Hey Slowman, sorry for the delayed reply - haven't been on the forum for a while. Yeah, have it setup as a quad and love it... got me through summer without too much fuss. In hindsight I went way too far with a 602, could have gotten away with something much smaller (its my first epoxy and didnt realise how buoyant these things are) - Its funny though as I am paddling in as early as the longboarders in most cases so the extra float isnt wasted - I definitely save it for those fuller days.

Love it as a quad too, didnt like it at all as a thruster - this thing flies as a quad.

Buying a futures PN is probably my only regret - should have stuck with the FCS too as I already have a heap of different fins in FCS - have just ordered and am awaiting delivery on a nice set of the Rasta Futures though, so should be happy again in a few days... Really didnt like the PN as a Tri anyway so the 2 futures quad sets I have will keep me happy.... for a little while.

OK, have had 3 surfs on this board and after today's I can say "I LOVE THIS BOARD!!!!!" - I still need to dial it in some more, but overall I am so much happier than I was on the first surf. Its very forgiving too - on a few ugly ones today it performed way better than I expected. Paddled into everything I wanted, handled late drops and had a smile on my face that went from ear to ear.

More than stoked with this one. Its exactly what people are saying and it easily replaces a few of my boards (I dare say most of my boards are going to get dusty over summer!). I'll probably drop down to a 6.0 though eventually as its probably too big.

Thanks everyone for your help too.

We've had the worse run of swell lately... can't wait for it to tidy up a little and get some size to it. Currently a sloppy foot and thats it.

Itching to get this thing back in the water - have had some time to reflect on where I went wrong Sunday arvo (never blame your tools!!!) and looking forward to having another crack at this puppy.

Ok. First surf was "okay" I think this board will take a few sessions to get the hang of it.

So far - Pros
• paddles well - easy to pickup waves though admittedly not as easy as I was expecting. It is very floaty and feels a little unstable whilst I get used to the more buoyant board.

• first few waves it was fast and responsive - didn't need much encouragement to get moving

• it's so light I'm scared ill break it compared to my other boards - I usually get a little extra glass cause I liked the weight - but I think I could get used to these super light boards.


Cons
• If you are not absolutely perfectly positioned on the board it's almost unresponsive - on one occasion today I was almost horizontal I was leaning so hard into a turn and the board just wanted to sit in it's groove - might require better back foot placement and probably keep most of my weight toward the back (I tend to surf more front foot).

• the buoyancy although a good thing when picking up waves - not fantastic when duck diving - had to dive harder and deeper to get through the set waves than I normally do.

• I looked like a bigger kook than I normally do on a few waves - must redeem myself now.

Overall it seems like it will live up to the hype - just need a few sessions to get the hang of the different style of board.

Its done! My first Firewire - 602 FST Potatonator! Bought from the good folks at Cronulla Surf Design - Sam's a champ and helped me make the final decision. Cant wait to get it wet tomorrow!

Wife walked in whilst paying though.... apparently she's going to be needing some shoes or something now....

Have found somewhere I can get a 6'2 in FST - I might have a closer look at that. I am concerned about how they will react to heat (I tend to leave my boards in my car a lot - in a padded travel bags - as I go from a surf straight to work)... I hate having so many choices!

im amazingly impatient once ive made a decision... see how I go - will go have a poke around my local surf shops tomorrow and see what comes of it - every shop i called said no stock and no deliveries for at least a month. I sold my only small wave board already, so I need to find something sooner rather than later (cause small waves is all we seem to be getting).

I should have planned it a little better I think!

Bugger - Can't get a Potatonator anywhere in the sizes I am after until well after November apparently - not stock anywhere. Should I go for a 6'6 Spit instead?

Yeah thanks man - I think the 6'4 would be bang on the money too. I want simple, easy to paddle, relaxed surfing from it - like you say, I have the bigger wave range covered. Hoping to pick one up on Sunday!

Now its a Rapidfire vs FST argument in my head but I think I am going to go for Rapidfire...

Thanks again everyone for your feedback - feeling very confident about this purchase. Hope it lives up to its hype!

Yeah interesting point - Will see what demo sizes my local has and take it from there... can't wait to get my hands on one!

Thanks Buzzy. My biggest issue is paddle power - mates with bigger or thicker boards (and in the same or worse condition as I am fitness wise) seem to paddle into waves far easier. They claim its the volume of their boards compared to mine (all are thicker). My 6'2 is 6'2 x 21 1/4 x 2 3/4 - which isn't a small board really but definitely struggles in the less powerful stuff. I have a 6'6 which is 6'6 x 20 3/4 x 2 5/8 but its a 7S Superfish and is really quiet a rubbish shape. Paddling in is somewhat easier but when the surf is fuller or smaller its still harder than some of my mates experience (that and once your on the wave the shape of this board really takes the "Performance" options out of the equation). Basically the fatter the better without purchasing a boat. Ill have a look at the 6'2 as the 5l more volume over my 7S would be a good start... then to rid myself of that 7S!

Thanks for all the solid feedback guys - I am thinking PN over the Spitfire more now. I have several other boards ranging 6'2 - 6'6 for bigger days but to be honest my 6'6 doesn't get a lot of time in the water as the last 2 years there have only been a handful of days over 6' where its actually been surfable too. Now to decide on size for the PN. Im inclined to go larger (say 6'2 or even 6'4) to get as much float as possible - but will it make me a lazy paddler for those bigger days?

This is why I am struggling - the spitfire sounds perfect, but the potatonator probably has the float I need for smaller days.

We get consistent 1-3ft days. Odd 4 and over especially through summer. Would potatonator be the better choice for sub 3ft swell?