snowgorrilla 1 day ago edit delete discussion

im disheartened to make this discussion, however two days ago me and my buddy surfed a windswell in New York, where the surf report was 5-7 foot. Dont know exactly how my Brand New board broke, all i know is i hit the lip of the wave and fell to come up and see my board semi buckled down the middle. A big part of the epoxy pealed off while i rode a small wave in. im a 19 year old student obsessed with surfin and im far from fully employed so im interested in all possibilities. P.s. this board was less than two months old so im really desperate. PLEASE HELP. (can send pictures)

prjwebb 1 day ago edit delete
if your board goes over in the lip of a 5-7ft wave then there's always going to be a chance of it creasing or breaking man. it sucks but that is surfing.

markp 1 day ago edited edit delete
Snow, whisper over your contact details and we'll see if you can help you out somehow (might be able to round up a discounted blem or demo).

I agree with PR's basic point and we don't feel this qualifies as a manufacturing defect, but appreciate the bummer of your situation and honesty in describing what happened, especially the size of the surf.

Talk soon.


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neubauer Sep 22nd 2010 edit delete discussion

I purchased a 6'4'' Taj almost a year ago and I love it. My fiberglass 6'2'' was getting a little beaten up after 2 years so I decided to get a very similar board from Firewire to replace it. I ordered my 6'2'' alternator from Killer Dana back in March. Apparently you guys were adding new manufacturing mills so I didn't even get it until the last week of May. I have surfed it a few times and really like it. I took it out on Monday at Churches (trestles) and the surf was 3-4ft and crumbly. I did the usual light waxing before I took it out, no big deal. During a lull i noticed a crack had formed across the deck. It was light almost like paint was flaking.

I searched the Firewire Forums and found the exact style crack in the exact spot as another board here.

http://www.firewiresurfboards.com/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=462&page=1#Item_0

I was totally stunned cause it was perfect when I paddled out. I figured there must have been something wrong with it so I paddled in on the next wave so I could take a picture of it. As I started to take off the whole nose broken off right across the crack. Now this is not my first firewire, and I can honestly say this board was never left in my car. I have a quiver of about 10 boards and I have been surfing for 8 years, and I have NEVER broken a board. Dont get me wrong, I would take FULL responsibility if I took a heavy lip or a huge air on it, but were talking less than fantastic 3-4ft short period crumbly wind swell. I feel there was some kind of defect in the epoxy deck coat. This board is only 3 1/2 months old, there are no pressure dings or stars, except on the nose when it washed up on the rocks. Take a look at the photos and lets discuss this. I have a real hard time purchasing another one if they are gonna fall apart like this.

neubauer 3 days ago edit delete
So sad that Firewire wont back up a defective board..... thats the last one I buy. Sorry Boys



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skeg180 15 hours ago edit delete discussion
We got a day-off off out here on Wednesday, due to the one year tsunami anniversary. [The island even quaked a bit in the morning, just to remind us.] Pumped for a full day of surf, I went out on my Dominator, but buckled my board! Maybe bad karma, as I was probably supposed to be in church singing and praying (and not for surf this time). The board was only 5 months old and was in great condition, so it was a heartache when I slipped the board underneath me and felt the crease. Being remote, options are extra limited. Unless Firewire offers ding repairs through shipping or has some sort of warranty, I'm left to try and figure this out on my own. Does anyone know if I have to use the vacuum bagging technique to fix Firewires? Although the bottom of the board is intact (most of the rails too), the EPS foam is cracked. Does that mean I have to shave all of that down and fill it with Q-cell/epoxy resin? Or will it be strong enough with the fiberglass on top? I did some research online, but I can't find any buckle repair instructions specific to Firewires. I can't wait to be up and riding on my board, so any advise is greatly appreciated. Thanks, stay stoked, and keep surfing!

justo82 14 hours ago edit delete
man that sucks... i've heard so many stories of FW's snapping and buckling.. but then again PU boards do it way more regularly so I can't see it turning me off to much...

