If it's not too late, I will join those recommending the 600 over the 602. I've told my own FW story on this forum a lot. I (unwisely) bought a 606 Dom based on my age, perceived ability, shop recommendation and FW volume calculator. WRONG SIZE!!! Waaay too buoyant. I am an intermediate surfer, 6'4" tall 210lbs and I surf mainly mushy SoCal waves in the knee to head-high range. I figured the extra volume couldn't hurt - WRONG. While that might be a negligible difference in a PU board, it was night and day for a FW. The 606 was corky and skipped over the surface. It was actually hard to get it to drop into mushy waves as it wanted to just stay on top. I could not get a rail in (surfed as a quad with Stretch Large fins). It felt like surfing a big bodyboard. I traded for the 604 and couldn't believe the difference. Perfect. Floats well, catches waves incredibly easily AND performs on rail. It's still a bit skatey compared to narrower boards, but it's a fun, manageable kind of skatey that could be calmed by running it as a thruster. Best of luck and enjoy your purchases. Post up when you've had some time on your new board(s).

Good call on downsizing the Dom. Seems like 80% of the threads in these forums are about board size, and of those, we almost never hear of someone wishing they had bought one bigger. My own experience was the 606 Dominator was basically a corky pig. The extra volume didn't help anything. The 604 Dom is practically perfect. 210lb, 49 year old intermediate surfing mushy SoCal waves. I can catch just about anything with the 604 Dom (but keeping momentum is another story - gotta have some energy in the wave). Enjoy your selections and once you get them, stop reading about board size - commit and enjoy!

I may be a little late here, but the 606 Dominator I (unwisely) bought would be perfect for a guy in the 225-250 lb range. It was waaaay too buoyant for my 210 lb self even in mushy waves. It just skipped across the top of the water rather than getting a rail in. My 604 is perfect. There was a HUGE difference between the two boards, even with just 4.5 liters volume and 2" separating the two.

Good lord - that's a lot of "science" and theory packed into the concave deck. I plan to ride my "double concave" deck with standard stringer on Saturday in 3-4' soft waves. I'll let you know what this intermediate surfer thinks, FWIW. Direct comparison to Dominator. This will be interesting. The "trial" board includes a single to double concave bottom with reinforced carbon strips. Volume is identical to the Dominator. Granted, a concave deck on a FW would not need a center arch to accommodate the stringer. I have been running the Dom as a quad, and I will run the trial board as a quad with the same fins (Stretch L).

Stay tuned for a hack surfer's impression.

I just got a board with a concave deck. I'll post up after a few rides. I had to trade my 606 Dominator for it - got nearly full retail store credit for the Dom, even though I bought it elsewhere. Thank you Huntington Surf and Sport (HSS)! The 606 was too buoyant. 604 I bought is just right, but what to do with the 606? Trade it for a PU board with a concave deck, of course!

2 Firewire round 1 heat wins in France today. Bourez and Alijo.

Won his Rd 1 heat in France today...

Let me add to your anxiety a little. If you don't like the way your current Dom surfs in larger waves, maybe you should think about another model? A 6'0" Spitfire for example is the same dimensions (volume) as the 6'0" Dom, but they all say it handles spicier waves a little better.

Should we start thinking of a clever way to write Slater utilizing a 12? We had Sl8er at 8 and Ke11y at 11. Twelly? OK, a little premature perhaps. 50 wins? Are you kidding? Candidate for best athlete in any sport past or present. Discuss...

BTW - what was that bastard board he was on? Loving the 4 fin choice for Lowers, but all that black stuff on the bottom indicates some weird science going on. I know he's been experimenting with concave decks (other than the natural concaves that throwing airs creates).

Oscar - I would think you could get the shop to send it back or work out some other kind of exchange. Not to add anxiety, but my 6'6" Dom was definitely too big for my 6'4", 210lb, 49 yr old self. I got the 6'4" Dom and it's great - that 5 liters made a huge difference in performance. No problem catching waves with the 604 and it just surfs a lot better. The 606 was too buoyant. I am just an intermediate surfer who surfs mushy waist to head-high waves.

If it's too late to send it back, you'll end up like me - with a brand new Dominator for sale - surfed once.

Sharks eat people in Oz... SoCal people don't taste very good - too much plastic surgery!

I haven't ridden much in Trabuco Canyon, but very nearby on a run called The Luge. Great 2 mile singletrack drop of intermediate gradient and minor trail features including several small drops and constant exposure (read extremely steep sides). Very fun. I have dropped Trabuco from the Main Divide once. I am guessing you visited the area and did some riding?

Ooops, sorry Alltrue, thread hijack...

