I started my search looking at Surftech and Firewire,

not knowing that the epoxy market has really exploded

since I last bought a board.

I must admit the choices are overwhelming.

Permit me to ask you to compare your boards with firewires,

resin8’s and xtrs, if you are familiar with them.

They are the choices that I have narrowed down, and yours of course being front runner at this stage.

Regarding the other epoxy constructions out there;

it is difficult to encapsulate in an e-mail since I don’t want you to have to read a novel,

but I will try as best I can to give you a brief rundown

on each and how they compare to what I am doing here.

To start off, I started building boards out of alternate materials over ten years ago and have built boards out of each of the methods mentioned by you i.e. Firewire – sandwich construction using high density parabolic rail structure, eps foam and epoxy resin; Surftech – compression molded construction; Resin8 – eps (expanded polystyrene with epoxy resin and glass skin); XTR – xps foam core (extruded polystyrene foam core) glassed with epoxy resin and glass….

Like I said, I’ve built many boards out of these same methods/ materials, and actually before these companies were building them. I found limitations with each, but these early years of building various prototypes out of many other methods as well as these mentioned here gave me the road to the Proxy technology which is what I currently feel has got them all beat….not to sound like I’m tooting my own horn, just trying to be honest after many years of trying just about everything that is out there.

Here is a short list of the pros and cons of each of the competitors construction methods first,

then I will follow up with how the Proxy technology has got them beat:

Firewire -

pros: good flex, springy, good performance in small waves and up to head high, uses environmentally friendly materials as well as some recyclable components.

Cons: can sometimes overflex giving you a board that recoils when you want to be loading it up for a turn, rides very similar to an ultrlight polyester board, but also has problems with breaking/ snapping like polyester boards – especially right above the fins and right in between the fins…you can find forums where people are bummed at how easily their
Firewires broke….not cool when you can buy a polyester board for much less, have it ride the same or better and last just as long. I feel that when you pay more it should have performance as well as increased durability. Another thing for you to consider since you’ll be getting plenty of sick waves on your voyage, is the overflex issue which really comes into play on the Firewires in bigger waves. I’m pretty sure that even Taj Burrow has been riding polyesters in Hawaii and at the big wave locations.

So, in short, you get a pretty good performance board similar to that of a polyester board, but you are getting something that for what you pay should be much stronger than a poly….and it simply is not.

Surftech -

pros: very strong, nice and light under the arm

Cons: These boards are made with a super lightweight core (1.0 lb. eps) with pvc sheet foam pressure molded around it. Pvc sheet foam is very hard and durable, but very very rigid….so you get a lightweight, overly buoyant surfboard that is very strong, but rides on top of the water (common problem you hear is that you can’t set the rail without it wanting to pop back out, want to ride flat, or slide out on you at critical times.) The pvc sheet foam also hurts the ride since all the life giving flex characteristic is taken out of the board making it feel stiff;  basically just lacks the life a surfboard needs to afford anyone past the very novice learning stage of surfing.

Resin8 -

Pros: cheap

Cons: Handmade in China so the consistency from shape to shape is very dodgy unless you are a pro then you might get special attention.

These are a basic eps/ epoxy construction, but I would be very leary of getting one of these boards due to the manner in which they are produced…I have always felt that consistency and direct oversight by the shaper who is making your board for quality control purposes on all steps of the process is key to getting a truly magic board.

XTR:

Pros: lightweight

Cons: No matter what they try to tell you, the foam XTR uses (extruded polystyrene) is prone to delam and foam shear under normal use or from heat. They punch thousands of little holes through the glass of the board and say that it eliminates the problem, but it does not. The foam they use is also very rigid, not as bad as a Surftech board, but not the
ideal flex you want out of your board. These boards are fairly strong, but not enough stronger than a poly board to warrant the additional cost.

Proxy:

This construction is from over ten years of building boards out of every kind of foam, composite glass, and resin I could research….the result after 10 years was this specific combination of superfused specific grade eps made just for surfboard use (so it has excellent compression strength and does not suck in water if dinged – which 99% of the rest of the eps being used on surfboards does just that; dents and sucks in water like a sieve). The resin is a specially formulated epoxy that has added elongation/ elasticity or flex characteristic so the board has a very responsive, positive flex pattern and recoil out of turns. The glass used is S-glass (highest grade of fiberglass on the market)in combination
with carbon and Kevlar strategically placed….this yields a board as strong as a Surftech, but with the performance characteristics of an ultralight polyester board.
These boards last five times longer and are about five times stronger than a polyester board counterpart, and have the lively feel under feet that truly makes a board magic by both design and the use of the materials composing it.

I’ve attached a link to some other articles detailing the Proxy technology in more detail for you to check out:

http://proctorsurfboards.net/surf-board-science-proctor-epoxy/

http://proctorsurfboards.net/proxy-custom-flexible-epoxy/

Please feel free to ask any other questions you may have. I know you would be stoked on a couple Proxies for your journey.
Looking forward to your reply,
Aloha,

Todd Proctor