Yes, Firewire works with select independent surf shops using non-traditional retail models, including consignment. 

Surf Shops are the lifeblood of our community, our consignment approach is designed to support retailer health by reducing the need for large upfront inventory investments. It allows shops to carry a consistent range of boards without taking on the financial burden typically associated with stocking premium products. This allows Surf Shops around the world to keep surf stoke alive and thriving, and we are dedicated to supporting their health and longevity.  

In addition, we offer rental fleet programs at select locations, helping retailers generate additional revenue while introducing more surfers to our boards. 

We’ve built our business around supporting independent retail, and we’re proud to be one of our partners’ strongest contributors to profitability - delivering premium products, steady inventory, and high sell-through without requiring significant upfront capital. 

Yes, we regularly collaborate with a wide range of the best shapers and designers in the world across the Firewire Surfboards and Slater Designs platforms.  

Our team includes world-class shapers such as Dan Mann, Daniel “Tomo” Thomson, Mike Woo, Wade Tokoro, Stu Kenson, and others, who all contribute to ongoing innovation, testing, and design development across the range. 

However, our signature rider-designed model ranges are currently focused on Kelly Slater, Taylor Jensen, and Rob Machado. These partnerships represent deeply integrated, long-term collaborations where each surfer is directly involved in the design, refinement, and ongoing evolution of their boards. Rather than expanding signature labels broadly, we prefer to keep these lines highly focused and authentic to each surfer’s distinct approach to performance surfing. 

At the same time, we continue to welcome input and collaboration from a much wider group of elite surfers and shapers across all areas of our product development. 

We see wave pools as an important part of the future of surfing. 

Our team spends a significant amount of time testing boards in wave pools, and Firewire boards are widely used in these environments around the world because of their durability, consistency, and performance under repeatable conditions. 

Facilities such as The Surf Ranch give us a unique opportunity to refine designs with precision. Having identical waves run after run allows us to isolate variables, test performance at a higher level of control, and accelerate the development process in a way that simply isn’t possible in natural surf. 

We see wave pools as a performance tool that helps push surfing forward. They allow surfers to progress faster, experiment more deliberately, and raise the overall standard of progression in the sport.  

Surfing will always be rooted in the ocean, but wave pools are becoming a powerful complement to it. We’re excited about that evolution and the role it plays in advancing design, performance, and the future of the sport. 

Outerknown is our sister company, founded by Kelly Slater and John Moore in 2014, with a focus on building premium apparel through a sustainability-first approach. 

While Firewire and Slater Designs focus on hardgoods, Outerknown operates in apparel - but the two brands are closely connected. We share leadership, including our CEO, as well as teams across sales, marketing, and operations. Many of us work side by side under one roof, which allows for a constant exchange of ideas and alignment in how we approach product, sustainability, and brand values. 

Outerknown has been a leader in the apparel space when it comes to sustainable materials and ethical manufacturing. The brand prioritizes preferred fibers such as organic cotton, Regenerative Organic Certified, and recycled materials, and works with factories that meet strict environmental and labor standards. 

While there is alignment in values, the manufacturing models are different. Apparel and hard goods require entirely different supply chains and infrastructure. In surfboard manufacturing, there are far fewer facilities globally that can support advanced composite production at scale - particularly those that meet the level of quality, consistency, and control we require. 

That’s why Firewire has taken the approach of owning and operating its own factory, while Outerknown works across a network of vetted partners that meet  our standards. 

Outerknown has also been further along in formal sustainability certifications, including Fair Labor and material traceability programs, which reflects the maturity and infrastructure available in the apparel industry. 

Both brands are working toward the same goal: to prove that premium products can be built responsibly - but the path to get there looks different depending on the category.

At Firewire Surfboards UK, we ship to the UK and Republic of Ireland only. All Surfboards are shipped with DX or Kuehne+Nagel. All Accessories are shipped with UPS or Royal Mail. Shipping costs vary by region and product type.

SURFBOARDS UP TO 7'6"

UK Mainland (1-3 business days) - £20.00

Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey (3-7 business days) - £40.00 

Northern Ireland (2-5 business days) - £40.00 

Republic of Ireland (3-7 business days) - £50.00

SURFBOARDS OVER 7'6"

UK Mainland (1-3 business days) - £30.00

Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey (3-7 business days) - £75.00 

Northern Ireland (2-5 business days) - £80.00 

Republic of Ireland (3-7 business days) - £90.00

ACCESSORIES & APPAREL

UK Mainland, Highlands, Channel Islands (Royal Mail Tracked 48) - £3.00

UK Mainland, Highlands, Channel Islands (Royal Mail Tracked 24) - £4.00

Republic of Ireland (3-7 business days) - £8.00

*For orders being delivered outside of the United Kingdom, please be advised you may be required to pay additional import and customs duties in order to receive your order. You will be contacted by the carrier once your order is in transit with further details on the charges & how payment can be made. These charges are levied by the carrier at their discretion.

