Technical Breakdown of World’s Best Longboards-Thunderbolt Technologies
Dan Mann rides his Helium Dominator II at Surf Ranch. Hear him on a new episode of The Wire Podcast (Spotify, iTunes).
Shaping Surfboards
Sipping Coffee
“The two are inseparable” says Dan Mann.
Listen to the new podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Just search ‘The Wire by Firewire Surfboards‘.
Dan Mann is on a new episode of The Wire Podcast talking about Firewire’s foundations in Sandwich Construction methods, and how these methods make the Dominator II uncommonly strong for how shockingly light it is.
He also reveals the depths of his coffee snobery, and the way that his best surfboard designs couldn’t have been created without a caffeinated mind.
“You’ve got to order an Americano and you’ve got to order it in the smallest cup they have, with more shots than they want to give you; maybe three shots.”
Dan calls that his ‘hack’ for getting great coffee out of bad coffee shops.
And what exactly makes a great coffee shop?
“You walk in and the people who work there aren’t excited to see you.” He says. Adding that; “They dont sell anything name brand. No Coca-Cola, no Hagen Daz ice cream, nothing. They just serve coffee beans from suppliers you’ve never heard of. If you walk into a place like that, just order plain coffee. No Americano. Nothing fancy. Guaranteed they know what they’re doing.
RED VS. BLACK
Disecting Thunderbolt Construction with Taylor Jensen
Press image above to watch the new video or press here.
Taylor Jensen hears the same question a lot.
He gets asked ‘What is the difference between Thunderbolt RED and Thunderbolt Black and which one feels best in a TJ Pro shape?”
He says Thunderbolt BLACK is best in powerful waves for powerful surfing. And Thunderbolt RED is best in weak waves for creating speed and linking turns.
Why?
Because Thunderbolt BLACK’s exterior is laminated with carbon. That makes it stiffer. And better for controlling speed and holding during powerful maneuvers. Taylor also calls Thunderbolt BLACK a favorite of heavier surfers, and more heavy footed surfers, like himself.
Thunderbolt RED’s exterior is laminated with fiberglass. That makes it feel more flexy than Thunderbolt BLACK. And good for creating speed and tying maneuvers together when weak waves aren’t helping.
The Thunderbolt BLACK TJ Pro. As seen in the video above. Press here to watch.
Taylor says that both RED and BLACK laminations work great for his TJ Pro in a variety of wave types and conditions. But if you want to optimize for shoulder high waves and under, lean towards Thunderbolt RED. And vice versa.
The TJ Pro is now at surf shops everywhere around the world built in both Thunderbolt Technologies RED and BLACK, as well as Timbertek.
Play the game now for your chance at winning a Dominator II. After each time you play you’ll see a leaderboard showing the game’s highest scores. Pay attention to it. Because at 12:00 Noon on Monday November 16th Pacific Standard Time, the three highest scores will each be notified and they’ll be winning a Dominator II in their dimensions.
Good luck!
The Helium Dominator II – newly redesigned at surf shops everywhere. Find a surf shop here.