hope you can get it fixed soon!!!

cboy21 13 hours ago edit delete
Id be interested to see what the best way to fix this i did this to a taj about a 3 weeks ago, except mine snapped both of the balsa rails entirely and likewise the bottom is in gd condition.

justo82: This is true. This is actually the second FW I snapped. That one was beyond repair, so I just rounded the nose, made it watertight, and gave it to a stoked island grom to play with. Either way, if your board snaps after only a few months of consistent use, the larger price tag makes it hurt that much more. Plus the difficulty of fixing these things adds a brand new twist. I've shaped and glassed a dozen PU boards, but I'm learning all over again with the Firewire material. Thanks for your comment and I hope I'm up and riding soon too.

cboy21: It's interesting that boards generally buckle like this. Even though the top deck is typically built stronger with more glass, it seems to be the top that buckles. I guess it just has to do with the way the wave typically hits a board. Did you try excavating the broken glass off your board? Sounds like your foam core is cracked too. I'm worried about fixing it and creating weak points b/w the new glass and the old glass. This happens a lot with large repairs and ends up being only a temporary fix.

I havent tried to fix it yet, to be honest i havent even opened it up to have a look at it. im unsure if its even worth it, except its broken just above where my front foot goes so it would effect the flex as much as if it was towards the back of the board.

And on you other mention i agree its strange how the buckle like this you would think that it would go the whole way through. Mine was extra annoying as i did it pulling through the back of a wave and it went under my feet, would have at least been nice to do it pulling into something sizey and pop up and its in 2.

I know what you mean. It's always a gamble investing time, money, and effort into fixing snapped boards. The board gets heavier, it affects flex, and is more likely to snap again. I'm left with little options out here though.

This is what mine looks like. I cleaned off all the loose glass and am ready for the next step, but am not sure if I should remove the cracked material and fill with Q-cell or just fill the crack and glass.

I hope these guys get back to me soon. They had a lot of inertia first, but I haven't heard from them since my first post almost a week ago.

Here you are skeg, from Matt, our repair guru:

Hey Skeg180,
It’s always a bummer to hear of the same unfortunate story from different costumers… but the good news is your problem is a pretty simple repair. Here’s the run down:
Start by cleaning and sanding away any of the damaged areas. I recommend using a Q-cell/epoxy mix just to create a bond again between foams and for sealing the high density foam which will make laminating easier. You do not need a vacuum bag for this unless the board is snapped completely in two or the rocker as a whole is off… Once the Q-cell/epoxy mix is cured, sand it flush and proceed to repair it as you would any PU board. (Sand, patch it, sand, glass coat, sand; you can even use PU resin if necessary)
I hope that helps and if you have any more questions you can contact me at matt.cookson@firewiresurfboards.com

Have a good one. -Matt

Guys just a word on the odd ways a Firewire breaks. Because of the sandwich construction and the wooden stringers, sometimes a crease can go unnoticed for a few waves or even for a few sessions. As a result, the board may finally go when surfing average conditions. Again sorry to hear of the issues and I hope you are able to get things fixed!

shockepi Jun 10th 2010 edited edit delete discussion
On March of 2010 I purchased a Firewire Dominator (rapid fire tech) at Surfride in Oceanside and was very impressed with its performance. The quality on the other hand is a different story. After 3 months I began to notice that the glassing area between the bamboo laminate and foam appear to have fractured and continues to grow.

I'm an experienced surfer and care for my boards immaculately. My Dominator was NOT involved with any collisions and nor do I have the skills to "punt" huge airs. I do believe that a board that is beginning to delaminate after 3 months is premature and would like to know if Firewire has had any other encounters such as mine in the past.

What do you recommend?

