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  • dang it got spitfire too small (big guy)

    #1
    I didn't notice that the spitfire and dominator had different sizing recommendations until after I brought home the 6'6 spit and had a few sessions on it. I weigh a little shy of 240 and so I was going to get the 6'6 dom but they only had 6'8, but then shop girl came out from behind the counter with the 6'6 spit and I was smitten. Now i'm looking at the chart and it says intermediate in my weight range is 6'10, and the board i have is for advanced.

    The first couple sessions I had on it were frustrating because it was 4-6' hawaiian and throwing a bit. Did my share of falling out of the sky on this thing and continue to do so now but starting to get the hang of it and as long as I can get in early enough and stick the board into the face on the way down it's okay.

    The future fin tree is very helpful and has kept me from regretting this purchase, as I was able to test out the controllers and found them to be squirrely in a straight line and not capable of fish-like top speed but once I was able to get into waves with juicy vertical sections the board would go wherever I wanted it to and felt at home in the pocket. Tried the Pancho Sullivans yesterday and although the bottom turns are solid they really slow the board down. Next up are the t1's with the rear trailer. Hopefully that will get a little extra speed out of the board that i've been looking for while still affording some control. Don't mind loose and slidey in the small stuff so we'll see.

    Also wouldn't mind checking out Rastas or some of the other big twins with a trailer. In the meantime my shoulders are sore but so far able to get some memorable waves so not totally in depression land just yet.
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  • #2
    im 6'4 ,210 to 215 give or take some days and just ordered the 6'6 spitfire.hope its not to big nor to small.cant wait for it to get here.surf around me though on a good day is only waist to chest high.on a great day its head high.so your lucky where u live lol.what did u get rapid fire or fst?

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    • #3
      I'm going to guess that's a great size for you and you'll find it really easy to paddle. Definitely try out different fin setups before you buy because this thing is really sensitive to what's in your boxes.

      I got mine in FST just because I know a couple guys who busted their rapids and I want something a little stronger.

      Had a FST 6'10 alternator I got off of craigslist, the older model with the vent in it, and snapped that one too but it was a bit thinner than the newer version and didn't paddle so well for me. The nice thing about the Alt was it had some great flex characteristics and I was catching stuff over 6' with it and sticking some crazy drops and laying it down hard on bottom turns but standard shortboards always feel too stiff to me for some reason.

      Unlike the Alt my new Spitfire does not like late drops and it's easy to bury the nose on a critical takeoff. Also the board has less flex than the Alt and it doesn't bend as much through the turns. Then again the Alt was used so it may have gained some extra flex over time. The Spit with Controllers is easily the most responsive and dynamic board I have tried in head high punchy waves, but still too slow for the mushy stuff and it's a bit of a liability when the waves get bigger.

      Crossing my fingers that 2+1 takes care of the former and the rumored Artillery line has something for the latter.

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      • #4
        I'm 200lbs and on a 6'4" Dom. I can comfortably say the ideal size for me is 6'2" to 6'4". Based on 210lbs I'd reckon 6'4" to 6'6" would be the range based on similar preferences . If so, you'll love it.

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        • #5
          I've been watchin' these boards for a while now and have learned quite a bit. I'm 198 lbs., and surf primarily Trestles, SC. I ride a 6'2" spitfire and a 6' 4" hellfire. Originallly, I tried a 6' 0 SF, but it didn't quite have enough foam for me. I love the SF and the HF in the sizes I have now. Typically, I ride the SF in the Rusty quad, which is fast, loose, with drive. I ride the HF in the SA3 when it gets head high+. I must say, I got caught off guard one day recently and showed up with my SF on a 6-10 face day and it went great. The SF can handle some size. I like the overlap between the two boards. My SF is in RF, HF is in FST. I'm taking both to the Mentawais in a couple weeks, so I'll let ou know how they go there.

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          • #6
            Beetles, If you dont mind, Start a thread on the Futures Chatter section about what fins you used on your spit fire, if will inspire others to post and help others with their fin decisions on these boards.

