Mark,

Thank you, thank you, thank you for launching the custom program. One question though, I notice that all the custom shapes will have the "standard Flexfire or Alternator outlines". If I ordered a flexfire but wanted a wider tail is that possible? I had a 6'6" step-up but thought the tail was too pulled in and wanted to get the same board but wanted to add 1/2 or 3/4 of an inch to the tail width. Would this be possible in the custom program? I know the exact tail and nose widths that I would want compared to the stock 6'6" step up so that is the only things I would want to change.

Mark,

Also just to clarify, can you order a custom in the original Future Shapes Technology? It sort of looks like from above that it only says RapidFire.

Meangreen,

the amount of CAD time involved is significant and there is no way we can accommodate all possible custom options. There have to be some tradeoffs. We believe (obviously our opinion) we make the most technically advanced surfboards and in most other sports you cannot get anything custom in top line technology. The $75.00 surcharge does not even come close to covering the extra costs involved.

If a surfer wants something truly custom, down to a specific nose or tail dimension to the exact 1/4" of an inch, then he or she is going to have to weigh up the performance tradeoff of our technology versus standard PU. We believe that for a fraction of an inch here or there, our tech will outperform an exact PU spec.

I'm sorry we cannot be more 'custom' than that. We are looking into whether we could offer tail dimensions in 1/4" increments, 1" inch up or down on the stock spec, limiting the variables but still offering some flexibility. I'll let you know.

Re Technology: all our in-house guys are riding Rapidfire's, the boards are insane. Fortunately they are a little easier to design and build than FST (fewer critical component parts). For the same reasons above, we've limiting the custom. program to Rapidfire.


There has to be a trade-off somewhere between the sophistication of our technology and what we can offer. We feel we've made the right choices to ensure we can deliver a limited custom program and still offer insane technology.

Hi Mean Green,
After thinking about your question a bit, I asked Nev about it. Although you cant specify nose and tail widths as part of our program, pulling the wide point out is going to pull the nose and tail widths out accordingly.
If you pull the nose and tail widths out but do not pull out the wide point, the board does not become true to it's original design.

Rod,

Thanks for your feedback, I do understand that pulling out the tail would alter the original design and outline. That is exactly what I was hoping to do. I had the 6'6" step-up but sold it because the tail was too pulled in and not loose enough for me. I measured the tail at 12 3/4" whereas I usually wouldn't want less than 13 1/2" on the tail of a 6'6" step-up. Keep in mind I was surfing large surf on it, double overhead Margaret River, AUS and Ocean Beach in SF. And was trying to use it as a step-up from my 6'2". I don't want to simply pull the outline out by expanding the wide point of the board, I just want a looser tail and maybe a bit more nose. I just felt the 6'6" was more of a mini-gun shape than a true step-up board.

I agree with you that these boards are more like mini-guns than step ups, but would add that they are for very light surfers, too. Dont see the 6'6 or 6'8 really working at Ocean Beach, SF or Margaret's, your point is valid. In the meantime, keep an eye on these models, as we are tweaking the stock designs to reflect this, but it will take several months to see them out at the shops.
best,
RT

Hi just a few questions:

What is the bottom shape of the Flexfire? (ie: single to double)

Is it possible to get a different tail design? (ie: swallow)

Can i get FCS in a direct drive? (i have a large collection of fcs fins)


Ok, basically what i want is a FlexFire Direct-Drive, in a 6'4, 18 1/2", 2 3/8", Swallow tail, with fcs! Is that possible? (I would be willing to omit the fcs if the rest is possible!) *Its my step up board!
DFE-604S-1808-206 i guess would be the code if it existed!

*****
I have noticed that boards seem to be getting wider, is that due more or less, to making scaled up boards from smaller boards? or is it for the increased planing ability in poor to average surf conditions?

