Firewire Special T Helium Surfboard

Dann Mann on the Special T, “despite his preference for high performance longboarding, Taylor is an accomplished noserider so he wanted his Firewire models to include a design more suited to traditional longboarding. I’ve personally always enjoyed the stylish nature of the ‘old school’ and in particular, riding an original Phil Edwards board that my dad has."

Dan continued, “After a ton of input from Taylor combined with my own experience, we developed The Special T. The rails have a soft 50/50 curve, along with a scoop nose concave and extra tail flip. We also relaxed the nose entry rocker to enhance tip riding, allowing riders maximum glide and trim with ease."

Wave Type

This is Taylor Jensen and Dan Mann’s longboard shape for California beach breaks and softer waves. It is a great balance of ease-of-wave-catching and ease-of-ride, that offers a traditional feel with more performance underfoot. “Traditional longboarding is smooth, it’s about trim, style and an elegant balance of flow, and the Special T does that for me.” – Taylor Jensen

Board Features

The Special T is a traditionally outlined rounded pintail longboard shape. The flat rocker makes it super easy to catch waves and super stable. The rounded pintail helps with hold in the pocket and the wide nose offers tons of stability up at the tip. This is the shape 3x World Longboard Champion Taylor Jensen was riding when he won the 2022 Duct Tape Invitational.

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Helium Core Technology

Light and lively underfoot, excellent at generating speed in everyday waves. This is your ideal technology choice for generating speed in weak, everyday waves. The Firewire Helium technology is a stringerless 1.0 lb EPS foam core with flex controlled with rails made from Paulownia and Balsa wood, running the complete length from nose to tail, combined with a 3mm proprietary aerospace composite deck skin. The wood rails enable a lively flex in the rail that gives a loaded-up, spring-back feeling, and the deck skins make your board feel this way for a long time. Helium deck skins are beneficial for both durability and performance - and have a memory that will rebound back to form after being compressed, making it very responsive in addition to keeping your deck surface pristine for many years.

Performance

Ideal for generating speed in weak, everyday waves - this is your choice if you want unmatched response, lightweight and durability. Helium has a lively, responsive flex underfoot, and surfs quickly and explosively when creating tight angles.

Construction

Ideal for generating speed in weak, everyday waves - this is your choice if you want unmatched response, lightweight and durability. Helium has a lively, responsive flex underfoot, and surfs quickly and explosively when creating tight angles.

Lamination Compatibility

Helium cores are paired with fiberglass lamination, Volcanic lamination, Timbertek lamination, or Artificial Wave Technology fiberglass lamination.

Core Construction

Helium blanks move through a multi-stage, precision-controlled build process designed to ensure consistency, strength, and tuned flex behavior:

1. Outline cutting and high-density component insertion
2. Deck cutting and deck skin application
3. Bottom cutting and bottom skin application
4. Final rail cutting followed by hand-shaped rail tuning

Helium utilizes a vacuum-laminated sandwich construction, featuring either a 2.4 oz. or 4 oz. fiberglass layer positioned between the EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) core and proprietary MPP (Modified Polypropylene) composite skins, followed by an external 4 oz. fiberglass lamination on both the deck and bottom. The vacuum lamination process ensures uniform adhesion, reduced resin weight, and superior structural integrity across the entire board.

High-density fin box inserts are integrated during construction to reinforce fin attachment points and minimize the risk of cracking or flex distortion under load.

During lamination, the parabolic rail structure is locked into place under vacuum, creating stored elastic energy within the blank. This “loaded spring” effect allows the board to actively return energy during turns, increasing projection and speed—particularly in small to medium surf—while requiring less physical input from the surfer.

Helium Technology Materials

Helium is approximately 25–30% lighter than PU boards, with a more responsive flex feel, waterproof EPS core, and lower VOC emissions thanks to epoxy bio-resins. It has a 3–5+ year lifespan and keeps boards out of landfills longer. Traditional PU boards are heavier, less flexible, and last only 1–2 years on average, with higher environmental impact.

Freshwater Performance & Buoyancy

EPS foam performs better in freshwater wave pools due to its higher relative gravity profile, which provides superior buoyancy. EPS/epoxy boards deliver approximately 2–3% more net flotation than PU boards of the same volume in freshwater, where reduced water density affects board lift.

Example estimates (freshwater, same volume):

• 30 L board: EPS +2.2% lift advantage (~0.6 kg)
• 35 L board: EPS +2.2% lift advantage (~0.7 kg)

Helium Key Technical Differentiators

• EPS (Expanded Polystyrene): Closed-cell foam that’s lightweight, waterproof, and recyclable — forms Helium’s core.
• MPP Composite Skins: High-density sandwich composite skins for dent resistance and flex control.
• 2.4 oz. / 4 oz. e-Fiberglass (Internal Layer): Light fiberglass layer that distributes load evenly between core and skins.
• 4 oz. e-Fiberglass (Outer Lamination): Outer laminate providing durable finish and surface protection.
• HD Polonia Wooden Rail Inserts: High-density foam strips enhancing flex control and preventing rail cracking.
• High-Density Fin Box Inserts: Dense composite blocks integrated into the core to anchor fin boxes securely.
• Paulownia Wood Blocks: Light hardwood reinforcements for nose and tail strength.
• Epoxy Bio-Resin (Entropy): Bio-based epoxy resin system with superior strength and flexibility.

Helium Tech Summary

Helium Technology delivers an ultra-light, lively ride with a distinct sense of stored energy and rebound. Built around an EPS core and high density of Paulownia Wooden parabolic rail. Helium boards retain inherent kinetic energy in the rails, allowing for loaded spring-back out of turns and smooth projective flex. This gives surfers a sensation of speed, flow, and effortless projection.