Firewire Vader Surfboard

The Vader represents the current pinnacle of Daniel ‘Tomo’ Thomson’s Modern Planing Hull (MPH) Vision.

Dan describes the Vader as a "Mind Surfing Machine," which reacts instantaneously to desired directional changes with incredible bursts of speed. Controlled, drawn out carves and radical tight angle snaps are achievable with an effortless and intuitive shift in a surfer’s weight. In addition, paddle power and generally usability have been increased with a larger volume distribution throughout comparative to the Vanguard, which encourages surfers to ride the Vader even shorter than previously considered functional.

Versatility... The Vader ticks all the boxes and is a stand out performer from waist high to double overhead, offering a natural Quad-fin option which creates significantly increased speed in weaker conditions, or switch to a Tri-Fin for a high-speed surgical attack when the waves demand additional control.

Firewire LFT

Firewire’s product development is focused on three things: The exclusive use of epoxy resins and epoxy resin and EPS foam cores, achieving lighter and stronger surfboards through sandwich construction, and optimizing flex to enhance performance. Though LINEAR FLEX TECHNOLOGY (LFT) may appear to be a simple construction employing familiar design philosophies found in traditionally built surfboards, nothing could be further from the truth.

LFT incorporates Firewire’s new SPRINGER HD, a 0.75� (18 mm) wide aerospace composite that runs down the centerline of the board, representing the next generation in our SPRINGER technology. Unlike the original balsa SPRINGER build which only added stiffness under the front foot, the SPRINGER HD runs the entire length of the board and plays a pivotal role in optimizing flex from nose to tail.

Inserting a high-density material down the center of the board does create engineering hurdles. For example, deck compression over the SPRINGER HD would be less than the surrounding EPS core. Over time, the deck would develop a raised area adjacent to the SPRINGER HD, akin to the ‘ridging' effect on a PU surfboard as the surrounding foam collapses on either side of the stringer.

We addressed this issue in two ways. Firstly, the SPRINGER HD stops approximately 10mm below the top deck, ensuring that the surrounding EPS compression will not lead to ‘ridging’. Utilizing our proven sandwich construction methodology, we also added an extremely durable material to the top deck of the board. This ‘deck-skin’ now serves as an additional buffer against the ridging effect while simultaneously working in tandem with the SPRINGER HD to optimize the overall flex pattern of the LFT build. The end result is a durable surfboard with lively flex patterns that will maintain its hi-performance characteristics over time.

Firewire Vader - Stats at a Glance: