up so the price goes up with it.
why are middle aged asian women not allowed to manufacture or touch surfboards? You sounds racist and sexist on so many levels... So if they were young asian women it would be ok ? or how about male 25 to 35 years old white american , is that the only acceptable option ?
If you actually surfed, you’d understand that the small, but proud, domestic Surfboard craftsman community is being decimated by cheap Asian ‘pop outs’. And yes, many of these boards are glassed and sanded by ‘middle age Asian women’ who’ve never put in the blood, sweat, and tears to learn and hone their skills in this trade, to learn the nuances, the soul, the history. Again, you probably don’t surf, so you probably don’t understand. And there is photographic proof of that demographic is who is finishing the boards... so save your pretentious, champion of the people attitude for another cause.... Lastly, FIREWIRE SUCKS 🤙🏻
well if that is the case then they would be of worse quality and not decimate the local community and create a job for someone else. ..Your photo would just show a photo of someone that needs to feed his or her kids also and has the right to that job.. third world countries have a right to a job and don't need us westerners to create some sort of moral high ground . .. you can't tell me not to be their champion .. And yes I do surf !
That maybe true Gregor, but I would also hope that firewire is paying a real living wage to those people in their factories in asia. Is it their own factory or contracted out? Does the factory have safe working conditions? Do the managers of the factory follow labor laws? Pay over time? No quota system? Bathroom breaks? Are they allowed to organize and make demands of their employers, or are they under threat if they do? There is a reason labor is cheap in those countries and the vast majority of the time it's because workers get treated like shit. It's true that they might need to "feed their kids" and maybe be doing better than having no job at all and starving, but that still doesn't justify the typical practices of western companies that contract work out overseas. This mythical "free market" idealism about western manufacturing jobs "raising the third world out of poverty" is a bunch of fucking bullshit. Not saying Firewire is doing this but it's nearly impossible to find information about their factory and it's conduct. Western businesses do NOT get the benefit of the doubt on this issue because it's been proven time and time again that these countries abuse their work forces.
@@doublestrokeroll "but I would also hope that firewire is paying a real living wage to those people in their factories in asia". Lol. that's like a rich dad saying to his kid: "hey i bought you that bmw m5 but pls don't go above 120km/h on the highway.
I'd rather have a good old man to man chat with my shaper.maybe share a few brewskies shoot the shit about the good old days then wait a week and a half for my board to be finished.
Firewires were initially made in California, San Diego I think. The tech and boards were new and were high quality. This was 10+ years ago. I had a couple and loved them. Once they moved production overseas, they became cheap and the company became deceptive. Like the 'carbon' stringers they claim to have, but have since been proven they are just painted to look like that.
I transitioned to Firewire from custom EPS boards that were very thin, and narrow, and light. 6'3" x 18.25" x 2.25" - plus a 6'7" and 7'0" step up using same width and thickness. I was very impressed by the Firewire Taj Burrow model, and finally bought the 6'1" which was similar to the above dims. It was shockingly different, and at first felt too loose, but I realized it carved as hard as my EPS boards, but was quicker, and my turns were tighter. Also it paddled better than my 6'3" epoxy even though smaller - and my EPS's paddled better than PU's by far. So this FW technology enables me to ride shorter boards in bigger surf, as long as I don't go too short. My fave is a 6'0" and compared to a 5'8" the little extra rail length smooths out the wave face as good as any PU. Currently I have Firewires that are over 5 years old, with ZERO pressure dings, no rail dings, and they still feel fresh, and I have 6 in my quiver that I absolutely love. I also have a custom Mayhem Taj Whiplash glassed with Black Dart carbon board and it is sick too, and very similar. All in all, I think the Firewire parabolic rail and multi layer construction, and carbon vacuum glassing is the most sophisticated construction available, and I am personally grateful that they have created boards that have elevated my surfing, and that have amazing durability at the same time.
I'm thinking about getting my 1st thunderbolt constructed surfboard after 50 years of surfing... Please don't tell people that a PU surfboard lasts 1-2 years...THAT'S BS!!!! Not to mention PU surfboards do "MUCH BETTER" in the heat. That statement about PU boards lasting 1-2 years makes everything else you say suspect.
The only "EPS" which is truly tough is the Thunderbolt tech, organised between Tolhurst and Firewire (and which apparently Firewire has now bought out - watch this space). This is currently used in the Tolhurst HI Mid 6 and HI 4 surfboards, but they are mid- and full-length planks. Thunderbolt does however cost a bomb (AUD$1750), but the board will definitely last and hopefully keep its colour. Firewire's Helium and LFT both snap and fade yellow/brown badly, and other manufacturers' "EPS" and "epoxy" are either slightly tougher than PU ... or pretty useless. It's your $1000 to $1300 which you are experimenting with. IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE WHAT FIREWIRE DOES WITH THE SUPERIOR THUNDERBOLT TECH BECAUSE IT'S REALLY TOUGH AND RIDES REALLY WELL TOO - WE'RE WAITING FOR ANY SHORT BOARD MODELS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS.
