Machado Go Fish Firewire LFT 5'7"

"This board just makes me want to surf… no matter what the waves are like. It flies in small to weak waves, and if its overhead and pumping it draws unique lines, allowing me to approach waves differently and explore new lines". Rob Machado

5'7" x 20.5" x 2.3125" Vol:29.3L

Firewire Description:
Rob States: "This board just makes me want to surf… no matter what the waves are like. It flies in small to weak waves, and if its overhead and pumping it draws unique lines, allowing me to approach waves differently and explore new lines".

At first glance the outline pays homage to the old school fish but on closer inspection you’ll notice some subtle changes. I’ve narrowed up the swallow tip to tip to give the board more maneuverability and the narrower nose gives it a more speedier outline. The rocker is fairly relaxed with a low entry rocker upfront combined with a subtle tail rocker, giving this board quick ‘up and go’ and maximizes its top-end speed.

The bottom contours are best described as “BOARD EAT BOARD” and were inspired by a George Greenough design I rode a few years ago. I’ve refined it over the years and it now features a really flat bottom concave that runs down the center all the way through the tail. The two side panels run down each rail on either side of the center panel, and transition from concave to flat to Vee while maintaining the deep single concave down the middle.

The overall effect of these design parameters, when combined with a keel fin set up, is a highly maneuverable and speedy board with tons of drive and takes the retro fish to a whole new performance level.

Firewire Linear Flex Technology (LFT):
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.