But it's a FIREWIRE, and worse, a FIREWIRE SUNDAY.
We're lost without your good moral compass to guide us.
We're lost without your good moral compass to guide us.
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What is your can't go wrong board for low to average surf?
- Thread starter VaB
- Start date
1-3 ft surf:
6'11 stamps wtfo with his keels. not the most hp but i always leave the water with a smile on my face.
2-4+ ft surf:
6'10 album townsend or 5'10 album sunstone
edit: sorry saw the 2-4. wtfo sucks in that bc i cant really duck dive it well.
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It's stalled a bit now...should we go and throw some more petrol on it to spark it back up again?That whole thread was amazing. It also helped me buy the board, so seriously thanks!
Muscle memoryIt's stalled a bit now...should we go and throw some more petrol on it to spark it back up again?
Thanks for reminding me I had almost forgotten about that but it was all in my head. Carry on with the term for ease of use for the masses.Muscle memory
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It's finito, 7' Mid6 is da bess performance middie. Also not necessarily the best board but rarely the wrong for 2-4 whatnot.It's stalled a bit now...should we go and throw some more petrol on it to spark it back up again?
2-4? So knee to chest? If it's fat, my 8-3 twinzer. If it's hollow, my 6-0 twinzer. I have to say, though, after my back injury I've been slowly working my back to the 6-0. The few times I've tried it while rehabbing the results were not pretty. A lot of blown take offs. I was set to try it again last week but then waves were head high and kind of grindy.
BTW, what's wrong with Firewires?
BTW, what's wrong with Firewires?
(1) A rational board buyer may or may not take exception to the fact that Firewires don't come in customizable dimensions.
(2) Some people disagree with some of the company's business practices, specifically the one where they are known to sell boards into shops on consignment, which lowers the capital cost to shops but ultimately risks pushing other brands out. Note, in my (limited of course) experience I have never seen a shop stock so many Firewires that any other brand got pushed out, although I can definitely see the argument, and the presence of so many no-cost-risk boards may effectively keep other new brands (especially smaller ones) from being brought in. Other big brands do the consignment thing too. Also, I think it's best to buy smaller-brand boards direct from the shaper; less overhead that way for everyone involved.
(3) Some people on this forum are straight up racists.
I think the main objection to the Asian made boards, whether they be Firewire or Surftech, etc. is that they are a threat to the domestic surfboard industry. By taking advantage of, or some might even say exploiting, cheap labor and lax environmental regulations in foreign countries these companies are able to produce surfboards at a cost that is very hard to compete with. Of course you could argue that, well everything else we use is made in Asia so why not surfboards? I think the difference is that, in the case of most consumer goods, that ship has already sailed. The larger, more profitable domestic industries have long been hollowed out and those jobs have been shipped overseas. You can't buy a US made phone or TV or cordless drill or whatever. You can still buy a board that was made in the USA though.
The domestic surfboard industry has somehow persisted for various reasons. Low profit margins, difficulty of automation and the relatively small overall market size being likely the main reasons. People that are invested in the domestic surfboard industry, whether they work in the industry itself or whether they are just long time surfers who have come to understand and appreciate the value of a custom shaped surfboard, have been and will likely continue to be antagonistic to the Firewire's and Surftech's of the industry and it's very understandable and justifiable I think.
Oh and as to the original question of the thread, my favorite board for 2-4 ft average surf is an 8 ft. rasta Wavestorm.
The domestic surfboard industry has somehow persisted for various reasons. Low profit margins, difficulty of automation and the relatively small overall market size being likely the main reasons. People that are invested in the domestic surfboard industry, whether they work in the industry itself or whether they are just long time surfers who have come to understand and appreciate the value of a custom shaped surfboard, have been and will likely continue to be antagonistic to the Firewire's and Surftech's of the industry and it's very understandable and justifiable I think.
Oh and as to the original question of the thread, my favorite board for 2-4 ft average surf is an 8 ft. rasta Wavestorm.
Hey Aruka, your response is totally reasoned and well-thought out, and fwiw I'm quite happy for the discussion and can't disagree with any of it. BUT there are some folks on this forum that respond to any topic regarding FW boards with all kinds of racist bullshit about Asians, and that's not cool. I'm frankly surprised we haven't seen it yet in this thread. So yeah, I'm not gonna tell anyone that FW's business model is great, but what I do know is that they have a few boards that work pretty well (and a few that don't) and there are tons and tons more builders out there that can also build a great (or shitty board) and I'm not calling any of those builders any kinds of racial epithets when I talk about them.
They might also be greatful for the fact that they don't work in a factory that mass produces the same boards over and over again. Really missing out on that fun.
I imagine that in the not too distant future automation, machine sculpting blanks, 3D printing or some other technology, could help bring production back onshore. Shapers could design and customize while leave the grunt work to the machines.