Cymatic Quick Facts
Slater Designs Cymatic quick facts
| Brand / shaper | Slater Designs – Kelly Slater’s label, built by Firewire Surfboards in Carlsbad, California; designed by Daniel “Tomo” Thomson, signed off by Kelly Slater and Tomo in 2017 |
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| Board type | Avant-garde, ultra-high-performance Modern Planing Hull – a hybrid of Tomo’s Sci-Fi and Omni models |
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| Best waves | Increased ease of use in 1–5 ft waves, with a familiar “barely out of control in a fun way” speed when the waves creep above head high |
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| Skill level | Intermediate to pro |
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| Tail | Tomo’s Double Bat Tail (from the Sci-Fi) |
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| Design | Sci-Fi’s Double Bat Tail coupled with Tomo’s Quad Inside Single Concave – the bat tail adds grip to offset the extreme lift and speed of the concave – melded with the reduced swing weight of the Omni’s cut-off nose; surfs most like the Sci-Fi but with slightly more rocker |
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| Fins | Five boxes – thruster or quad. Best template: Kelly’s Endorfins KS1 upright pivot set (Futures single-tab or FCS II dual-tab); Firewire’s Velox is the raked alternative. Firewire boards built from 2023 on come with Futures boxes; earlier boards came with either FCS II or Futures boxes, so check the fin system listed on each board. |
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| Stock sizes | 5’0 to 6’4 (21.3 L to 45.2 L) |
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| Sizing | A performance board with a wide tail: ride your regular shortboard volume, which lands 2–4 inches shorter than your everyday shortboard |
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| Constructions we stock | Firewire built the Cymatic in LFT (Linear Flex Technology). We have stocked it in LFT, Volcanic, Helium, Timbertek and I-Bolic. The Cymatic is no longer in Firewire’s current range, so stock is limited to what is listed here |
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Cymatic Q&A
What size Cymatic should I get?
Ride your regular shortboard volume; the wide Double Bat Tail means that lands 2–4 inches shorter than your everyday shortboard. A surfer on a 6’0 shortboard around 30 liters would look at the 5’6 (19 3/8” x 2 1/2”, 29.7 L) or 5’7 (31.0 L). Firewire’s chart runs 5’0 (21.3 L), 5’2 (23.9 L), 5’3 (25.4 L), 5’4 (26.7 L), 5’5 (28.4 L), 5’8 (32.9 L), 5’9 (34.3 L), 5’10 (36.4 L), 5’11 (38.2 L), 6’0 (40.2 L), 6’2 (42.5 L) and 6’4 (45.2 L).
What fins does the Cymatic use?
Five boxes, so it rides as a thruster or a quad – Firewire sold it as a Five Fin in both FCS and Futures. Kelly Slater’s Endorfins KS1, an upright template with lots of pivot, suits the wide bat tail and comes in Futures-compatible single-tab and FCS II-compatible dual-tab versions; for more drive down the line, Firewire’s raked Velox set is the alternative. Check the fin system listed on each board, as Cymatics came through in both FCS II and Futures.
What waves is the Cymatic for?
Firewire built it for increased ease of use in waves of 1 to 5 feet, but surfers who love that familiar barely-out-of-control-in-a-fun-way speed when the waves creep above head high appreciate how it feels in proper waves too.
How is the Cymatic different from the Sci-Fi?
The Cymatic is a hybrid of the Sci-Fi and the Omni. Fans of the Sci-Fi will recognize Tomo’s Double Bat Tail and Quad Inside Single Concave, but the Cymatic adds the reduced swing weight of the Omni’s cut-off nose and slightly more rocker, so it surfs most like the Sci-Fi with a looser, more progressive feel.
Who is the Cymatic for?
Intermediate to advanced surfers who want a fast, loose, progressive board – Firewire described it as the next evolution of Tomo’s minimalistic, highly engineered Modern Planing Hulls for Slater Designs. It is a retired model, so it suits surfers hunting remaining stock or used boards.
What construction does the Cymatic come in?
Firewire built the Cymatic in LFT (Linear Flex Technology – an EPS core with Firewire’s Springer HD, an aerospace composite running the full length of the centerline to tune flex nose to tail). Over the years we have stocked it in LFT, Volcanic basalt lamination, Helium, Timbertek (paulownia wood deck skin) and I-Bolic. The Cymatic is no longer in Firewire’s current range, so what is on this page is what remains. Each board lists its construction and fin boxes.
Can I custom order a Cymatic?
No – Firewire builds its models in set stock sizes rather than customs, and the Cymatic has been retired from Firewire’s line, so it cannot be special ordered. The boards on this page are what is available; the Sci-Fi 2.0, Neutrino and Mindcraft are Tomo’s current Slater Designs models, and we can special order those from Firewire’s range.
From Firewire
The Cymatic is an avant-garde, ultra high performance machine.
This shape is a hybrid of the Sci-Fi and Omni models so obvious, you can almost imagine the two boards combining naturally one night with Tomo away from the shaping bay.
Fans of the Sci-Fi will immediately notice Tomo’s double bat tail. Much of the Sci-Fi’s popularity in 2016 and 2017 has been this tail design coupled with Tomo’s Quad Inside Single Concave.
Functionally, the marriage of these two design elements has been brilliant – the double bat adding much needed grip to the wave’s face, offsetting the extreme lift and speed created by the Quad Inside Single Concave.
By melding these elements with the reduced swing weight of the Omni’s nose, Daniel Tomson has created an evolved version of both boards that surfs most similarly to the Sci-Fi but with slightly more rocker, and an increased ease of use in waves 1 to 5 feet.
When it comes to waves of size though, surfers who love that familiar ‘barely out of control in a fun way’ speed when the waves creep above head high will appreciate this board’s feel in proper waves as well.
Both Kelly Slater and Daniel Thomson have surfed and signed off on this shape in 2017 and we can’t wait to present it in 2018 as the next evolution of Tomo’s minimalistic, and highly engineered, modern planning hulls for Slater Designs.