Thank You for Your Attention

-Randy

markp Jun 10th 2010 edit delete
Randy

whisper us your contact info and we'll take a look at your board. Thanks

shockepi Jun 10th 2010 edit delete
Thank you for the swift response. I apologize if I directed my issue through the wrong channels, I was unaware of the "customer service" feature.

admin chris Jun 10th 2010 edit delete
No worries. Whisper to markp.

shockepi Jun 15th 2010 edit delete
Thank you Firewire staff for taking the time to help me with my surfboard issue. You guys truly make an amazing product and the the customer support is equally outstanding. I Especially want to thank Chuy for the shop tour, "ding/impact" demonstration and the the repair.

Mahalo'z!

-Randy

lourenco 1 day ago edit delete
I have the same problem,i purchase a 5.10 spitfire in NY,a 25 days ago,its a new board, and i had to drive from Canada ,sow its 8 hours for that,sow im realy careful with the board.
Only surfed 5 times with it,it as the 2 cracks exacly like the second picture.
I love these board.
What can i do?


prjwebb 1 day ago edit delete
The crack in the second pic just looks like an impact crack on the rail to me. I have one similar on my board.


corepersonaltraining 1 day ago edit delete
its impact...


corepersonaltraining 1 day ago edit delete
wow, that was my shortest post ever...oh wait...now its not


iggy 1 day ago edit delete
What to do?? Sand down the affected area, not too much, and apply a 4oz cloth and resin, then finish to esthetic beauty.


iggy 1 day ago edit delete
Lourenco where do you ive in Canada??? I live in Montreal, if you're close I could take a look at the board.


prjwebb 20 hours ago edit delete
I haven't even repaired mine. I don't think it goes right through. Can't feel it... I'd just key up the surface and smear a little resin over the area if anything.


lourenco 18 hours ago edit delete
I live in Toronto,surf the lakes,therers one to similar to the 3 picture,you think it needs to repaird?
Epoxy will work to or not?
Thanks!


prjwebb 18 hours ago edit delete
yeah a little epoxy just to make sure no water can seep in would be fine i reckon. how long is the crack?


lourenco 18 hours ago edit delete
Do you guys cut with a knife around the litle crack,or realy i just sand the crack,cus i dont know if it will hold the resin just sanding the area?


prjwebb 18 hours ago edit delete
i wouldn't cut anything out unless the cracking is really bad. just sand it up so the resin sticks.


iggy 18 hours ago edit delete
The rule of thumb is thqt if you pass your finger nail through thecrack and you can't feel it then there is nothing to worry about. Don't get chrirurgical and try to dig any further into it.Ifyou can acturly feel it a bit you could just place a layer of EPOXY resin on the affected are. For reinforment apply the fiber glass cloth but generally it won't be needed. A simple sanding before will suffice to make the bond strong. Usually cracks like the one in the pics shpuldn't be a problem.


lourenco 17 hours ago edited edit delete
People told me if you dont cut in a square or cut around the edges,the crack will keep growing with time.
Is that true?
Thanks


admin chris 13 hours ago edit delete
hey lourenco these guys did a great job getting you set. by sanding down the crack a bit and using EPOXY resing and some glass, you will reinforce the crack enough that it shouldn't continue to spread. The idea is you repair will re-introduce the structural strength to keep the ding from growing.

i personally wouldn't cut it, but I always sand enough to expose the weave of the glass so that is takes on a bit of new resin and forms a strong bond.

Hope this helps!

hsals Sep 17th 2010 edited edit delete discussion
went to comb the wax on my board today and my comb got stuck in a little section on the deck. removed the wax to see what it was, and i found a crack.

how would you guys recommend fixing it? also, there appears to be some bubbles showing up near the crack--perhaps part of the cause? i'm also noticing a couple other hairline cracks on the deck, are these going to eventually break open like the crack in the picture?

board is only 2.5 months old, so i'm a little worried that there are already cracks showing up on the deck when no abuse in any shape or form--like landing airs in the flats--has occurred. thanks for any help. oh, i dunno if this matters, but it's a stealth model.


stokedben Sep 19th 2010 edit delete
swak bru, i also bought a stealth , had it for 3 weeks and its cracked all the way across the plug from rail to rail!
thought these boards were supposed to be quality, be recon id be better boff with the traditional fiberglass stick!

have you had any help with this???


admin chris Sep 19th 2010 edit delete
hey hsals,
need the serial number on this guy and i'll get this forwarded along as well. should be able to get back to you in the next day or swith a bit of information.

that hole or crack looks like a weird one. you said you found it while cleaning the board?

