SurfSkateSnowBlog

I have always been resigned to longboarding because I though it was a cop out for not riding shortboards. But, I finally started using them a couple of years ago, after getting frustrated by not surfing for long durations of time during the summer.  When I got my first longboard, I figured they were all the same, and contently used my cheap pop out thinking that I would never be able to do more than just point the board in one direction and go straight all the way to the beach, trying to get to the nose every now and then.  My perceptions changed completely about longboarding when the store  I work for, got a 9′0″ Flexflight as a demo.

The board is by no means a nose rider, and for those of you looking for a board that is a wave hog, you will definitely need to look elsewhere.  One of the misconceptions about Firewires is that because they are epoxy, they float better than standard poly boards.  This is definitely not the case, these boards have the same flotation characteristics that a standard board has.  The nose does not have the surface area to be a good noserider, and the only way to get up there and stay there is to have a wave with a steep enough face to enable you to do so.

The ability to actually turn is this boards greatest feature.  Because I have always ridden smaller boards, I have the tendency to get bored riding a longboard after a while.  This board, though, was the first longboard that I was actually able to do a real bottom turn on.  It has a pretty substantial amount of tail rocker, letting the board change directions very quickly for its size, and the rails are pretty sharp through the last third of the board making it very responsive.  This feature also makes it a little less forgiving than a softer railed board.

Over all, as someone who wanted a board for really small waves, and who has absolutely no skills on a longboard, but is competant on a shortboard, the Firewire Flexflight fits in all the things I want a longboard to do.  If you are a longboard purist, looking for a classic kind of feel, this may not be the board for you, however, I do suggest you try one, you may just love it like I did.

The first Surfboard I’m going to review is the latest addition to my collection.  It is a 5′8″ Starr Rocket.  Starr surfboards are hand shaped out of central florida, and are priced just above most pop out boards in the mid 400 range.  Firstly, it’s really nice to see a domestic board be competetively priced with the mass produced boards from overseas like the 7s and the Dolsey boards.  This board’s template is pretty much a direct copy of the Lost Rocket, and should generally be ridden four to eight inches shorter than your standard shortboard.

I am about 5′10″, and weigh about 175 lbs so I decided on a 5′8″ even though I could have gone a little smaller.  With the small waves I have to deal with, the extra size is welcome.  I currently have the board set up with the FCS Simon Anderson Quad set up, but have also used the standard FCS SF4’s that come with the board.  I prefer the Simon fins in small to medium size waves because of the added drive.

So Far, I could not be happier with the boards performance.  Because of the low entry rocker, and the extra width through the nose, the board paddles well for it’s small size, and catches waves relatively easily.  It’s the speed and looseness, though, that really stand out.  Unlike many other of the “fishy” quads that I have used in the past, this board turns on a dime.  This is probably because of the wider diamond shaped rocket tail.  Without the standard swallow tail that most similar boards have, the board is able to pivot more quickly, resulting in a very responsive board.  The other great benefit to these boards is the convertible fin set up, so, for those that don’t like quads, you can set it up as a tri-fin.  I do however recommend using it as a quad in smaller mushier wave.

I really look forward to using the board in some waves with a little more size and power to see how it responds, being that the largest I have used it in has only been chest high windchop.  If someone is looking for an all around small to medium wave board, this is the shape I would point them to.  Ever since Lost’s most recent DVD 5′5 19 1/4 Redux came out most shapers have caught on to the trend, and are doing some type of variation of the Rocket, so the general shape should be easy to come across.