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            • #7
              I'm hating life on this thing right now. Really wish the shop would have brought up the fact that the sizing is different than the dominator even though the volumes are basically the same. Barely catching waves is one thing, but having people paddle around and drop in on you when you know you can surf is the worst. I feel like a chump who just blew 700 bucks, and most likely some mod will delete this post just like they deleted my last one.

              Comment

              • #8
                I wouldn't say the sizing was different than the Dominator. I actually went smaller with my Spitfire than my old Dominator to reap the performance benefits from the tweaked design.
                Sounds to me like you may have bought the wrong board for the conditions you are using it in though. I certainly wouldn't fancy my chances on a Spitfire in what I call a 6ft wave, let alone 6ft Hawaiian. Something like the Hellfire would be a little better in those conditions if you want to keep the length down.

                As far as paddling, the 6'6" Dom would be paddling exactly the same as the 6'6" Spitfire, the tail shape isn't going to affect that so maybe you did go a little small... but Aaron who posts on here from time to time is 245lbs and surfing a 6'2" Dominator in Costa Rica and loving it so I wouldn't say that the board was too small to float you properly, maybe just less volume than you're used to? Tough call, sizing boards is always a bit of a gamble and you've got to go on your own instincts as well as any advice you can get. The volume measurements included on a lot of boards these days definitely makes it less of a gamble than it used to be though.

                Comment

                • #9
                  Yes, I reckon you'd have exactly the same issues with the dominator as you're having with the spitfire. I checked the volume calculator and for 240lbs intermediate it suggests 45.6L as the minimum volume, now it tends to be generous, for advanced the minimum is 43.4L. So at 45.0L the 6'6" spit or dom should have just enough float.

                  When you say the girl brought out the spitfire and you were smitten, was it the girl or the board? LOL just joking, but I think this board probably has enough buoyancy to work for you but you have to remember that it has a fuller nose and flatter rocker which makes them a bit harder to take steep drops. You need to paddle these things in early. I have both and they both are the same when it comes to catching waves...they prefer to be paddled onto the wave and early. Once up and riding that is when the difference between the spitfire and dominator becomes apparent. The spit will turn a bit tighter, faster and harder than the dom.

                  These are not boards that like no paddle late drops. They can handle a bit of juice and size but need to be nursed a bit I've been out in up to 1.5 overhead on them and while they can handle it, it's not their niche. I prefer a hellfire in these conditions. So you probably need to bear in mind their ideal conditions and also paddle it onto the wave as early as you can...at least until you get a feel for this board. Then you'll also need to work out your fins but that is after you get the take off sorted out. Do you know your old board's volume?
                  Last edited by Slowman; 03-30-2012, 09:53 PM.

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                  • #10
                    I have to say as a middle aged intermediate with a good 16 or so kilos on me I reckon 6'8" is the right size. If you're advanced and or super fit and flexible the 6'6" would be fine but you aren't that guy. I'd suggest just cutting your losses and trading the 6'6" in on a 6'8".

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                    • #11
                      I was about to put on my road warrior football pads, set my truck on fire and drive it through the surf shop window but glad I didn't. It's true that Spitfire needs to get in early versus taking late drops, which means next season I'll look into Firewire's line of step-ups. Other than that getting used to the thing is a matter of conditioning and confidence, but tried the Simon Anderson quads tonight and they really helped a lot. Maybe getting creamed on late drops knocked a brain slug loose during that last miserable session because tonight things came together with a couple nice power carves under the lip. Love the way this thing turns. Still struggling my a$$ off out there, but at least there's progress.

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Noticed there is a whole new volume calculator up now and it has a lot more options. I realize how much Firewire uses feedback to figure out their formulas and don't want to mess it up for you guys so I'll give a little back story.

                        Last shortboard I had was a R French Soul Fish tufflite popout 6'6 and 39 volume. I rode it for a few years in all kinds of conditions up to six foot but I switched to bodysurfing, longboard, and sup for about 4-5 years after a back injury. I would still pull the french out of the closet every once in a while, get hurt again and put it away. Working now with a lomilomi practitioner to restore flexibility and strengthen my spine, and it's making shortboard possible again but the process was frustratingly slow at first. It's hard to admit having 'old man problems' at 35, but glad your boards got me stoked on surfing again enough to want to get it taken care of now before it became a real problem down the road.

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