One of the first bamboo surfboards I ever saw blew me away. I remember seeing it from across the shop and being taken aback by the beauty. It was if there were an inner glow radiating out and shining from within. As I approached the board, I started to notice a few bubble in the glass, a seam out of line and then I picked it up. The first bamboo surfboard I saw in the late 90s was a log – a 6’0″ log weighing around 10lbs. Yes, 10 lbs for a 6 foot high performance shape shortboard? They had to be kidding.Sure it looked good, but 10lb 6 foot surfboard – pffft!
Fast forward to 2009. I walked into the surf shop the other day and, as usual, I check to see if there are any new boards in the rack. And there it was, a beautiful bamboo surfboard made by Firewire. The soft amber glow of the bamboo had hypnotized me and I drifted closer.
Firewire's Rapidfire Bamboo Surfboard $595 @ Hostel Board Co.
Remembering my last experience with the bamboo surfboards, I approached cautiously. The craftsmanship was impeccable. There were no errant lines on the laminate and the lines were clean. No air bubbles in the glass, that’s good. Nice sharp rails on the tail. I couldn’t see a single issue or problem with the board, but it was still in the rack and I was a little afraid to pick it up for fear that my hopes would be dashed or even worse, crushed by the weight.I could stomach the $700 dollars, but if it weighed 10lbs, that would be a deal breaker.
Cautiously, I pulled the board out of the rack and it was then, that I realized, the Firewire Rapidfire bamboo surfboard was way different. It wasn’t heavy at all, if anything, it was extremely light weight. I would guess, somewhere in the 4-5lb range, which is lighter than my standard 6’2″ JS Combat or my 6’2″ JS Paraletic. It’s even lighter than my 6’0″ Rusty Surftech and way lighter than my 6’4″ JS! With the weight issue resolved, my mind raced with a new line of questions and concerns.
My floors are made of bamboo and so are my cutting boards. Bamboo must be pretty damned strong, otherwise, they wouldn’t be making flooring out of it would they? But without a stringer and knowing how light weight the surfboard is, I was a little worried about the flex. How would the bamboo handle the flex and pressure put on it by high performance surfing? As it turns out, the bamboo isn’t the main feature in controlling the flex of the surfboard, but rather, carbon rods control the flex and the bamboo is a helper. That’s some good news and something I was glad to hear.
So, here I was, looking at a beautiful surfboard, without any flaws in craftsmanship, the weigh is perfect, the feel is perfect and everything I could see or feel seemed perfect. I was ready to drop my $700 to get my new bamboo surfboard.
Price $595- A Nice Surprise: So, I asked the guy at the shop, “What kind of fins does this board come with”? I was a little shocked to hear, “None”. Now, I don’t mind spending $700 for a good surfboard, but please, give me a set of fins, even if they’re not the best fins in the world, at that price, I need a set, you know, just in case. It’s about that time, that I noticed the little sticker on the board that informed me the board was $595 and not $700. For $105 I could buy an great set of fins, a new trackpad and a leash. The $595 pricetag on the Firewire Rapidfire surfboard sealed the deal for me.
Firewire Rapidfire Bamboo Construction
Tech Meets Tradition: I’ve long been a fan of innovative technology in surfboards, but also appreciated the asthetics of traditional wood surfboards. The Rapidfire’s bamboo, carbon fiber and epoxy construction is a pleasing blend of the latest cutting edge construction and the traditional wood that I find so appealing. Firewire has made a lot of advancements in the surfboard industry in the last few years and I think this is the culmination of the best Firewire has to offer at a price that’s reasonable and actually, a damned good deal.
No More Balsa Rails: The balsa rails are not on the Rapidfire, which I feel is a good thing. A dinged rail on the balsa railed Firewire surfboards are very hard to repair correctly and I’ve never liked the asthetics of the balsa rail, so losing the balsa rails is a big plus in my book. But the balsa rails on most Firewires does add flex control, but that’s why the Rapidfire has carbon rods – Goodbye balsa rails!
Where’s the Vent? It doesn’t take long to notice the difference between the Rapidfire and the other lines in Firewire’s surfboards, there’s no vent. EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) has a lot of air in it, just like PU. But unlike PU, most Firewire surfboards are made with 1lb EPD. This is not the case with the Rapidfire. The Rapidfire model is made with 2lb EPS. That means, the foam is more dense, which means, less air in the foam and means, there’s no need for a vent. This also means, the foam has more structural integrity than the other Firewire surfboards – twice as much! This should lead to less pressure dings and less of a chance for delamination and that’s a good thing!
Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Bamboo, parabolic carbon fiber rods, 2lbs EPS, epoxy resins… sure, they sound good on paper, but I don’t surf on paper, what about the real issues – performance. Thankfully, the wave gods have smiled upon me and our usually flat May has had 9 straight days of surf for me to test my new Rapidfire bamboo surfboard. After 6 days of surf, I can say, without reservation, that I love my new Rapidfire surfboard. It’s really light weight, which I love. On the smaller days, I’ve used the Futures VII FEA fins and had excellent results. On the larger day and on the falling tides, I’ve used the Future FJC1 fins and loved it. EPS has more bouyancy that PU so getting into the waves is easy. The rocker helps keep me in the pocket and allows for some really tight turns, but also keeps speed on the flat. I don’t think this would be a good board for those small thigh to waist high days, but June is around the corner and I’ll have plenty of time to test it in the small stuff too. But, the tide is starting to come back in and I think I’m going to grab an afternoon session and with all the boards at my disposal, I’m grabbing my Rapidfire.
Anyone want to by a used 6’2″ JS Combat?
You can find Firewire RapidFire Surfboards with Free Shipping at Hostel Board Company