Anyways i'll let you know what i find out.

Thanks.


hsals Sep 19th 2010 edited edit delete
hey chris, thanks for the quick reply. i was actually just combing the wax before going out to surf, but the comb hit a weird little section and got stuck/hung up. i cleaned out the area to check to see what it was--that's when i realized it was a crack/hole.

not exactly sure what set of numbers is the serial, so a pic of the side is attached.

thanks for the help.


admin chris Sep 20th 2010 edit delete
thanks. just forwarded that on to the customer service guys. Stay tuned.


admin Milliken Sep 20th 2010 edit delete
Hi Hals,
Mike from FW here. It looks like pressure ding that pierced the skin. As water get under the skin and you keep pounding the board it tends to look like that. Generally this happens when you knee or elbow (something sharper) gives the board a good thump. Easily fixable by a good ding guy or if you'd like to give it go we can help you out. Most importantly dry the board out before you fix it. Hit me up at my email address and i'll send you a repair manual. mike.milliken@firewiresurfboards.com

By the way If you live around San Diego we be glad to fix it for you. Thanks.


admin Milliken Sep 20th 2010 edit delete
Hi stokedben or should i say not stoked ben. I just hit you back on your email address from the web inquiry.

Lets keep in mind people that these our surfboards made from foam, fiberglass and wood and we just had a run of epic swells on the Atlantic and the Pacific. That being said we have 20,000+ surfboards in the water and I've had 5 repair/break issues pop up in the last week. I'd say were doing pretty dam good. I look forward to helping out where possible.

Thanks for surfing our boards!

Mike, Firewire Surfboards


hsals Sep 20th 2010 edit delete
Hey guys, thanks for the replys/help. I'll be emailing you shortly Mike.

The customer service you guys offer is out of this world. Thanks again!
hsals 1 day ago edited edit delete
Been really busy and was out of town for a week, but I had to come back and post to give MAJOR PROPS to the Firewire guys in San Diego.

Great repair work, it was done super fast, and everyone at Firewire--both here on the boards and at the factory in San Diego--has been extremely helpful.

Really appreciate it guys, it makes it really easy to decide who to get boards from in the future. I'll be a Firewire customer for a long time to come. Thanks again.


admin chris 1 day ago edit delete
appreciate the words hsals. glad the guys were able to help out.

I've got a Stealth 6'4' which I've surfed about 10 times and while surfing the other day the board hit me in the forehead requiring 7 stitches. the board now has a hole about 100mm (4 inches) on the deck where my front foot goes. The high density foam and both layers of glass have broken. I am worried that it will create a weak point and snap especially as it's right where my front foot goes. I think the foam underneath was already depressed from my foot and that is why the glass gave way. Just looking for advice on best way to repair it as I'm 800kms from the nearest firewire dealer.

And another pic

ohh man squinty, hope you are ok. I'll forward this on to our repair folks and see what they have for you. hang tight.

That must have been a hell of an impact on your noggin, the boards are tough!

Squnty,

Sorry about slam.
Send me your mailing address and I’ll send you some Hi density foam and walk you thru the repair.
Or you can have your local ding repair guy contact me? The key thing for this kind of repair is too "cancer cut" the old foam out and place the new foam in with out using too much resin.

thanks-

Chuy

Chuy
I posted my address etc on the whisper but haven't heard anything back, I'm just wondering if you received the reply and if you sent the HD foam or not. If not I will have to try and find some elsewhere. Could you let me know please.
Cheers

Squinty-

I'm having FW Oz send you the foam. I'll get you an ETA later today.

