Firewire timbertek

[anthony.d]

Hello,
Do the timbertecks suck in water when dinged like the rapidfire construction? I had a FireWire and a friend accidentally put a tiny hole in it, it caused a 2 sq ft waterstain on the bamboo deck. Despite prolonged drying it did not go. It's put me off f irewires. I wondered if the timberteks have sorted out the problem?
Thanks

[buttholesurfer]

Timbertek decks get fractures in the wood grain and suck in water like a sponge. If you get one you need to regularly take the wax off and inspect for cracks, even on the ones that now have resin over the wood skin.

[anthony.d]

Thanks. I've asked a couple of shops and in their opinion they definitely do not suck in water or have resulting waterstains!
They also reckon that firewire have great customer service re faults.
The board that I had that leaked, they were terrible, it took an awful lot to get a replacement.
I want one but my head says no don't do it! I don't want to get stuck with a leaky board or ding it and end up with a horrible massive wet patch.

[Black]

What's so great about timbertek? The name itself surely puts a little vomit in your throat when you say it? You've had previous experience of staining so why add to it.

Bamboo is little affected by water immersion but it stains easily and turns black after a while. It shows water ingress well but doesn't look good if you want otherwise.

p.s. Unfortunately mostly you can't talk to a shop and expect honesty unless you know who they are. The firewire sales model is based on quantity not service: QED

[anthony.d]

You are correct in all you have said.
I really liked the boards I had, I just hoped the new construction was better. As it seems they are not I will steer well clear of them.
Thanks both for your help, much appreciated.

[Black]

Maybe it wasn't the wood lamination you liked but the shape? May be worth getting a copy made in epoxy. Probably end up cheaper too.

[anthony.d]

You are correct. Guts up the road will do a fine job!

[reserves]

TimberTek is great as is Firewire FST, doesn't have the issue you mention with Rapidfire.

Have a TimberTek Greedy Beaver, its been to Sri Lanka, Maldives & Portugal. Had one ding on the rail, didn't need a repair.

They are epoxy so if they let water in then they need to dry completely (can take weeks).

Will be trying their new tech soon too (Helium).

Each to their own

[JWet]

These boards are reputed to be strong. I asked around online, but got the usual kaleidoscope of responses…everything from “They’re terrible boards” to “It must be a freak accident” to “it must be a unique design flaw”…which is to say, they were no real help. Here are some photos. The cracks appear to follow the grain of the wood—especially what appears to be an inserted chunk of bamboo. Anyone seen this before?

UPDATE:
Chuy Reyna at Firewire coached me through a repair process and is sending me some wood deck skins to go over the repair. Still no word from the shop, but Firewire certainly stands by its boards.

IMG_3896.jpg (180.19 KiB) Viewed 1960 times

[anthony.d]

My point is the way they suck in water. You cannot get rid of the wood water stains no matter how long you dry them out!
I've posted on the Firewire website forum regarding this. Surprise, surprise, no response.

[Jamez]

Disagree with most that has been written here. Typical scare mongering from the 'support your local PU shaper' only crew. BTW I own both locally shaped boards and mass produced thai boards - each has its benefits!

Ive had a TT board now for well over 2 years (probably longer as it was one of the first hitting the market. I ride PU/PE boards and epoxies. The timbertek however is one of the strongest durable boards I have ever owned. This ones is still pretty much as good as new!

The paulownia deck skins can darken in areas where the bio resin is a bit thin or has been sanded through. This generally leads to a very small amount of moisture darkening the wood, however this is really minor (remember Paulowina is a strong robust hardwood and cant be compared to balsa) and this isn't the same thing as water ingress into a blank causing lots of subsequent problems.

In fact my board had been sanded a little to much and there where some spots on the underside tail and rail where there was no resin just wood. I haven't done any repairs to these areas and the wood has darken ever so slightly and is very very localised - it has not spread in the years of using it.

The TT boards are glassed below the deck skins hence the deck skins just add robustness. A ding to the paulownia which doesn't impact the underlying glass and eps core isn't really a concern.

I have had my leash snap out in the Maldives and my board bounced repeatedly over the reef. Just 1 minor marks in the wood skin. These boards are as tough as it gets!!

Hence id suggest that the TT's are more durable than the old FST and are much stronger and more durable than PU boards.

Thus don't be put off by them.

J