I'm hopefully getting a demo 5'8" to try this coming week to satisfy my curiousity.
Already on a 6'er.
I'm really happy with the 6'er in 2-4' soft local point waves I've ridden it in. It eats up flat sections on the long walls and keeps on motoring.
I demoed a 5'10" before I bought it and was after a little easier wave catching ability so erred for more foam.
Now I want to see if I ride a 5'8" (which is almost the same litreage as my potatonator) how it will paddle into the small stuff on the beachbreaks.
I am thinking if it does well in the small stuff I could actually entertain having both because they may actually cover different locations and the accompanying size range.
As it is I take the 6'2" potatonator and 6' sweet potato with me every surf check.
If it's high tide (or close to either side) beachbreaks or point waves I can surf the sweet potato.
If it's low tide (or you guessed it - close to either side) beachbreaks or point waves I surf the potatonator.
Too easy.
I used to have a 6'6" addvance and I also want to scratch an itch about a 6'10" addvance.
Tried the 7'6" but too much board for what I wanted it to do.

I went from a 5'6" to a 5'2" and could not be happier. This little thing fits everywhere, and I'm nt only talking about the trunk of the car. Still catches waves fairly easy despite the size and once up and ridding is all you were expecting it to be

yeah Iggy!!!

I actually went up in size.

5'0" up to a 5'2".

Same here...I am trying to sell my 5'8" at the moment and hoping to demo a 5'4". Will let you know how it all goes!

Demo 5'8" headed my way this weekend. Curiousity will be satisfied.
How much do you weigh lately Goanna?
Seem to recall reading you'd shed some weight.

If i prefer the 5'8" there could be an almost new 6'er fst shod with fcs plugs up for sale.

Hey Cuttlefish,
I'm 85kg at the moment but plan to drop another 5kg (maybe!) hence going to a smaller size. To be honest if I can't sell it my heart won't be broken as I still enjoy riding the 5'8". I did buy it to fly in the smallest of sloppy surf so it serves that purpose well but I just find it a little floaty now I'm lighter. Like I said if she sells then so be it - I'll downsize but if she don't sell no problem.

Kinda like me (at 92kgs+) with my 6'er which I was riding in solid 4', high tide point surf this morning. The extra rail line is no impedement when haulin arse.
Switched to the p'nator as the tide dropped.
Should be pumping for another few days with swell a bit bigger each day. :-)

Well I rode the 5'8" in solid 4' plus pumping (high tide) point waves the other day.
Only had the time to catch 2 waves but the shorter spud felt a lot more work to paddle in the flats but caught waves easily enough.
The board felt great on the waves I caught. Super fast and loose. Fast and loose. Oh yeah....fast and loose!
It's a mantra!
The only problem lies in the fact that paddling short boards that have my back arching up when I paddle them pulls my muscles around my scapula out of alignment due to a stuffed shoulder from snowboarding.
Every time I start feeling good I jump back on a board that's just that bit too short and bam...pain city!
So I took the demo back and figured I'd leave it at that.
Tried riding my 6' spud yesterday and again this morning but even carrying it down the beach it was feeling oversized and up and riding it felt so much board.
I'd been tainted.
My head had been messed with.
Curse you 5'8".
Checked the time on my watch.
The surfshop that had the 5'8" is just across the road. Get one in and scoot across to see if the 5'8" demo is there.
It is and after a quick fin and legrope swap with my board it's back out again.
The waves are 2-3' and fast breaking, with hollow take offs.
The 5'8" feels more work to paddle out as I'm deeper in the water.
But paddles into the waves well and my thoughts about connecting with the wave energy by being a bit deeper into the wave on take off are correct.
Super fun.
The drops are easier on the 5'8" in these size waves.
Got some smoking lefts and rights.
After a while my bloody scapula pain starts in.
Not sure what to do now.
My 6'2" p'nator is only a litre more in volume but is easier to paddle around the flats with it's narrower nose so I've had no pain from paddling it.
The problems with my shoulder are always worse in winter with cooler water so I'll see how I go after this.
I'll wait and see how much pain I'm in over the next couple of days before deciding whether I can keep surfing the 5'8".
Hopefully the voltaren will help.

Cuttle great info, i assume the 5'8 was fst? any noticeable difference between your rapid fire and fst?, im now set om the 5'8 just not sure on fst or rp. got distracted looking at a potatonator also today, god dam to many choices

slop

Hi,
Ah, to be honest i can't tell the difference but I've not ridden the same size/model board back to back in both constructions.
I just know that I'm a lead foot and if I can get a board in a stronger deck I'm going to do it.
Some people don't heel dent rapidfire but I'm not one of them.
BTW the bank I was surfing today was right in front of the Alex surfclub.
Great lefts and rights.
One of the crew I know caught up with me after I got out of the water and showed me the Daily's "wave of the day" from Monday with yours truly bottom turning on a chubby left (but on my old school 7t board) at "the corner" not the bank that is in the side on pics posted below which is another 100 metres further North.
Would rather they got a shot of all the good rights that I caught with double the size but oh well, whatever floats their boat.
Attachment
Couldn't catch me on any spud waves...they go too fast. LOl!
You'll be fine on a 5'6" but I still reckon a p'nator has more range and can be surfed with more variety in where you go on a wave face.
I can feel myself getting in a groove of where I'm going on the spud which will ultimately keep it as a niche board rather than any kind of all rounder for me.
And a niche board it is.
Posted the wrong pic and there's my little guy falling off the p'nator again.
Once the wrong photo is uploaded it's a task beyond my meagre computing skills to get rid of it so there it stays.

Attachment yup checked out cross section of rf and fst today, no doubt fst is stronger construction, found a couple of pics from the other day, that bank was firingAttachment

no idea why pics have rotatedAttachment