**Please note: multiple board orders may have different rates, and will be reduced when possible. Add To Cart to calculate your order's shipping rate.

At this time, we only offer standard shipping on surfboards.

Orders typically take 1-2 weeks to arrive, depending on your proximity to our warehouse.

Please allow 3-5 business days for your order to leave our warehouse. Once your order is shipped, you'll receive an email with tracking details.

We also offer local pickup at our warehouse in West Sussex.

Yes! After receiving your confirmation email, please allow 3-5 business days for your order to leave our warehouse. Once your order is shipped, you'll receive an email with tracking details.

Don't sweat – we’ve been shipping boards to beaches around the planet for almost two decades so we know how to protect them properly. We also offer and very strongly encourage Route Package Protection – for a minimal cost your entire order's value is completely protected.

At Firewire Surfboards UK, we ship to the UK and Republic of Ireland only. We have websites serving the United States, Australia and Europe, more regions to come.

Our surfboards are carefully packaged using protective, impact-resistant materials designed to keep boards safe in transit while minimizing unnecessary waste.

We focus on efficient, secure packaging that protects the board without over-packaging, using recyclable materials wherever possible.

Picking the right size surfboard is different for everyone, and very much depends on the shape. Volume is a great measurement to help you find the right size – start with our Volume Calculator here.

Volume is the measurement of cubic liters your surfboard displaces when put into the water.

Think of volume like buoyancy or paddle power – and you cannot surf until you catch and stand up on a wave. On the flip side, the more volume your board has, the higher in the water it will sit which will make maneuverability more difficult.

Use our Volume Calculator here.

Great question that requires a longer response than we can give here – head over to our Technology pages to learn more.

This is a phenomenal question, as fins can make or break a surfboard. Many of our surfboard models have fins designed specifically for them, check product description details for more. Or, feel free to Contact Us to ask for our recommendations.

Single Tab refers to the fin system Futures uses, while Dual Tab refers to the fin system FCS uses. Please make sure to double check which fin system your surfboard uses before ordering your fins!

Try the Greedy Beaver, Sunday, or our Midlengths and Longboards.

Great question – be sure to explore our Surfboard Care page here.

At Firewire/Slater Designs, we take a fundamentally different approach to surfboard manufacturing, from the materials and shapes to the machines involved.

We prioritize safer, lower-impact materials and processes, limiting exposure to hazardous chemicals commonly associated with traditional surfboard production. This creates a healthier working environment while also reducing the release of pollutants into the surrounding ecosystem.

We use our own proprietary resin formula, made with approximately 50% bio-based derivatives and completely acetone-free. Unlike traditional polyurethane (PU) resins - which require acetone for cleanup and produce higher levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) - our system allows us to use a naturally derived, orange-based cleaning solution. Any VOCs generated during spraying are fully contained within enclosed systems, and all workers undergo regular health checks to maintain a safe and responsible production environment.

At our facility in Thailand, we use 3 - 4 state-of-the-art flatbed CNC machines to execute highly detailed designs using proprietary shaping files developed specifically for our boards. This precision reduces the need for aggressive shaping, minimizing excess dust and significantly improving air quality for our team. While dust levels are low, all workers in these areas wear full protective masks and apparel as an added safety measure.

Our surfboards are manufactured in a Firewire/Slater Designs–owned facility in Thailand. Our fins are produced in a South Africa-based facility in which Firewire/Slater Designs holds a majority ownership stake.

Firewire was founded in Australia in 2006, and from the beginning our goal has been to build the highest quality surfboards possible - without compromising on how or where they’re made.

We manufacture our boards in Thailand because it allows us to do exactly that. We fully own and operate our factory. We are not outsourcing production or chasing the lowest-cost option - we’ve made a long-term investment in a facility we control end-to-end. This level of ownership is unique in our industry and ensures complete oversight of materials, processes, quality, and, most importantly, the wellbeing of the people building our boards.