Once you get your first ding the vacuum pack pressure is released and the delams start.Terrible too repair.Computer spit coffee cup vacuum body bag it !!!!!!
as soon as your computer goes down no more boards, soulless robot boards, loss of the sacred craft, to print out boards that ride like lopsided corks!!! i think that was a haiku!!!
Hotwire look at the history of the craft. It is about feel and soul. A shaper puts his heart into what he creates. Each one is unique. Hence the attitude. Also, the company claims to be “green,” yet pays to ship the boards overseas to the US. The company is doing well, but will never be fully accepted by the surfing community.
People like you are moronic. You get too sentimental and poetic about old ways as if it was better. Have you ridden one of these boards? I have. And I'm never going back. In the long run it last longer and is cheaper. In the same time I've had my one FireWire board, I'd have to buy 2 boards of traditional manufacturing.
That's a pretty shallow way of looking at it. RT Surfboard from France's east coast use both method and make terrific boards. I'd definitely encourage someone to buy a custom over a standard template surfboard if they can afford it, because it will be tailored to their body specific needs. I can't understand surfers who don't know anything about surfboards and what they'll need from one.
![Surfboard Shaping & Glassing [High-Performance Shortboard]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/rYYuDt8Z2cY/mqdefault.jpg)
As a ding repairer, I thank you for making lightweight boards that crack and ding with just a glance. You put food in my belly and pay for the boards I shape in my backyard.
A local ding repair guy has posted many videos of busted fin boxes with UNCURED resin in them... ALL Firewire and GSI brand
@@stevemoramarco1805 haha, never seen that myself. Only uncured resin I ever find is people filling super deep cavities with solar res
Professional jealousy
I’ve had a sci-fi 2.0 for about 3 years and it still goes great. I don’t ride PU boards anymore for that reason
Surfboards confuse me... the methods get cheaper, the materials get cheaper, but the cost keeps going up and up.
AJ G 👍
If you're referring to surfboards in general. Materials have nearly doubled in price in the last 18 months. Factory costs have gone up so the price goes up with it.
Resin price just went 40% up
because that's just marketing!
Foam price going higher because of regulation, also the resin
Why didnt they show the middle age asian women who ACTUALLY glass and sand the boards?
why are middle aged asian women not allowed to manufacture or touch surfboards? You sounds racist and sexist on so many levels... So if they were young asian women it would be ok ? or how about male 25 to 35 years old white american , is that the only acceptable option ?
If you actually surfed, you’d understand that the small, but proud, domestic Surfboard craftsman community is being decimated by cheap Asian ‘pop outs’. And yes, many of these boards are glassed and sanded by ‘middle age Asian women’ who’ve never put in the blood, sweat, and tears to learn and hone their skills in this trade, to learn the nuances, the soul, the history. Again, you probably don’t surf, so you probably don’t understand. And there is photographic proof of that demographic is who is finishing the boards... so save your pretentious, champion of the people attitude for another cause.... Lastly, FIREWIRE SUCKS 🤙🏻
well if that is the case then they would be of worse quality and not decimate the local community and create a job for someone else. ..Your photo would just show a photo of someone that needs to feed his or her kids also and has the right to that job.. third world countries have a right to a job and don't need us westerners to create some sort of moral high ground . .. you can't tell me not to be their champion .. And yes I do surf !
That maybe true Gregor, but I would also hope that firewire is paying a real living wage to those people in their factories in asia. Is it their own factory or contracted out? Does the factory have safe working conditions? Do the managers of the factory follow labor laws? Pay over time? No quota system? Bathroom breaks? Are they allowed to organize and make demands of their employers, or are they under threat if they do?
There is a reason labor is cheap in those countries and the vast majority of the time it's because workers get treated like shit. It's true that they might need to "feed their kids" and maybe be doing better than having no job at all and starving, but that still doesn't justify the typical practices of western companies that contract work out overseas. This mythical "free market" idealism about western manufacturing jobs "raising the third world out of poverty" is a bunch of fucking bullshit.
Not saying Firewire is doing this but it's nearly impossible to find information about their factory and it's conduct. Western businesses do NOT get the benefit of the doubt on this issue because it's been proven time and time again that these countries abuse their work forces.
@@doublestrokeroll "but I would also hope that firewire is paying a real living wage to those people in their factories in asia". Lol. that's like a rich dad saying to his kid: "hey i bought you that bmw m5 but pls don't go above 120km/h on the highway.
While technology can be better, not sure how globalization is good for the surf industry or “green”.
I'd rather have a good old man to man chat with my shaper.maybe share a few brewskies shoot the shit about the good old days then wait a week and a half for my board to be finished.
Where does one get a Firewire board made in the USA, constructed/manufactured in the USA?
