6'8" Dominator in good waves

[tallkook]

Wondering if anyone has the 6'8" Dominator and how it goes in better waves. Clean 3-5 foot east coast Australia. I'm 196cm and 90kg low intermediate surfer, who loves a bit of volume. I have the opportunity to get one 2nd hand for a great price. Thanks.

[buzzy]

I'm 90kg and have the 6'4" Dom in Sydney Australia (ie East Coast waves). I don't think I'd like it that much too much above head high. I reckon 4 foot (8 foot faces) would be its realistic performance limit. Sure, I could probably surf it in bigger waves but I'd really be nursing my turns. So as an eg last weekend I surfed the Dom in up to 3 foot surf (head high) and the Alternator the next day (head high +). The Dom didn't reach its limit at head high so maybe 4 foot (1.5 times head high) would be its realistic limit). That's for a 6'4" though. A 6'8" for a bloke of the same weight would, in my view, have a much smaller performance window, and would reach its limit in smaller surf.

I'd personally be steering you to the next model down (6'6") in Dom or Spitfire.

[surferireland]

In the old forum there is a picture of a guy near 60 years old surfing triple head on a 6'8 dom and he was ripping it up - the dom in bigger surf is stable and fast, it wont want to sit in huge hollow stuff but it will work everywhere else

[Chris]

608 is pretty big for someone your weight, but for someone who is your weight and knows how to handle volume, you might have some fun.

I would however push you to consider smaller, think 604 and go from there. Seriously making that step to a smaller board that is actually easy to catch waves with and surf is a game changing move!!

I am sure other guys on the forum can attest to what the modern day hybrid revolution has done for them.

Cheers!

[tallkook]

Thanks for the input everyone. Just wondering what the drawbacks would be with going a bit big in this shape? Is it just that I wouldn't be getting the best out of the design or would it actually be harder to surf? The 6' 8" on offer is so cheap I don't think I can resist!

[iggy]

Too big of a Dominator will feel too buoyant, making buttom turns and cuttbacks a bit too skiddish
You could try to put bigger fins but you will be limiting the board and yourself. The dominator has lots of volume packed in a smaller package.
Iny case I tried the 6'0" and found it too buoyant and ended up on a 5'10". Right after changed for a spitfire 5'8" and could not be happier (80kgs dry)

[Chris]

yeah agree with iggy, but its also important to remember that every individual is sooooo different which means one set of preferences may deviate greatly from another. if you grab a cheap 608 nd love it, then SCORE! if its a little too big, at least you figured it out in a less expensive way and you can move down the line from there....

Cheers

[Fritzkat]

I ride the 6-4 dominator in head high surf no problem, Love that board its a keeper, I have the same weight and height as you. IMO 6-8 is way too fat. You might have a hard time cutting loose with that much floatation. Maybe try the 6-6? if you think a 6-4 isnt enough, dont let length fool you on the dominator.

[IronBuddha]

In the old forum there is a picture of a guy near 60 years old surfing triple head on a 6'8 dom and he was ripping it up - the dom in bigger surf is stable and fast, it wont want to sit in huge hollow stuff but it will work everywhere else

The guy Surferireland is referring to is SamtheMan, an older dude, who by all accounts is a very competent surfer. He was surfing his 6'8'' Dom in Indo and by the Photos Sam posted, surfing about 10+ foot face waves, and having a ball. He did have however a large set of custom foiled fins, 5 kilos more body weight and experience.

Your tall at 6'5'' and a quarter so riding a 6''8 would be good as you probably have a wide stance. The volume of The Dom may cause you some problems in bigger powerful surf if your only a Low intermediate stage surfer. However in average waves you'll probably have a blast.

I have started riding a 6'4 Dom and I'm currently about 103kg and 186cm tall. I reckon if push came to shove I coulda got away with riding a 6'0'. They have a lot of volume, and despite the denials, more float than polyurethane boards.

Dominators have great resale, so if you can pick one up cheap, go for it. Ask yourself how often will you be going out in surf bigger than you..lol

If you like volume and being a tall dude also look into the Addvance model in a 6'6''

[Chris]

GReat stuff IronBuddah. Thanks for the insight, I concur with your advice.

Cheers

[tallkook]

Thanks everyone, appreciate the advice. Think I'll go for it with the 6'8" and move it on if it's not suitable. I'm used to a lot of volume (ride a couple of McCoy Nuggets at the moment) and just cruise rather than ripping it apart so I think it will be a fun to try it out. Cheers.

[buzzy]

Sounds like a sound plan. Have fun.

[Chris]

yeeeweewww!

[hanaleisurfer]

The 6 8 Dom is way too big for you. The Dom is meant to be ridden smaller. I have a 6 4 and its no problem for me and I am heavier than you. I actually could have gone down to a 6 2 Dom.

[tallkook]

Thanks mate, yeah everyone keeps telling me the 6'8" is way too big, but the deal is done. I get it in a few days and we have an east swell on the way, so I'll report back. Like I said, I'll move it on for a smaller one if it does not suit my needs..........and a 6'6" Addvance and a 6'6" spitfire and a 6'0 potato and a 6'8" Hellfire..................

[iggy]

Buddy enjoy!!!.Me I have this in front of me and can't jump just yet. I reckon the sweet potato or the Dominator will go insane here183

[core personal training]

get out there iggy..!!!