Thanks-

Chuy

Thanks Chuy

B Rad 5 hours ago
Two days ago in head high waves, I came down on the front of my 2 month old Dominator and buckled the deck of the board, rail to rail right over the valve plug. I am super bummed because this is the first board I have ever bought new, and I have only been riding it for two months. I use the Dom as my step down, and take imaculate care of my boards. Infact, besides the buckle, there isn't a single scratch on the board anywhere else.

Does anyone have any input on the best way to try and fix this thing? I absolutely cannot afford to buy another board right now. Your website does not list any recommended repair shops in my area. Does this have to be fixed using vacuume bags? Is this something I can try and fix myself? Agghhhhh!

The good news is that it looks to me like the rails are still fully intact, and there is no significant buckling to the underside of the board as well. The board still flexes slightly when turned upside down and very light pressure is applied (I'm super afraid to really try and flex it in fear it will snap). Its hard to tell on the closeup photo, but there are two cracks running parallel, one at the fiberglass, and one at the dense foam layer. Help!

Hey B Rad
Thanks for coming over to this thread. get a us a little info about where you are and we'll figure out the best course of action.

thanks!

B Rad,
My name's Matt, the repair guy in Diego... It looks like your in pretty good shape if you want to repair this yourself. The high density foam can have a minor crack in it as long as it is still firm and the EPS foam inside is ok, and especially if the crack didn't even reach the balsa rails.
-The first step is to cut away all the ruined fiberglass. High density foam as well but only if necessary! You will need to vacuum bag or clamp down a replacement piece of high density securely afterward... sand flush when cured.
-The following step is what we call "sealing". Whether you replaced any foam or not, scuff up the whole area with 80 grit sandpaper. Then take a very thin layer of epoxy resin and spread it over the high density foam, filling all the pores and cracks.
-Let that cure and continue to repair it as any other standard board repair...
-Scuff up the area again. Laminate patches over damaged area(2-3) with epoxy resin.
-The tricky part is going to be doing all this around the vent... because it will want to constantly breathe, it will make it diffucult to laminate over. Your choices are to either remove it until done or laminate right over top of it and cut a hole before the glass bubbles up.

This is a lot, if you have any questions e-mail me at matt@firewiresurfboards.com
Good Luck

Hey guys, I live in San Francisco, surf Ocean Beach mostly.

I am taking this thing to Santa Cruz tomorrow to see how much it will cost to fix it.

Chris-
Thanks for the information. If I do decide to fix it myself, I will be emailing you a bunch of questions, and some higher quality images. Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions!


Brad

alright good to hear B Rad. Make sure you hit up matt at the email above if you need anything. good luck....

Hi, just posted the same under repairs before I found this thread. My dominator arrived with a 5mm wide split in the balsa rail up near the nose. It hasn't broken the glass (I haven't used it yet) but I'm worried that it'll just spread down the rail over time (it must have been there before it was finished - I can see resin inside the split). Is this something I should be worried about? This is my 4th firewire; any advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

I have an older Alternator, one of the fin plugs for the center fin has started to leak. I left the board outside in the shade to let the water drain. The bottom of the board now has what looks like black wood grain coming up through the foam. Any ideas what this is?
Thanks for any help.