My widest board is a 19" 6'3 2 1/4", single conc squash, which does paddle well & plane well in fat surf, but i find it less responsive, abit skiddy in a turn & transitions slower through turns! I also find it harder to pump the board for speed! Whereas i find narrower boards, are much more responsive, knifier in turns, transition quickly & can be pumped to increase speed! Which in good quality surf, particularly fast punchy waves are qualities i much prefer! I am 6'1 and 86kg (190ish lbs) so i find it difficult to float tiny boards which have these characteristics that i like, but not the length or thickness! (i do have a 5'10, 17 7/8, 2 1/8, but its a submarine & i only get to rid it once or twice a yr when conditions are just right for it, but once i actually get going it feels awesome)
I still surf the same way i did when i was a skinny teenager, but now ive got some muscle to throw around!

Single concave I believe-

I dont think so. To complicated-

DD are not offered I thought only RF build-

Boards are getting wider but also are allowably and recommended to be a hair shorter-

You are a barely little lighter then RT and myself. IMO your boards are to small.

I downloaded the APS3000-Aku software (that ironically Nev developed) and compare approx.
volumes of Kelly Slater's dims to your own. I encourage you to do the same

I did and was pretty shocked at the difference. Kelly rides way more foam then I relative to our different sizes. I been robbing myself.

5'10" ?

Thanks Donniedarko! So i could get that board in RF then? hmmm i do like the DD tech though....

Yeah i guess my board sizing ideas are still based on the 90s low volume designs! (im 31 now)
Increased volume doesnt bother me though, Im just not convinced by wider boards yet!

Cool i will check out that software, sounds interesting! Im open to new ideas, but im just going by what i feel under me when i surf!

LOL yeah the 510, its probably about 12yrs old now, but i did some of the best turns & airs of my life on that board and just cant seem to let it go! It is such a submarine now that its quite laughable, surf has to be shoulder high, perfectly glassy, really punchy, with no-one out, for me to be able to catch waves and actually ride it! So yeah its basically retired, but for shits n giggles i have been known to dust it off!

The board i ride the most is a 6'2, 18 1/4, 2 1/5 single to double squash, with k2.1's! Which is being replaced by my new 6'2 Taj! My biggest board is a 6'6, 18 1/2, 2 1/4 single to double Rpin (13 3/16 tail *seeing as meangreen bought it up) fix fin, which is my mini-gun (double over+)
anyway.....thanks for the input donnie, im gonna go check that software now! :)

Consider this Taj rides boards 3" taller then him based what he surfs most being 5'10's and 11"s.
Note the foil from tip to tail too. I feel shapers who are doing countless boards a day sometime screen off to much foam on the nose. Alternator has a really nice foil.

That where us bigger guys can get more float.
I prefer Taj and Flexfire Templates.

The custom things looks really cool. I look for ward ordering a board when I can.

wow i never realised Taj was so short!

Really cool software donnie, cheers mate! :)

*Just out of curiousity, what is the current recommended volume (Litres not beers lol) of board per Kg of rider ratio? (is it a linear ratio?)
eg: would 30L float 85kg? (not taking differing foam density & glassing materials into account, ie all boards of same dimension float the same regardless of construction tech)


Yeah your right most of my boards do appear to be under sized/volume! hmmm food for thought!

I dont think recommendations have to be vague. I know 34 liters for me in a 6'2" shortboard, make my life good. Paddling easy. I know 30 liters is what I used to surf on, and imperically have figured this stuff out.

The search button is key, and try the boards and take your notes. Then you narrow your stuff down.
dd

Firewire's Limited Custom Program.

Cool thanks Mark, im glad i can change tails (im keen on a swallow flexfire)!

The plug option is legit... thanks Mark.

Wow...I am really excited about the custom program. I recently got a 5'10 stealth and now I am thinking of changing my whole quiver to Firewire surfboards, also since I am planning to do a world surf trip in summer of 2010. I am currently riding a 6'1, 18' 5/8, and 2' 3/8. would it be possible to get a flexfire in the same dimensions ???
I am also looking for a step up board? do you have an recommendations for me ?

I am 6'2 and weigh about 166 pounds.