Firewires were initially made in California, San Diego I think. The tech and boards were new and were high quality. This was 10+ years ago. I had a couple and loved them. Once they moved production overseas, they became cheap and the company became deceptive. Like the 'carbon' stringers they claim to have, but have since been proven they are just painted to look like that.
Nowhere cause it costs to much, that's why it's based in thailand.
Fuck, its made in Thailand? Guess I won't get a firewire...
I transitioned to Firewire from custom EPS boards that were very thin, and narrow, and light. 6'3" x 18.25" x 2.25" - plus a 6'7" and 7'0" step up using same width and thickness. I was very impressed by the Firewire Taj Burrow model, and finally bought the 6'1" which was similar to the above dims. It was shockingly different, and at first felt too loose, but I realized it carved as hard as my EPS boards, but was quicker, and my turns were tighter. Also it paddled better than my 6'3" epoxy even though smaller - and my EPS's paddled better than PU's by far. So this FW technology enables me to ride shorter boards in bigger surf, as long as I don't go too short. My fave is a 6'0" and compared to a 5'8" the little extra rail length smooths out the wave face as good as any PU. Currently I have Firewires that are over 5 years old, with ZERO pressure dings, no rail dings, and they still feel fresh, and I have 6 in my quiver that I absolutely love. I also have a custom Mayhem Taj Whiplash glassed with Black Dart carbon board and it is sick too, and very similar. All in all, I think the Firewire parabolic rail and multi layer construction, and carbon vacuum glassing is the most sophisticated construction available, and I am personally grateful that they have created boards that have elevated my surfing, and that have amazing durability at the same time.
As soon as he mentioned Thailand I was over it. Environmental .. 🥴
HAND Craftsmenship?? LOST!~ Not me 6000+ by hand, NEVER with a computer!~
I'm thinking about getting my 1st thunderbolt constructed surfboard after 50 years of surfing... Please don't tell people that a PU surfboard lasts 1-2 years...THAT'S BS!!!!
Not to mention PU surfboards do "MUCH BETTER" in the heat.
That statement about PU boards lasting 1-2 years makes everything else you say suspect.
Exactly. He is probably talking about competition glass job, with single layer of glass on the top.
The only "EPS" which is truly tough is the Thunderbolt tech, organised between Tolhurst and Firewire (and which apparently Firewire has now bought out - watch this space). This is currently used in the Tolhurst HI Mid 6 and HI 4 surfboards, but they are mid- and full-length planks. Thunderbolt does however cost a bomb (AUD$1750), but the board will definitely last and hopefully keep its colour. Firewire's Helium and LFT both snap and fade yellow/brown badly, and other manufacturers' "EPS" and "epoxy" are either slightly tougher than PU ... or pretty useless. It's your $1000 to $1300 which you are experimenting with. IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE WHAT FIREWIRE DOES WITH THE SUPERIOR THUNDERBOLT TECH BECAUSE IT'S REALLY TOUGH AND RIDES REALLY WELL TOO - WE'RE WAITING FOR ANY SHORT BOARD MODELS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS.
i saw a few in half last winter. good boards up to head high.
Also the most easy boards to snap out there !!!
He’s wearing Jeff Goldbloom glasses.
Once you get your first ding the vacuum pack pressure is released and the delams start.Terrible too repair.Computer spit coffee cup vacuum body bag it !!!!!!
over priced vacuum packed styrofoam. The way board prices are now, learning how to shape your own board is going to become a necessity
COOL WORK
To priceie for a pop out!!
Firewire uses cheap thai labor to disrupt the surfboard market. Should be the title
Creo que deberían de bajar los costes de las tablas, sus precios están muy pero que muy sobrevaloradas.
Gamma helium for me is the best board ever.🤙👍
keep on thinking buddy coz the construction is crap
Your boards suck!! They got pop.. I mean delam
FLUFF TALK
Simply just too complex...
Fake grammar- is insanity!
Cannot beat poly.
as soon as your computer goes down no more boards, soulless robot boards, loss of the sacred craft, to print out boards that ride like lopsided corks!!! i think that was a haiku!!!
Why do people like you think old tools are better than new tools. People who strive to do better have soul!
Hotwire look at the history of the craft. It is about feel and soul. A shaper puts his heart into what he creates. Each one is unique. Hence the attitude. Also, the company claims to be “green,” yet pays to ship the boards overseas to the US. The company is doing well, but will never be fully accepted by the surfing community.
People like you are moronic. You get too sentimental and poetic about old ways as if it was better. Have you ridden one of these boards? I have. And I'm never going back. In the long run it last longer and is cheaper. In the same time I've had my one FireWire board, I'd have to buy 2 boards of traditional manufacturing.
Whens the last time your comp went down??
for longer than 30-60 seconds.
That's a pretty shallow way of looking at it. RT Surfboard from France's east coast use both method and make terrific boards. I'd definitely encourage someone to buy a custom over a standard template surfboard if they can afford it, because it will be tailored to their body specific needs. I can't understand surfers who don't know anything about surfboards and what they'll need from one.