I dont have a hard time believing a firewire board rides really well. I hope to find out for myself soon.
What i do like to know is:

I understand if a company comes out with a board that is performance oriented board, rather than a durable board > performance over durability. Where does Firewire stand on this? What can i expect to be the lifespan of a firewire board?

Fw like any company had a few issues that were solved quickly. You can expect your new fw to last a very long time.

They are rock solid and performance is top notch. Pm me with any questions.


I'd say they are probably one of the strongest boards out there....and with the sic shapes you can't beat it. Try and report back, they are magic.

thanks man, if you would give me some examples, that I would have a better idea what to look for .

I'm 5'9'' ...

There are many opinions on this, but if you want a surfboard to work well with a kite in light wind, my advice is to pick a board in the "modern fish" style that is typically a little fuller in outline, flatter in rocker and thicker in volume. They are designed to get the most out of mushy less powerful waves so make an efficient low wind kiteboard while still being a ton of fun in everything less than head high barrels. Get the size that a really good surfer your height/weight would choose. Your gonna get towed so you can get something small enough that would be challenging to paddle. Roughly a few inches shorter than your height. I'm 6' ,180lbs and ride the Tokoro 5'8 fish. Firewire have a quadfish that is exactly what I'm talking about. They have a few other small waves boards that would also work. I think the dominator is the only one they make in kite construction at the moment, but maybe you can order others as a custom. Below is a vid of my board to give you an idea (back half of the video), but generally think something like the Lost Round Nose Fish in shape. Choose an appropriate construction for your pocket book. From full carbon like the Aviso to something like the Firewire or Resin8. If your light, you can get away with epoxy boards like the Placebo Uber Fish or similar. Especially if your going strapless. Again, personal taste, but strapless is addictive and great for your light air board. Encourages you to move around and find the best board trim. Light wind is a fun way to pick it up for when the wind and waves ramp up. Takes some of the beating off your board as your not landing big airs for a while. I'd also say try for a quad fin set up over a traditional thruster. Quads have a little less drag and will plane up better in light winds and handle the speed a bit better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaEP_pAUmzI

Duloid,

The FW quiver has (2) boards for ultimate light wind performance you may want to check out.

The 6'0" quadraflex which is insane for light wind. Flat, wide board with a 4 fin setup. It bites up wind like none other. I am 6'4" and 210 lbs and this is the best light wind board I have ridden hands down.

The 5'8" Dominator is a 5 fin model. It allows you to either have a more light wind setup that bites upwind in The quad setup, or you can go more high performance with the 3 fin setup. It works very close in performance in light wind conditions as the 6 0 because of its volume and width. Both work insane.

If you have specific questions, check out the FW forum where you can ask any questions as well.

http://www.firewiresurfboards.com/kitesurfing/forum/

thank you ...

I did some research and found Liquid Force Kite Fish ... which might work as well .. specially in price range ..

it works in light wind, but it is NOT a surfboard. Feels more like a skim board IMO. And personally I think you can forget putting straps on it. Eidt: before I forget..it is fun in flat water and very very small waves...bumpy conditions or anything bigger than knee high is not so fun

In anycase, for light winds, I really like the naish fish line. I think there is two really redeeming factors that makes it stand out a little.

First of all, many more traditional fish boards works well when riding very slow. They are made for sloppy shitty waves, and excel in those conditions. The problem for us kiters though is that we usually ride faster. A very wide tail will then flatten out the board, unless you really dig the rail / tail. It is fun when you get it right, but it is pretty hard IMO.

Now the more modern and progressive boards have pulled in the tails quite a lot. The Naish board has both a pulled in tail, stepped rail / mini wing, and for the kicker, IMO, some pretty deep channels. Makes the board much more usable across a whole range of uses...and it comes with a bag.

I wouldn't really classify the LF kite fish as a surfboard either. Its very thin, sharp railed and flat rockered with something more like wakeboard molded construction. Probably fun to ride in some conditions, but lacks the volume and rail shape of a surfboard. Never seen one up so not real sure, but not really like the other boards mentioned.

P.S. 6 foot is too big for you in my opinion. At 5'9 you can go at least that short in this style of board.

ok , got it .. thanks for all your info and now I'm gonna check some offers what's on the web

Yes, I have used a surfboard for kitesurfing.
http://vimeo.com/20336405