Hi Guys-
I have an el fuego511 I got a little over a month ago which is pretty much my favorite board ever.  I noticed after a few weeks that it seemed pretty heavy, which I hadnt noticed when I bought it- heavier than the 2 other FWs I own.I was thinking of posting a question about it on the forum but never got around to it. it wasnt ridiculously heavy, but just seemed odd that a 511 is my heaviest board. there were no dings at all at that point. last week I got a tiny ding paddling in (probably 30 or 40 yards from the beach), which was questionable whether it would even take in water, but i took the board out to dry it out and fix it.  this morning I happened to put the board in the rack upside down because of space issues, and a little while later saw it had a steady flow of water coming from the vent. I now have it upside down and its still steadily dripping out- my thoughts are that this is a bad valve? because the weight was definitely there before the ding.  I just checked again, after about 20 minutes theres close to a 1/4 cup of water thats dripped out the valve. I saw the thing above about testing it by putting water in, but im assuming it should work the same in reverse? I mean a good valve shouldnt let liquid come out either right?
it explains the weight, but wondering what I should do now?

thanks!

Hi All, I just wanted to give some positive feedback on the FW crew and how they handled an issue I had with a board. Having a problem with a board is never any fun and while I was ticked off about the issue FW promptly reviewed my case and put forward a solution that worked for me. Its this kind of customer support that will ensure I keep buying FW's as long as the designs keep flowing. Thanks to Chris and Nikki for their help.

Nikki's a champ...keeps the place ticking..!!...without her Nev would be lost and huddled in the corner, cradling his putter...!!

while dressed as a police officer....or something.

Hi,

I have a 5'10 Stealth Rapidfire that I have owned for about 2 weeks and have been surfing on it 4-5 times. I have had no collisions and I have been surfing in small, mushy conditions. I do not surf aggressively and do not do airs. I take care of my surfboards and keep them in padded bags.

Today, I got out of the water and noticed the bamboo was discolored. Then, I looked at the rail and notices an open 6 inch long crack at the base of the nose and was shocked. Is it possible that this was a defect in the glassing to begin with? Honestly, I can't remember any reason this would occur in the board. I have had a number of EPS boards in the past and never had something like this happen, even after rough use. Please take a look at the attached pictures and let me know if this looks like a common problem or if it looks like some damage I did somehow, but did not even know it at the time. Also, please direct me to somewhere in San Diego that can do the repairs. Thank you. - Lesley

Took the board to one of the San Diego repair sites and they said it looked like a collision.  Customer service was excellent and got back to me in less than a day. Looking forward to getting back on the board, so light and responsive. Thank you!

thanks abigail.  good to hear.

I recently bought a Firewire Dominator within the past 4 months from Innerlight Surf Shop in Pensacola, Florida and only had the chance to maybe ride 10 times do the lack of surf sizable this season. The reason I bought that board (for $620) over all the other choices in the shop is that I have heard great things about your boards including their performance and durability. However, as today goes the durability factor of your board is not true, due to a below par glass job my tail collapsed (even with  a proper leash setup done buy the surf shop) and now has a 1 ½ wide by ¼ inch hole in my tail on a chest-high day.  I have spoke with the local board repair shop along with the surf shop that I bought the board from and was informed that this was most likely due to an air pocket in the glass job. As I have looked over the board now have found other air pockets along the rails as well must likely due at a under par glass job.  I would like to be contacted about this mater. I have raved about my board to my fellow surfers in the water, how much I enjoy surfing it, and how anybody thinking of buying one should buy one. I always say you get what you pay for ($620)  and if this is what I get, you have my word I will never recommend Firewire boards and I will make sure to tell everyone about the quality of your quivers.  I have attached pictures of the defect below and also showing my leash setup. Thank you for your time and hope to hear from you soon

Rail savers decrease the chance of this happening but it doesn't mean it won't. The boards are stronger but not invincible. Having said that, he FW guys are always on top of it with this kind of thing and I'm sure they'll check things out for you.