Welcome to my neighborhood. I will never take it for granted. Same board too. Glad you got a lot of waves. I am relegated to weekends, but I am still amazed that after 10 am on most weekends, you can still find yourself out with only four or five other guys - even at Uppers or Middles. I've even caught Lowers with ten guys out. For the rest of the world, watch the ASP WCT event coverage from the Hurley Pro this week to see how blessed we are! BTW, the mountain biking in my back yard is also world class - especially in winter. Don't move here - it sucks.

Did you see the surf predictions for Thursday morning? Couldn't ask for a better first day. That little pulse will be gone by the weekend. Can't wait to hear your first impressions. Git some!

Cool - sounds great. Now if you are like me, you'll have to stop reading these forums or you will get enveloped in existential angst about all the boards you didn't get. Can I assume you got yours from Killer Dana? Did you order it or do you have it already? If you have it, let's hit Middles, Church or Trails this weekend. Could be a final at Lowers on Saturday (although with the swell predictions, I am guessing they will wrap it up by Thursday or Friday). Looks like it will be 2-3, which is a tad low for both our boards.

Good lord you people have a lot of boards! Love your stories though - keep 'em coming.

I think 5'4" is probably too short. It's not $200 saved if it's $450 wasted. One good board will do for most conditions where we surf from waist to slightly overhead.(assuming you are surfing from San-O Bluffs - Trails - through maybe Salt Creek and everything in between). Sure you can subdivide it into ten boards if you want, but that only leads to existential angst about whether or not you brought the right board, then, the right fins, then the right set-up. Keep it simple. Get a Dom or Spit in 5'6" and ride the hell out of it.

Hmmmm, I just plugged in your numbers in the volume calculator and they are recommending a 5'4" in Spit or Dom. Maybe that is enough. Sounds short to me, but my original advice said it's easy to go too big with a Firewire. Good luck - glad I could help ;-).

Mr. Alex...all I can say is it's easy to go too big on a Firewire. the difference between the 606 Dominator and 604 Dominator was night and day for me. I'm 6'4" tall, 210lbs. The 606 Dom was a corky, floaty pig. The 604 allows me to catch a ton of waves, but it actually performs in the wave instead of floating and skipping over the surface. Your photos show a competent, balanced surfer IMO. At your weight, 5'8" max!

I surf the same waves as you - and the Dom seems fine, although I've only had it out four times. Get something (Dom, Hellfire or SF) the right size and love it - don't get mired in what you could've and should've bought.

I have a 606 Dom for sale brand new - 1 surf! Tell your large friends (gotta be about 230lbs I'd say).

Pretty good session at Middles (Trestles). Only Saw Mick and Pat O that I could identify, but lots of other unidentified surf royalty in the water at Lowers.

I am catching waves just fine with the Dom and now have my foot placement where everyone says it should be (all the way back on the wedge of the tail pad). Ran it quad (Stretch L). I feel very solid and confident on the board, yet I still don't think this board gets around sections like my 6'2" CIS Fishcuit does. Maybe it's wave shape or wave selection, but even though I catch a lot of waves, I never get very long rides. All of my waves seem to be closeouts (yet others are finding longer sections to ride). I'm taking my Fishcuit down there today. Predicted 3-4' We shall see.

I didn't know it ever got that warm in Cornwall! Go man go! Report please - which board and how did it go? Stoke matters.

Headed for Trestles tomorrow to surf with Kelly, Mick, Parko, Gabby, Owen, Taj, JJF - the usual crew at the Hurley Pro. OK, maybe I won't hit Lowers, but Middles might work. 3-5' should be perfect for the Dom. Quad or Thruster? Stay tuned for results. 90* air temp tomorrow, 67* water, no wind - this could be good. Shhhh, don't tell anybody. A hot Saturday in SoCal with all the WCT pros around should result in an empty lineup, right?

In my limited experience, I would not recommend going big for wave count. Who cares if you catch them if you can't get the rail into the wave to ride it properly. That was my experience with the 606. Too floaty = poor performance. I catch just as many with my 604, but it rides a hell of a lot better. I consider myself an intermediate surfer, btw. If you want a bigger board for wave count, get a different design (Potato-nator).

Glad you got to try a proper sized-board and glad it worked. For your size, I am sure you will settle into something in the 5'8" range without too much problem paddling. Catching waves with some push is more a matter of positioning and timing than it is of flotation. I am 6'4" and 210 lbs and found the 6'6" Dom to be far too buoyant for me. I am not a great surfer by any means, but the 6'4" was perfect for my height, weight and ability. The thruster setup is more stable in bigger waves, the quad is faster and looser and I like it in waist to chest-high.

Enjoy the search, but don't buy too big. I did and I regretted it. For sale - Brand New Dominator 606.

Good session yesterday in weak 2-4' surf. Rode it as a quad and enjoyed it. I still can't describe what the board does or doesn't do well, but I'm riding it pretty well. It is easy to catch waves with, that's for sure.