[Ben]

Hi all,

Great post, not trying to hijack the post here, just want to hear the opinions for size on the Dom for my size and skill, as the discussion is touching base on the height x weight vs Dom size too. I am 35 yrs, surfing for 5 yrs, surf 2-3 per week, my physical condition is good, though gained a couple of kgs since my days with pro windsurfing.

I am now on a 6'2 JS Blackbox with 34.7 liters, feels kind of small in volume. I also have a performance 6'6 19,5, but will less volume, made by a local shaper, but that is kind of the same too little volume, hence I am not the typical Brazilian skinny type surfer :-)....

I can catch waves in good conditions, but timing-wise I am often late for the local hollow beach break surf, I am a strong paddler, however I feel that I sit a little deep in the water. I was considering the Dom 6.4, as it will be significantly larger then the JS i have now, I am worried about the volume, hence can I still duck dive in bigger surf and shallow beach breaks, which I often surf here in southern Brazil. for a second board I am considering the Alternator in 6.8, for the more 'perfect' hollow waves we sometimes get here.

Do you recon that this will be a good combo, and what about the size of the Dom and Alternator for my abilities and size? thanks

[Chris]

have you had a look at the 604 Alternator?? might be a bit better for your weight?

[tallkook]

Was that directed at me Chris?? 604 Alternator sounds way too small for me and my abilities. I like the idea of a hybrid rather than shortboard shape. All the hype about the Hellfire has me interested. I reckon the volume calculator has me at about 45 litres (considering I like volume), which is why I'm not too concerned about a 608 Dom.

[buzzy]

Chris, my call is that at that weight at Tallkook's age coming off a super meaty McCoy nugget @ 7'2" a 6'4" Alternator would feel way too small.

I'd love to hear though how the 6'8" is coming along.

[tallkook]

My thoughts exactly buzzy. 604 Alternator sounds way too small for me and my abilities. My McCoys are 606 and 604 but have huge volume at 3 inches thick.

Don't get the 608 Dom for a few days yet but will report back when I've had a couple of surfs on it. Cheers.

[tallkook]

OK so had the first surf on the 608 Dominator this morning. Waves were tiny and closing out so not the best testing ground.

As everyone has been saying, it's a lot of board, however the volume felt very familiar after surfing the McCoys. Super easy to paddle and catch waves on and for the limited rides I was getting it felt very agile. Looking forward to getting it out in some better waves to put it through it's paces. So far, it is promising but the jury is still out.

Will report back for those interested after a few more surfs this week. Cheers.

[buzzy]

Look forward to the update. Enjoy!

[tallkook]

OK I've had the 608 FST Dominator for a couple of weeks now and had the chance over the last couple of days to try it out in reasonable conditions. I have surfed it in just overhead wave faces and can report that I had a lot of fun. It catches waves with very little effort and I had no problem with decent bottom turns and cutbacks. It seems fast and very loose for it's size and I think it will serve me well in most of the conditions I encounter. I have surfed it as a thruster and a quad, with the thruster setup working best for me so far (I've never surfed a quad before, hence my preference I suspect). Anyway I'm happy, but you were all correct, I could easily handle the 606 and it will be on my hitlist next time I'm due for a new board. The 608 was cheap and it's heaps of fun so I'm stoked. Thanks to all for their comments and help.

[iggy]

Enjoy buddy!!!! give her some hours!

[surferireland]

Yeah Tallkook - the dom is one of the greatest board designs ever. Get in the water as much as you can and it'll keep getting better.

[tallkook]

Righto, a couple of months in on the big ole Dominator so time for one last update. I've had it out in everything from small mush to clean overhead swell and I'm still stoked with how the board goes. I've got it set up as a thruster with PC7's and it just flies. The bigger it gets the better it goes for me. I'm used to massive volume from riding the McCoy's, so I'm not finding the volume much of an issue except for a poorly timed duckdive or two. Bottom line is, even at 608, the Dominator is fast and loose and heaps of fun. Huge wave count and lots of fun equals satifying surfing in my books, so I'm loving it. Awesome shape. Off to the Maldives in August and it will be the first board packed.

[cuttlefish]

Reading through the thread Tallkook, I knew you'd be fine on the 6'8".
Anyone who's accustomed to riding McCoys (yourself, Buzzy and I) know exactly where you're coming from.
Others who haven't ridden them are shocked that we can look at the higher volume Firewire's and go "look normal to me" because you have to see a McCoy in person to appreciate the amount of foam used.
Where does everyone think Dan Mann got the idea for a dominator from?
The nugget DNA is as obvious as the nose on your face.
Just that Dan used a more conventional bottom countour and the lightness of Firewire technology to create a board that has appealed to more than a heavily glassed, thick, convex bottomed McCoy ever will.
Thing is Geoff knows how to make thick, boaty boards that work quite well, especially in hollower waves.
This goes against the widely held belief that wide thick tails will spin out when used in larger hollower waves.
Hence the recommendations to go a lot shorter and consequently thinner (otherwise you'll spin out and die...chuckle).
I've ridden the 6'6" Dom in dredging head high plus Gold coast barrels and had no issue with the wide tail holding while using MR TFX's and a trailer.
My mate who's a lot lighter than me has used his 6' Dom exclusively on Mentawais and Lakey's peak trips with no issues at all.