Legendary surfer/shaper reviews Firewire Surfboards

Mr J

Michael Peterson status
Aug 18, 2003
2,250
1,454
113
Regional Vic, Australia
I remember BASE in Torquay. I worked in Melbourne for 4 years from 2005-2009. After the airlines completely destroyed one of my boards I bought a few boards from BASE off the rack. This is unusual for me since I typically order custom or make my own.

I had never seen anything like BASE - hundreds and hundreds of boards to fondle. And they moved them through pretty fast so there was always fresh stock moving through. I still have a couple of Dahlbergs and a Simon Anderson I got at BASE which go real good.

As I recall they closed shop sometime in 2011, right? I think I bought my last SA for my youngest son in 2010. It's actually am overseas epoxy but it is bulletproof and he still rides it occasionally.

Nothing like that in NW USA, so I'm back to customs - usually from CA shapers.
Dahlberg is another legendary shaper who has made boards for champions - Insight label for Barton Lynch, I think Occhilupo has had boards from him too. MC made boards for Tom Curren.
 
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Mr J

Michael Peterson status
Aug 18, 2003
2,250
1,454
113
Regional Vic, Australia



  • ive talked Murray Bourton about base and they were super innovative when they were around. One of the first to offer diagonal glassing as a standard option and carbon tail strips. The manufacturing was great and the scale was perfect too.He said business people who didnt understand surfing ran it into the ground
The business model seems to make sense from a logistics efficiency point of view. The shapers were geographically distributed across Oz, e.g MC in Vic, SA in NSW, Luke Short (Qld), but with shaping machines that shouldn't have mattered.

BASE Surfboards forced to close with crippling debts | Swellnet Dispatch | Swellnet
 

surfwhere

Gerry Lopez status
Aug 5, 2008
1,300
460
83
Norf Cackalacka
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I'll share some of the story, I think it's telling.

So after these guys make their venture capital pitch, and ask to name a price, I get ahold of Jake (Burton) about his thoughts. He says I'll need to come out to Vermont to talk this one through.

Next on the plane, to Burlington, and into Jake's office.
I don't recall him ever even having a proper desk, but there were plenty couches and coffee tables.

After some brief small talk, he looks me square in the eye...

"So you want to be sold?"

I pause 5 seconds "No."
Happy it worked out for everyone there at CI and surf culture in general.

Did they mention Kelly or was he present?

If the pitch didn't seem favorable, was Kelly just doing business or did/do you feel differently about him?

What percentage of the pitch crew were surfers?

Was Thai or similar manufacturing for Spine and future tech part of the pitch? Downsizing to just custom work locally? Closing local? If they didn't, did you have suspicion?

Did the pitch get things rolling for your crew to become owners?
 

surfwhere

Gerry Lopez status
Aug 5, 2008
1,300
460
83
Norf Cackalacka
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The business model seems to make sense from a logistics efficiency point of view. The shapers were geographically distributed across Oz, e.g MC in Vic, SA in NSW, Luke Short (Qld), but with shaping machines that shouldn't have mattered.

BASE Surfboards forced to close with crippling debts | Swellnet Dispatch | Swellnet
For a look of what it was at the time

 
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Sharkbiscuit

Duke status
Aug 6, 2003
26,270
19,096
113
Jacksonville Beach
I had a BASE Simon Anderson. Board was beater when I bought it and attractively priced. Got some fun waves in Florida, some fun waves in Mexico, sold it earlier this year for like $25 less than I bought it for ages ago.

Board was an RPR, description was good for 2-4' beachbreak. Struck a really good balance between paddling in and doing okay in a bit more open-faced surf, yet didn't lose composure in steeper/tighter surf. Had it in fun pockety inside sand ledge North Florida, kinda S/SSE shorter period Mainland cobblestone point surf, and HH range Mainland beachbreak choobs.

Went great; the writeup on the Pyzalien 2 reminds me of that Simon as do the Pyzalien 2 reviews praising the versatility/range.
 
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estreet

Miki Dora status
Feb 19, 2021
4,856
4,220
113
Southern Cali
Maurice Cole said:
We went through all this so us guys could take a step back from the gruelling physical stuff and use our brands and our personas and attach an infrastructure to them that would mass produce our designs. That was basically it.

If I had a choice I'd use Asia to mass produce my boards because then they'd come in a lot cheaper and you'd actually earn money off that which would pay for the R&D.
Whaaat? Isn't that essentially the FireWire model?

Also, I don't think he knows what socialism is.
 
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surfwhere

Gerry Lopez status
Aug 5, 2008
1,300
460
83
Norf Cackalacka
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Whaaat? Isn't that essentially the FireWire model?

Also, I don't think he knows what socialism is.
Not just the Firewire model.

At the time of the interview lots of brands had or were moving towards Asian builds. He might have considered it in depth like many shapers have. A commentor at the bottom of that article was saying his statements foreshadowed a GSI partnership. Either that wasn't on the table or he said no.

Australia more socialist than US. Thailand government not so nice. You can discuss on the politics forum.
 

Sharky

Phil Edwards status
Feb 25, 2006
6,828
9,062
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We did a few BASE boards for LSD in the past. My personal opinion is that by the time you had bought a blank in the U.S., paid me to cut it, paid your approved/trained scrubber to scrub it and then paid a glass shop to glass it and then had your rep (or me, unpaid) deal with delivery to the customer, there really couldn't have been much left. I liked the concept but the juice just wasn't worth the squeeze.
 

Duffy LaCoronilla

Duke status
Apr 27, 2016
38,642
27,983
113
Australia socialist, lol.

we just have free health care- it's fcuking titts.
With half the population of California.

And it’s free? So the doctors don’t get paid? The people who build and maintain hospitals don’t get paid? Nurses, no pay? Pharmaceutical companies just give you medicine for no cost at all?

Amazing.
 
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Duffy LaCoronilla

Duke status
Apr 27, 2016
38,642
27,983
113
Not listed as a dealer on FW website. You may need to drive to Revo for all your Firewire needs.
Yeah, maybe they are phasing out of FWs because they don‘t sell. They used to have more in stock, they’d sit on the rack until they turned yellow then get replaced.
 
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waxfoot

Michael Peterson status
Apr 21, 2018
2,081
4,002
113
With half the population of California.

And it’s free? So the doctors don’t get paid? The people who build and maintain hospitals don’t get paid? Nurses, no pay? Pharmaceutical companies just give you medicine for no cost at all?

Amazing.
Many hands make light work - we all chip in so that we all can benefit, its not hard to wrap your head around. You shouldn't go broke, just to be healthy.

L5 / S1 spinal fusion to fix my back. Operated on by the head of nurosurgery in Brisbane Mater hospital. Own room in top class neurosurgery unit with world class care.

All I paid for, was $20 for painkillers when I left the hospital.