Hey John,

G'day all I tried to post on here the other day and it wouldn't let me for some reason, anyway You may remember I put a hole in the deck of my 6'4" fst stealth when it hit me on the head a while back. After waiting a while for materials then the ding repair (done by a local shaper with instructions from the web) I got to surf it again twice before it snapped.  I took a freefall drop on a 4 fter the other day and the board snapped right on the original ding. I wasn't too surprised by the board snapping after the original ding as I thought it would weaken the structure as there is no continuity from nose to tail with the ding in the middle of the board. I was surprised when my head went through both layers of glass plus the high density layer in the first place  and there seemed to be a soft spot in the foam core which I thought might be from the water that got drawn in after dinging it or just due to the fact that it was right where my front foot lands. I'm wondering about the glass used on these boards as after it snapped the glass that peeled off the bottom appeared to be quite a bit stronger/thicker than on the deck. I'm wondering if the deck was sanded too much or not enough filler was used or something as I would assume the deck should be at least as strong as the bottom. I also want to know if the rapidfires are more prone to snapping than the fst as they do seem to ding easily. I loved the board and am thinking about getting another one but I am wondering about the durability especially as one of my mates snapped his 6'6" alternator fst through the plug a week or so after I snapped mine. Both boards had only been surfed between 12 and 20 times max. My previous boards have been fairly heavy glass jobs 6x6x6oz and I've snapped 4 or 5 in 25yrs of surfing. One of those I snapped was a tuflite but It was in far heavier waves. I'm wondering if I got a board that wasn't finshed properly or if this is what should be expected with these boards    

Regarding RF tech, it does ding slightly easier but I've never seen a snapped one. I even tried google-ing for pics.

rapidfire decks are rock solid...cant get em to dent AT ALL..just footwells....treat rails and bottom the same as a traditional board, although the glass is more resilient to cracks...its a winner..!!...

Yeah, I've got a nice heel dent and a big dip infront of the pad on the right hand side from my knee, duck diving i'm assuming, but no other marks on the deck. No little digs and not a single crack. The bottom is pretty much immaculate too. I've had a bunch a small cracks on the rails but nothing bad.

Hey squinty,

Hi, I have a 4 month old Spitfire that buckled after 7 surfs (it was only two months old at the time but has been sitting in my garage ever since). It went in faily average 3ft conditions here in Pembrokeshire (anyone that knows the area will know that our waves are not known for their board breaking potential!). The crease runs across the base and has broken the rails, the deck looks unscathed. I accept that surfboards get damaged from time to time, but this sort of failure after a handful of surfs in easy waves is not acceptable and would definately put me off getting another Firewire. I've had Firewire boards previously and haven't experienced this kind of problem with quality (is it a rapidfire tech problem?). If someone could respond to my post (no-on responded to the e-mail I sent through two months ago) I would appreciate it.

Thanks Chris and everyone else for comments There were two numbers so the first one is FST-604F-03-2-0000 and the other is #51858 Like I said I do like the board and was telling everyone how good it was but have had my confidence in the strength undermined a bit. I agree with you that these things happen from time to time and I don't think it would have happened had I not had the original ding. After the original ding I was surprised how thin the lamination was on the deck but thought it must be like that on all of them but after snapping I noticed the glass on the bottom that peeled off is definitely thicker and doesn't seem to bend and snap in my fingers like the deck does.

Cheers

Squinty

PS does the hellfire cross over much with the stealth or is it more high performance.

Hey Squinty, i understand Nikki is helping you.   good luck.

I recently bought a 5'8 Dominator ,the deck cracked after first surf 2ft stormy no ding just a crack.After discussion between dealer and Firewire it was fixed which I appreicated.Unfortuately after two more surfs nothing over 3ft it has cracked again no ding.I only realised cause I have checked it after every surf. This shouldn't happen after all Firewire's are "stronger and longer lasting than PU boards" .I might have been sold a 'Friday' board My friends Firewires are holding up fine. Any ideas? its not good enough especially the price $800 aussie and statements being made.Board serial number is 57093-1.

hey moana can you get a few pics of the damage posted? 

Hi Chris the board was a FST I dont have the board anymore My local surf shop has it .They were that disappointed with it they gave me a new one, even they said it shouldnt happen maybe a bad one/batch got thru your QC? . The boys there are going to deal with firewire.