Schoen_Chris,

Yes in Rapidfire tech. Your local Firewire dealer should have all the forms and if not, they can contact us and we'll send them out. Keep in mind its a 10-12 week lead-time. The Flexfire 606P or 608P are great step ups for double overhead (6-8) - depends on the waves you want to ride.

markp,

first of all, thanks a lot for the input. But before I order my boards I have a few more questions...
let's say i want to order a board with a thickness of 2' 2/8. would that be possible since in the essence 2' 2/8 is 2' 1/4 ??? My trip will basically cover the following locations: indonesia, south africa, fiji, tahiti, and california. For most waves a standard shortboard ( 6'1 for me), and something a lil bigger like a 6'3 would be enough. However I feel like my trip requires a more extensive quiver.

I am pretty much set on getting a 6'1 flexfire, and a 6'6 flexfire steup ( for indo, fiji, and tahiti). Now i would just like to know if you feel like there should be another board in-between these two, like a 6'3 round tail ??? and If yes, what dimensions do you recommend, considering the dimensions I suggested in my previous post ?
If you could answer these questions for me I'd be really thankful since I could figure out which boards I should get custom, and which ones I should order standard.

Chris,

I don't understand the 2 2/8? If you are asking can me make a custom thickness of 2 1/4, then yes.

Re your trip, that's a wide variety of locations. I think you need a 3 board quiver anyway to cover various conditions and possible breakage. I think the 603R would be a good choice - small enough to sub for your 601 if that broke, but also able to handle overhead waves.

Markp,

yes, i was thinking about 2' 1/4 but in the custom order form it said that dimensions have to be in 1/8 increments. That's why i wasn't 100% sure about it.
For now I think i am all set. Thanks a lot for the help, and all the information. I also think that the forum is a great idea, and you guys at firewire do a great job keeping up with all the posts.

Okay now I understand - the LCP form could be worded more clearly. Any 1/8" increment is fine, just not 1/16's or anything smaller. Glad the forum is helpful.

Are the firewire customs manufactured in the USA or in Tailand???

iggy,

All our boards are made in our Thai factory. CAD work is done in Australia with Nev and our CAD guy and then sent to Thailand for manufacture.

hi

probably in the wrong place but it seemed best to me

is there any way you could custom produce a taj model in 6'6?

cheers
pete

Petew,

Sorry Pete, there is too much CAD time involved and custom machine beds needed. At this time the custom program is limited to the models described above (link below)


http://www.firewiresurfboards.com/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=75&page=1#Item_25

ah right, fair enough.

i just thought that it might be different just to add a few inches to a board.

oh well nevermind

cheers
pete

We wish it were that simple - but it changes the entire foil and the rocker bed has to be redone - basically its a completely new board if you scale the proportions correctly.

Hi
I know doesn't say this is an option, but....
Would it be possible to get the Taj shape in a rapidfire? and if possible with FCS Fusion plugs.
Thanks

assasin,

We will be expanding the LCP program down the road (late 2010), but unfortunately right now we have to keep the existing parameters in place. you will however be able to special order any of our boards with Fusion or Futures in 2010.

So does that mean by late 2010 I would be able to order that board, or just any board with desired plugs, or you don't know by this stage?
Thanks

too early to commit to details - but Taj's with Fusion plugs will be available from Feb 201o onwards (and all boards in the line).

you may not be able to but when the whole LCP program is done would you be able to do a 6'6 taj model?

We cannot commit to which variables will be available down the road, but a 606 Taj would require new machine and rocker beds, so it would be further down the list versus taking any of our existing lengths and offering custom widths and thicknesses in each.

Unlike standard PU boards which have the rocker shaped into the board, our process is more complex due to the deck skins and requires a special bed for each model - so if you order a 606 Taj which we currently do not make, we have to make new beds for it before we can shape it. On the flip side, the beds ensure that any of our standard models have consistent rockers so I think the trade off is still in our favor,

oh right ok , ill just wait and see what happens then

Mark,

Any info on when you might be expanding the custom board program to include Future Shapes Technology? Those are pretty much all I ride and I would love to order a custom. I am holding out on getting a Rapidfire. I know you guys love them, but I prefer the FST.

Also, I just got to say, all of the info you guys post on this site and in this forum is incredible. How you deal with responding to the millions of questions everyday on this forum and still remain courteous and polite is beyond me.

meangreen,

99% of the questions here are legitimate, the same ones I would have if I was contemplating buying a Firewire - so we're really just doing our job. But thanks for the recognition anyway.