Rode the Longboard today in beautiful weather and great water temp. 1-3' weak surf, but who cares?!

Cheers!

Buy my brand new 606 Dom! Cash and carry (we are practically neighbors - well, 6,000 miles anyway). I made the same mistake in the other direction. I bought a 606 Dom that was just too floaty for me. My 604 is perfect for my 49 year-old 210 lbs (95 kilos) self. Good luck and glad to hear you love your 600 in proper surf. Cheers!

Yes 510. I had exactly the same experience a couple weeks ago when I bought a 606 for my 6'4", 210lb intermediate self. Too much bouyancy! I went to the 604 and am very pleased. Anyone wanna buy my brand spanking new 606 Dom?

Ran it as a quad in 3-5' peaky beachbreak in Huntington Beach yesterday and had a great time. Lefts and rights. Took it out in 4-7' Middles (Trestles) this morning and rode it as a thruster - good call. Unfortunately, between crowd, wave shape and my consistently poor wave selection, I never really got a chance to link turns on an open face of a larger wave. Grrrrrr... Board felt good though, as far as I could tell. Next weekend is predicted to be 1-2' again. Dom goes in the bag, Mal comes out.

Anybody got any good Dom stories to share? It's a big world, but it seems like there are only four people who post here. Feed the stoke people!

I agree that the volume calculator seems to over-estimate volume for age, and seems to "forget" the added bouyancy of the FW construction. I was bobbing like a cork on the 45liters (Dom) recommended for me, and couldn't get the board to dig into a wave any more than a child could hold a beach ball underwater. Dropped to the minimum recommended 41 liters, and it's good, but I would say it's the high end of volume for me, not the low. Cost me $650 to make that error.

When I change ability level from my true intermediate to the higher levels, (int/adv or advanced) it comes out right.

We've got swell! Looking forward to a morning of 5-7' to actually test this bad boy. Knubster or thruster - stay tuned for details. I am prepping for tomorrow by pounding down some quality Pinot Noir.

By the way, if you live in SoCal and want to buy my brand new 606 Dom, give me a shout. No, I'm not shipping it to England or Oz, and I don't do pay pal.

Session two today Middle Trestles. Perfect conditions - slight offshore breeze, warm water, sunny skies, not many people out - perfect, except there were no waves. Tried getting the Dominator to dominate the few longboarders in the lineup, but hoisting my 6'4" 210 lb self onto my "little" board in ankle-to-thigh-high waves was nothing short of comical. My 9'2" Robert August Saber was very mad at me for leaving it home on such a perfect day. The waves were good at Lowers, as usual, but competing with 35 uber-surfers scratching for the same takeoff spot is not my scene. Maybe next life.

The Dom will stay in the bag now until the right conditions come around. Cheers!

OK, kids, 1st session on 604 is in the bag. 1-2' dribbling, piss-poor, closeout, breezy, lumpy waves at Middle Trestles. BUT the water was warm. The board catches waves quite easily, despite the sickly conditions. I probably stood up 30 times. DEFINITELY better for me than the 606. Unfortunately, I never really got the open face of a wave - 4, 5 seconds max, thanks to the close-out, weaksauce conditions. On a few rides, the board felt solid and lively, on a few others it felt just plain wobbly. Not "loose," not "skatey," just wobbly. I'm not too worried about it yet. I'll probably try again tomorrow, under similar conditions - hopefully, it will be less breezy so the little waves can hold some shape. Cheers.

Oh, Stretch large fins set as a quad.

Thanks for clarifying. I have the Stretch large, set up as a quad on my 604. I am taking her out for her maiden voyage in an hour in some pathetic - but uncharacteristically warm - surf. Cheers.

Why do you like the SAs better than the Stretch? SAs are smaller? Larger? Were the Stretch large or medium?

That's what I wanna hear - Keep the stoke coming! The vast majority of posts I've read on the FW forums are all filled with existential angst about which board, which size and which fins. Let's hear some more Dom love!

Unfortunately, no real surf predicted this weekend, but like the rest of you would probably do when getting a new board, I imagine I will bring it out in the 1-2' dribblers instead of my proper Mal. Water temp is about 70* F (21 C). We don't get too much of that here in SoCal. No wettie!

Oh, and I traded down to the 6'4" - sorry, I mean the 604 - from the 606. All this talk about board size got to me.

I gotta stop reading these forums. It sounds like the Dom is the least loved model in the FW line. Feel like I should have got the Spitfire, even though I've only ridden the Dom once. It's pretty bad when no-one on a dedicated forum site gushes about their purchase.

Thanks, I will remove the knub. I assume from other posts that foot placement needs to be back a bit? I had my back foot on the front of the tailpad mostly.