Thailand has the infrastructure, expertise, and is a sound point of manufacturing to service all of Firewire's major markets around the world. It’s also a global hub for premium surf and watercraft manufacturing, trusted by many leading surfboard and wetsuit brands. Many of our materials are sourced regionally, which reduces unnecessary shipping and helps lower our environmental footprint.

Equally important is the team. We’ve worked with the same core group of craftspeople for over 20 years. In many cases, these are family-based teams who take deep pride in their work, bringing a level of care and consistency that simply can’t be replicated in high-volume, low-cost production environments. Our U.S. and Australian partners spend significant time on-site, working alongside the team to maintain standards and continue improving every detail.

Our factory operates under strong regulations and prioritizes worker health and safety - from cleaner materials and enclosed processes to regular health monitoring. This is not fast, disposable manufacturing. It’s a deliberate, highly controlled process built around quality, longevity, and respect for the people behind the product.

And importantly, Thailand has waves. Our team doesn’t just build surfboards - they live the sport, which is something we believe shows up in every board we make.

No in fact, our process takes more time. Traditional surfboard machines typically cut and sand a board in a single pass before it moves on to hand-finishing. Our process is more complex and deliberate. Each board is placed onto our proprietary machines multiple times - typically four separate stages - by skilled technicians to achieve a much higher level of precision and detail.

This multi-step approach allows us to execute highly refined designs with consistency, while still preserving the craftsmanship that goes into every board. It’s a more time-intensive process, but one that results in better accuracy, improved performance, and a higher-quality finished product.

We don’t optimize for speed - we optimize for precision, durability, and performance.

At this time, no surfboard on the market can be fully recycled. This is an industry-wide challenge due to the combination of materials used in surfboard construction.

That said, we’ve developed a strategy to significantly reduce waste by repurposing materials and end-of-life boards into secondary products - a process often referred to as downcycling. This includes items like pavers (such as those used at The Surf Ranch), plant holders, and other durable goods.

Today, close to 100% of our foam offcuts and scraps are redirected into these applications rather than being discarded. While full recyclability remains a goal for the future, we are committed to minimizing waste and finding practical, scalable solutions that extend the life of our materials.

Close to 100% of our foam scraps are used for these materials.

No, our surfboards are intentionally priced at a premium, and we are not undercutting the market. 

In fact, in the US we sit at the higher end of the price spectrum. While the average shortboard sells for around $750, our boards are typically priced closer to $995 - reflecting the materials, technology, and craftsmanship that go into each one. 

We use more advanced and higher-cost materials designed to significantly extend the lifespan of our boards - often lasting up to three times longer than traditional polyurethane (PU) constructions. This results in fewer replacements over time, better long-term value for surfers, and fewer boards ending up in landfills. 

We also continuously invest in research and development to improve performance, durability, and more sustainable manufacturing methods. That level of innovation comes with real cost - but it’s central to what makes our boards perform and last at a higher level. 

Rather than competing on price, we focus on building the best possible product. As a result, we’re able to support independent surf retailers by offering boards that command 30%+ higher price points than the industry average, and helping keep many specialty surf shops strong and viable. 

Simply put, we’re not trying to be the cheapest option - we’re focused on being the best, and building boards that surfers don’t need to replace nearly as often.

We do not offer custom boards.That’s a core part of what local shapers do best - working one-on-one to dial in exact dimensions for surfers. Custom boards are the heart of local shaping. We focus on building high-performance designs, while custom work remains the specialty of local shapers. 

No, no surfboard is indestructible. While we invest heavily in research and development to continuously improve the strength and durability of our boards, they can still ding or break if impacted or handled improperly - and depending on conditions and use.

If you believe your board may have a manufacturing defect and has been damaged as a result, please contact us and submit a claim through our support form (add link) for review.

For minor damage such as dings, we also recommend following standard repair practices to ensure your board stays water-tight and performs as intended.

We accept all major credit cards, Apple Pay, PayPal, Google Pay, Amazon Pay, Shop Pay, Meta Pay, Venmo and Afterpay.

CREDIT CARDS

Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and Diners Club.

AFTERPAY

Buy now and pay in 4 interest-free installments over 6 weeks.

Our full Return & Exchange policy can be found here.

In short – if your gear has any manufacturer's defect, we'll return or exchange it.

If you are interested in exchanging your board, we'll work through your options with you. We want you to be completely satisfied!

If you bought your item online, keep an eye out for an email 2 weeks after your purchase. Or, you can always navigate to any product page on our store and leave a review!