"The whole concept of the firewire design is to try and emulate the 'springiness' of a freshly glassed PU board."
While both Nev and Dan have considerable shaping expertise, due to the sophistication of our computerized design programs and shaping equipment, we prefer to call them Designers. Drawing on their actual shaping expertise and combining it with the unlimited design capabilities of Firewire’s CAD/CAM platform, Nev and Dan have the tools to take surfboard design into the next frontier, a place where materials have as important an influence on performance as proven design principles.
Future Shapes Technology (FST)
Unlike regular Polyurethane cores, which weigh approximately 3lb per cubic foot, Firewire cores are built from 1lb EPS foam. Not only is this EPS material significantly lighter than regular PU, but 1lb EPS also flexes considerably more. In order to stabilize the flex of the 1lb core and to give it strength so that your foot does not go straight through it, we’ve add a 1/8” layer of extremely hi–density aerospace composite to both the top and bottom decks. This process is called sandwich construction and is exactly what the word implies; the internal EPS blank is sandwiched between the two layers of hi–density skin.
The sandwich is constructed with a layer of lightweight cloth and resin between each layer, both top and bottom. Then the whole assembly is placed in a vacuum bag until the resin cures. The combination of epoxy resin and vacuum pressure creates a very durable bond.
The other components added to the blank build are the balsa rails. Like the tension of a bow before releasing an arrow, the balsa controls both the degree of flex and equally importantly, the specific rate of return. If the board is too flexible you lose drive and it feels like a bodyboard. On the other hand, if it is too stiff its like riding a car without shock absorbers. In addition, with flex, you gain the extra energy created when the board bends during a turn and then snaps back to its original rocker as you come out of the turn, catapulting you forward.
The specific construction of the balsa rail is also important. While the balsa looks like a thin veneer on a completed surfboard, in fact it is over half an inch thick, built from 3 x 4mm strips laminated together and running the length of the surfboard perimeter, creating an incredibly durable structure and incidentally a great buffer for those inevitable rail bashes when surfing.
There is another performance benefit inherent in Firewire’s flex characteristics. Most surfboard design represents a trade off between rocker and planing speed. A heavier rocker allows for tighter turns but pushes water in the flats. Alternatively a flatter rocker is faster in the flats but does not turn as sharply. Because Firewire’s are actually creating rocker when you lean into a turn, the overall rocker can be slightly flatter, allowing for a faster board in the flats without sacrificing turning radius – the best of both worlds.
CONSTRUCTION
EPS Foam Core: Firewire is 100% committed to EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) for our shaped cores. In addition, the 1lb core is an essential part of Firewire’s high performance. The way in which materials travel through different mediums is a direct result of their density AND shape. For example, a baseball and tennis ball are roughly the same shape and size, but behave completely differently when thrown. Similarly, a 1lb foam core allows for rapid direction changes and overall responsiveness during rail–to–rail turns.
Corecell Skin: Corecell is an amazing material with an extremely high strength to weight ratio. One of its primary uses is in wind turbine blades, which gives you an idea of its durability. It is flexible and has very high impact strength with very little material fatigue over time. Unlike traditional PU foam boards, Firewire blanks are not only lighter weight and stronger, but the flex characteristics remain intact for a considerable amount of time, long after traditional blank materials have fatigued and lost their spring.
Epoxy Resins: Firewire boards are built with epoxy resins, which are not only far stronger than polyurethane based resins, but emit only 2% of the VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) versus regular PU resin. Unlike a PU based laminating facility, you can walk anywhere in the Firewire factory without a mask and without a headache. Furthermore clean up requires simple citrus cleaners.
Balsa Wood Rails: The specific construction and choice of balsa for the rails is vital to Firewire’s flex characteristics and performance. While the balsa looks like a thin veneer on a completed surfboard, in fact it is over half an inch thick, built from 3 x 4mm strips laminated together and running the length of the surfboard perimeter, creating an incredibly lightweight, durable structure and incidentally a great buffer for those inevitable rail bashes when surfing. The balsa endures that the degree AND rate of flcx is controlled to maximize performance.
Lamination: With the inherent strength of our custom blanks and the epoxy resin systems, all our shortboards are laminated with a single 4oz deck both top and bottom, except for the FE606P and FE608P Step Up Guns. All other models over 6’10” have a double 4oz top deck and a single 4oz bottom. Given the fact that some Longboarders actually prefer additional weight, we’ve added a layer of 6oz to select longboards and these are delivered to retail with a special sticker clearly showing the lamination schedule.
Hi Density Fin Inserts: All Firewire Surfboards have hi–density inserts surrounding the fin boxes for both FCS and Futures. This is a far stronger method of attachment than anchoring the boxes to the top deck as is the case with the regular FCS installation, or letting them float directly in the EPS. This also allows the tail to flex more than a system anchored to the top deck.
The Vent: The 1lb Firewire EPS core contains a lot of air. It is NOT a hollow core, but as you can imagine a blank that weighs 1lb has far more air inside than a blank weighing 3lbs. As an added precaution to allow the core to expand and contract during extreme changes in temperature or air pressure, the vent allows air to pass back and forth between the core and the exterior of the board, while preventing water from entering. The GORE–TEX membrane does not require any maintenance, other than kept free of wax in order to breathe. You can imagine the stresses and strains on any surfboard materials when you take a board on a hot day and jump into 50‘degree water. While some may argue that the vent is not essential, we believe that it does prolong the life of the board.
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