Should I go for another bigger Hellfire?

[Mr Pear]

Recently purchased a 5'10 Hellfire in September, bloody love it. Better than I expected and instantly noticed improvements to my surfing in tight spots...later take offs, steeper waves, hold in the pocket and speed. Took it Morroco in Oct and this was all I surfed.

It's because I love it so much I am thinking of a 'winter' Hellfire, what I mean is, although I probably should, I don't really want a different model because for my standard and frequency of surfing its blimming brilliant. I get to surf 2/3 times most weeks whenever there is swell spring to autumn, however, Winter poses a trickier conundrum. Essentially, in Winter surfs are limited to the weekend or the odd dawny when meetings allow a slightly late start but tend to involve chunkier surf and more paddling. Add together less paddle fitness off the bat and lots more rubber I am thinking of purchasing a bigger version of the Hellfire as a Winter board, either 6.2 or 6.4. I want to have more paddle assitance without losing the performance of the board but I don't want to much volume to duck dive the bigger sets.

I'd like a 6'4 but it comes in at 36'7 litres and maybe I only need a 6'2. I might just be trying to find a quick fix but the model itself is perfect.......any thoughts would be appreciated!

[Chris]

Yeah Mr Pear,
Your logic is not crazy at all and you could certainly justify going that route. I personally surf in cold water frequently and know what its like to have to deal with wetsuits. While i don't upsize my go to boards very often, I do like a 600 Michel with a thin suit and a 602 with a real thick one on.

I think you should make the call based on how under buoyant the Hellfire feels when you ride it in the winter. My gut is to say that you should not go any bigger than 600, because you really don't need a lot of extra volume to offset the added weight of a suit.

Cheers

[Roger]

Mr Pear,

That seems like a really big jump in size for winter. I get the fitness issue, but as you clarify, with a larger board comes harder duck diving, and when the faces get ten to twelve foot, the ability to go under starts to become every bit as critical as the paddle speed. Trade offs...

A related question is on the effects of wearing rubber. I notice a definite weight increase from board shorts to a spring suit. But beyond that to a 3/2 and then a 4/3 I don't really notice that I get substantially heavier when paddling. In other words, it seems like the first step into a wetsuit is the biggest. That said, I've never worn anything heavier than a 4/3. Thoughts?

[Chris]

yeah well put roger. its is possible that one size up would make the heavy winter months glide a little bit more easily.

Cheers

[Mr Pear]

Thanks guys, all really helpful! I could be over thinking this. I generally wear a 6,5,4 in the darkest depths and then a 4mil and 2 mil pg the rest of the year. There isn't any real paddle issue between the latter two and the 5'10 has been handling everthing with surprising ease. The problem in winter is with dark days and young kids sometimes you can go a couple of weeks without a surf, which is probaly why i feel in 654 that I could do with a bit more board to up the wave count. Maybe all I need is a 6'0 but suspect the 6'2 could be the go.

[buzzy]

I'd also back the no bigger than 6'0" message. That's assuming the 5'10" is working for you.

[Mr Pear]

Thanks buzzy, yeah the 5'10 rocks to be honest, in everything, just looking for that added advantage over winter.... Hmmm....

[FW - Fan]

Mr Pear, I had a 6'0 HF (sold it yesterday). It was plenty of float for me in 3ft plus. I rode that thing up to 6 ft. I have put on about 5 kilos (mostly muscle) so I am going to size up to the 6'2 which for me is still a lot a board. Going from a 5'10 to a 6'2 is a massive leap. If the waves you are surfing with the 5'10 are that much smaller than what you intend to surf at 6'2 then I would be looking at a more dedicated step up. After all the HF is still a Hybrid.

[core personal training]

pear...6'0 ... FW..i'd of grabbed that HF as a "bad back day" backup...bugger

[FW - Fan]

It went too cheap too Core ...$355!! Would have almost felt better giving it to you for that.