RE FST customs: Its hared to say - the bottleneck are the multiple tool paths required for all the component parts, its incredibly time consuming in the CAD area, and no way we could charge what it actually costs us. We're working on a software application that will take anyone's dimensions and automatically generate the tool paths. You'd simply log on to our site, key in your dims and the online image would morph to match so you'd see the impact of changes in real time. and by auto generation of the tool paths, we'd eliminate the CAD bottleneck and costs.

A brilliant CAD guy from outside our industry who also surfs is developing it and wits possible we might have it up and going by year end. No guarantees, but without that or at least something similar, its going to be some time before we could do it with FST.

That sounds awesome. Would be great if you get that system working. I keep my fingers crossed that it works out.

Cool stuff Mark. Me trying to be a amateur futurist think that will be the future of shaping ala customs.

Happy New Years to you and the boyz...!
dd

And to you DD. looks like the New Year is going to start off with a good NW swell!

Mark,

I maybe answering my own question here. But if I ordered a 6'6" x 18 3/4" x 2 1/2" flexfire with a round tail this would result in a wider tail than what currently comes on the 6'6" x 18 3/4" x 2 1/2" stepup pin, is that correct?

I liked my 6'6" stepup I used to have, just not the pulled in tail, it was too tight for my preference. I wanted a step up type board slightly bigger than my 6'2" with the same looseness of my 6'2". So I figured if I ordered a 6'6" flexfire with a round tail this would probably get me what I wanted.

The regular FE in a rounded pin would definately be 'wider' than the step up outline in the tail - if you are serious about a custom (remember its rapidfire tech only at this time), send me the actual tail width you want and I'm sure Nev can nail it, or come extremely close while still honoring the basic FE outline.

Meangreen

Here is what a well balance FE 6'6" morphed to a roundtail similar to your 6'2" The 6'2 is 14 3/16 @ 12" and the origional FE 6'6 P is 13 1/16". this board below is 13 3/4" which will complement the performance of you FE6'2 perfectly. You could go 1/4" narrower to 13 1/2" but I reckon 13 3/4" is good.

Try this...last photo to small

Beautiful, thank you so much Nev and Mark. The 13 3/4" tail is exactly what I was looking for. To go about ordering it with these exact dims should I email you first? And then should I place the order through my local firewire dealer? Let me know.

Just curious about a particular board
Have always considered buying the flexfire 6'2 18 5/8 2 1/4 round tail
It is very similar to my favourite pu board i have creased too many times
But am worried about the lack of volume
I weigh about 79kg
If you bumped up the volume a couple of litres from say 26.6 to about 28 or so what would the final dimensions be if you were to maintain the length at 6'2
I would be also keen to give it a go in the rapidfire tech

I've got a 6'2" swallowtail alternator that i am TOTALLY in love with. This board turns on a dime, pumps up speed and gouges the lip like a demon and to be quite frank i need NEED to keep riding it. Its reaching the end of its life with numerous ding repairs and is getting heavy. It doesn't appear to resemble the current alternator shape (seems to be wider at the base and nose, swallow tail etc). Is it possible to get another one despite it not being offered in the current range?

- Mark

What is the board number and I'll check if we still have that file. If it is available, it will be a 10-12 week wait, but there is a very slim chance there is one somewhere at our factory (I'll check)

Are you in the USA?

Alright, the detail on the board is as follows:
AT-602 S 6'2x19x2 3/8 #30277
I'm in Sydney Australia.

Thanks

Its a great board that swallow tail 6'2". I reckon it is closer to the flexfire than the new altenator. It's my shortest "all round high performance board" I have owned, and can't believe the range it performs in 2' - 6'. If they can't find it at the factory, I know there was one in the Torquay Quiksilver Store last week. Its been there for a wee while so I don't think it will have gone anywhere since. I had been hoping it would remain in hiding until I needed to replace mine.
As I say, its been there for a while, so there is a slim chance they could be happy to sort out getting it to Sydney for you.

Best of luck

Thanks for the tip about Torquay store! I'll give em a call!

Cheers!!