5'10" Firewire Hellfire

[Grant]

Well folks, it his the jackpot once again. The 510 Hellfire is a sick board, shape, and performs well for the bigger riders just as we had predicted.

It is the big brother of the 506 HF and performs insane top to bottom and hauls tail upwind. This board is a must have for any bigger rider who wants a high performance board yet something that works well in light conditions. The 506 handles quite well also even for bigger riders. These two shapes are magical and I know once you get one under your paws you will be stoked!

Any questions on this size and model, reply below.

[scottm]

Any update on when they will be in the US and shipping? I've got one on order and am super excited to get on it!

[Grant]

They should be here in the US now or quickly...I will follow up and let you know ASAP!

[shredder]

Hello Grant,

I am 89 kg (around 196 pds), 6.2 tall and wonder how you would sum up the pros and cons of the Hellfire 5.10 vs. the KFE 6.2, which have more or less almost the same volume.I am looking for a turny board that works well for travelling as one board quiver. Mostly I get beach breaks from 2-8 (10) ft. Once or twice a year pointbreaks (too bad :-). It should be a radikal board that is also nice for airs (freestyle+flat water) and does not need too much kitepower, but can handle stormy weather too. (If possible even to surf too). Question for me is KFE 6.2 or HG 5.10?
Thanks for your input!


Eg.

Well folks, it his the jackpot once again. The 510 Hellfire is a sick board, shape, and performs well for the bigger riders just as we had predicted.

It is the big brother of the 506 HF and performs insane top to bottom and hauls tail upwind. This board is a must have for any bigger rider who wants a high performance board yet something that works well in light conditions. The 506 handles quite well also even for bigger riders. These two shapes are magical and I know once you get one under your paws you will be stoked!

Any questions on this size and model, reply below.

[-Brian]

Hey Shredder,

I'll chime in with my take on this.

KFE602:
-Tight turning in the pocket
-More of a traditional thruster outline
-Takes more kite than the HF, more high wind vehicle.
-Leaned out so may be a tad hard to paddle surf at your size

KHF510:
-Insane light wind performance
-Double concave gets board planing fast
-Great all arounder with Tri and Quad setup options
-Better suited to paddle surf at your size

Hope this helps,
-Brian

[shredder]

Thanks for the quick reply Brian,
Thats's what I guessed .. by the way, what is the bottom shape of the KFE ( concave?)?

[prjwebb]

FE has a single throughout.

[Slack]

Hey Shredder,

I found this post on kiteforum.com obviously put on by a Firewire person but I found it very helpful in board selection. Cheers Slack

One thing to keep in mind with Firewire boards vs. traditional surfboards is they have a number shapes with lots of volume that are designed to be ridden shorter (much shorter in some cases) than your standard surfboard. For instance the Hellfire's are considered a "performance hybrid" and the conversation should turn more towards volume than length. Example, I used to never surf anything smaller than a 6'0" tri through years of competing at the pro/am level. However the 5'6" Hellfire has enough volume to easily allow me to paddle it in overhead surf. It's a big shift in how you think about boards and what you want to use them for. But once you know your number in terms of volume it opens up new doors for boards regardless of length. The general rule for the kite specific line that works for most but still depends on skill level is:

Under 185lbs/81kg
5'6" Hellfire 24.5l (light wind/everyday board)
5'8" KDM dominator 31l (light wind)
5'11" KP1 ~23.2l (high performance)
6'2" KFE 28.5l (larger surf)

Over 185lbs/81kg
5'8" KDM dominator 31l (everyday board)
5'10" KHF Hellfire 29.4l (light wind/everyday board)
5'11" KP1 ~23.2l (high wind)
6'0" KQF 28.5l (light wind/everday board)
6'2" KFE 28.5l (high wind/everyday board)

And all of these models except for the KP1 and KFE give you the flexibility of a 5 fin box setup allowing you to configure the board as a quad or a tri. This adds another variable as typically quads will go upwind better, are faster down the line and tri's will turn tighter in the pocket but may require a tad more kite. At the end of the day you have a lot of options even within the kite lineup which are constructed extremely well for kite use. Or you can delve into the myriad of options on the surf specific lineup of boards they offer but be realistic with expecations on longevity of the board if you are jumping or really hard on the boards. The FST build holds up a little better than rapifire for kiting on.

Hope this helps...sckitesurf

[Grant]

As Brian points out...or let me start over. Ill answer your question. 510 Hellfire :)

As Brian said the 602 is a higher wind board, the Hellfire is a better all around board. Throw it in a quad setup and sore upwind. It can be high performance and push the limits in nuking conditions but also be a great planing board in light wind. Great all around choice and throws airs nice.

[shredder]

Thanks Grant,
may I bug you:

- How does it actually ride in chop? (since it is fairly wide)
- How does it handle 10 ft faces? - I guess it works best from 3-7 ft?
(I guess it works fine for flatwater freestyle - airs too?)

Regards
Richard

As Brian points out...or let me start over. Ill answer your question. 510 Hellfire :)

As Brian said the 602 is a higher wind board, the Hellfire is a better all around board. Throw it in a quad setup and sore upwind. It can be high performance and push the limits in nuking conditions but also be a great planing board in light wind. Great all around choice and throws airs nice.