Cymatic LFT Surfboard

Under the Firewire label, Slater Designs surfboards are esteemed to be the pinnacle of high-performance boards amongst the surfing community. Lead by world-renowned professional surfer Kelly Slater and the best surfboard shapers from around the globe, this recent line of surfboards has gained a lot of buzz amongst surfers. I had to get my hands on one of these boards to see if all of the “hype” surrounding a Slater Designs surfboard was really worth the $800 price tag.

After hunting around at surf shops, Facebook Marketplace, and Craigslist for over four months, I was able to finally acquire the Slater Designs Cymatic, shaped by Daniel Thomson, otherwise known as TOMO. I purchased a 5’10 Cymatic with 36.4 liters of volume and a Futures fin setup. This is one of the most sought-after boards for its unique shape: a rounded nose, double bat tail, and speed channels in the bottom of the board.

I was initially a bit nervous because of the board’s greater width and overall weight. It felt almost twice as heavy as my previously used 5’9 Disco Inferno shortboard. I purchased a 5-fin setup to go along with the board to give me the option of surfing with either three or four fins, and for these first few sessions, I surfed a quad-fin setup. After strapping on my leash for the first time with the Cymatic, I ran out into the water and began my paddle out to open waters. Extremely buoyant, as expected, but very fast. During the paddle-out, my friends on typical shortboards were able to make it to the outside section much faster than me due to my difficulty duck-diving under breaking waves with this high-volume board. Once I made it to the lineup past the break zone, I was able to catch waves with ease. The Cymatic glides over the water in a much swifter fashion than my Disco. After dropping into my first wave, I had an overwhelming feeling of exhilaration zooming across the face of the wave. The speed of the Cymatic is unmatched by any other board I have ever ridden. The addition of the speed channels displacing the water was a feeling that I have not experienced before. Due to its width and the board’s parallel outline, I was expecting the rails to be very rigid in turns. But, I was happily surprised as TOMO’s creation was able to tuck into the pocket of the wave and turn into massive cutbacks. The smaller surface area of the tail allowed for swift transitions and the points of the double bat tail secured traction while riding the wave. The blunt nose was especially useful when paddling into steep waves, where a shortboard with a sharp nose, like my Disco, would have a great chance of submerging during the drop. I would highly recommend quad fins for this board over a 3-fin thruster set.

This is a great board in all aspects, as it excels in all kinds of waves and will outperform any other surfboard in the smaller and mushy conditions. The Cymatic soars like a rocket as the fins rip through the water at a thrilling speed. Once the surfer can get past the duck-dive issues, everything else comes at ease. I cannot recommend this board enough. Therefore, the price tag is worth every penny spent. I absolutely love the Cymatic as it combines the best aspects of different boards into one surfboard. I am always looking forward to the next session with this surfboard and I am eager to try other Slater Designs creations.

Absolute pleasure to deal with You guys. Awesome communication and assistance from order to collection. I also bought fins and a cover. I need a new wetsuit so will be back soon! Recommend you guys to anyone!

Purchased the Cymatic and because of my sizing and choice of fins it was out of stock at the time. However Natural Necessity were able to get me the board far quicker than what I was expecting, and just before my trip to Fiji. Thanks again - always great service

Finally it's arrived. I had some issues with the order (not with Nat Nec but with the Firewire warehouse) but finally it came through. This is a very unique feeling surfboard to ride. It's very different to what I would usually ride and has taken some getting used to. 4 surfs in and learning. It's absolutely everything as described in Noel Salas' review - high performance, quick, drivey, and agile.

Awesome shop