I recently got a SP and do NOT connect with the board at all. Way to rear foot bias and I just can't seem to be consistent on it. Needs a new home, but after recently taking out a quad fish I have in my quiver, perhaps something more "fishy" would be better. I have a spitfire and love that board, so would the PN be a little like a cross between a fish and a SF. Or is it too much like a SP that I should stay away?

It isn't really the board, but I think it is more about me, how I just can't get it dialed in and my lack of skills.

I have only taken it out 2-3 times but every session, I end up throwing away 1/2-3/4 of the session. I am an intermediate surfer, 42 years old, but have fairly short arms (which makes popping up quick, very difficult, so I typically do a little stutter as I am getting up. This is not a problem with any time I ride a traditional thruster, as it tends to hold the board a brief second at take off. It is a slight problem with quad fish or twins, as they ARe so fast, they tend to run down the wave so quickly, but I have figured it out). The problem with the SP is that as the wave picks up and I try to pop up quickly the board either starts to run on me and I look like a total kook, trying to get up after I have already gone down the face of the wave OR the board starts to shake back and forth (kind of like speed woobles on a skateboard). This speed wobble sensation is something I have never had a problem with on a fish and think it is a problem with the SP because of the deep V bottom, which makes it want to teeter totter back and forth (which is what makes it so fun when I actually do get up).

The problem now is that I no longer want to use this board any more because it makes me look like more of a kook Than I already am and I am throwing waves away, which is so frustrating, knowing I could have had so much fun riding the wave on my spitfire.

Anyone else have these problems? I am really thinking about selling it and maybe getting a potatonator, would that ride more like my spitfire, or would I just have the same issues as the SP?

Just rode my 6'4" spitfire and I am super stoked!!!! *Wave conditions were waist to shoulder high, pretty weak swell and tide was rising.*

I weigh about 185 lbs, 5' 10", 42 and am an intermediate surfer that needs all the help I can get paddling*getting into waves (have short arms, slight rotator cuff issues and my fitness isn't what it once was). I get out 1 or if I am lucky 2 times a week and surf South OC, from T-Street, Cottons, uppers, lowers, middles, church and some San-O. I wanted to change my quiver so I have less boards, but smarter and more purposeful.

These are the board I sold, to help reduce my quiver, I sold all 3 of these and replaced with ONE spitfire:

1. 6'3" Griffin 5 fin ModFish (really fun and great backside board, but if you put a slight bit of too much pressure on front, pearl city, was my #2 board). *This board seems like it should have been perfect for me, but it doesn't handle putting much front foot pressure on it at all, it's a bit heavy and doesn't paddle as well as the spitfire due to the increased rocker.*

2. 6'5" Stretch F4 quad-epoxy (probably was my favorite board, super fast, easier to catch waves than one would think based on dems, my go to). 6' 5" x 19.5" x 2.63". 33ml volume (that seems low). Not as pivoty as my higher volume spitfire (guessing the step down rails really help).*

3 6'6" Merrick Red Beauty. (I thought this would be my favorite, had wide and thicker rails, beak nose which gave it lots of volume, but I loved my stretch so much more, sold it just doesn't suit me for some reason). Also, even though it had lots of volume and a flatter rocker, it didn't catch waves or wasn't nearly as fast as I was hoping.*

My 6'4" rapidfire spitfire, ridden as a quad with AM2 fronts, futures 375 rears and an insert to fill the 5th fin box (I hate leaving the last fin box exposed and hate to think of the drag it would create).*

Surfed T Street tis AM and at the time ONLY long boarders were out, so I thought I was in trouble. Waves were weak too, but the first 3 waves I paddled for, just before I was ready to give up, I could feel my board start to pick up speed and ended up catching them. Super happy!!!

Some initial impressions

I am much more of an old school flowy surfer than the really aggressive kids now, so typically fish and hybrids work better for me.*

1. *Wave catchability: excellent for a "short board". Better than my stretch F4, Merrick or Modfish, pretty similar to a much larger 6'4" Hanel Quad Fish that I own.*

2. *Speed: *very good+: *some people say it isn't isn't a board that is front foot heavy, I would say it is very very well balanced for me. The F4 was a little more front foot, Modfish and Merrick much more rear foot.*

3. Pivot: *Very good+: *seems to cut, hit lip, carve and perform round houses better than my F4 and Modfish, maybe not quite as good as my Merrick, but hard to tell at this point. The light wt construction of the FireWire and 2" shorter might make this as good or better than the Merrick.*

All in all, I can tell this is a great board for me. Most all of the positives of my Red Beauty thruster and 5 fin Griffin Modfish in the cutting, pivoting and workability while at the same time have similar speed and better wave catch ability than my F4 and Modfish.*

I have a sweet potato I still have the stickers on, but something tells me I want to keep riding this for a while and am in no hurry to get off it. You know how you ride a board for the first time and sometimes it doesn't go as well as you hoped and you just tell yourself "it was just a bad day" or "the waves just weren't good enough" or "I just need to get use to it". Then on some boards, the ones you really end up being a "magic" board because it works the very first time you try it. That is where this board is, *I am very very happy!!!

Thanks FireWire.*

Just got a SP 5'10" and asked the question in the SP section, but didn't realize there was a fin section, so here I am.

I am about 185 lbs and surf south OC from Creek to Trestles down to Churches. I am 42 and surf like it, more flowy vs aggressive style, that's why I prefer fishy and quAds. I have a set of MRTX fronts and the GXQ , Would this set up work fairly well for me? Other suggestions?

TIA

Just got a spitfire 6'4" and asked the questionin the spitfire section, but didn't realize there was a fin section, so here I am.

I am about 185 lbs and surf south OC from Creek to Trestles down to Churches. I am 42 and surf like it, more flowy vs aggressive style, that's why I prefer fishy and quAds. I have a set of AM2 fronts and the Future 375 quad rears. Here:

http://www.futuresfins.com/fin-detail.php?id=152

Would this set up work fairly well for me?

TIA

After a month of waiting, I finally got my 5'10" Sweet Potato yesterday. Installed my fins last night, now I am stoked!!! I got the board for a smokin deal from a very close friend who owns a surfshop that sells a lot of FW, so he gave me a smokin deal. Come to think of it, I got the front fins on clearance at a Hobie store and the rears on Ebay (they were a smokin deal because, even know the discription said they were FCS RTM fins, the picture was so blurry that you couldn't really tell, so I ended up getting $50 fins for $25 shipped/no tax!!).

I ended up with the FCS MRTRX fronts (blue) and FCS GXQ (red rears) as suggested by so many posters here. I know the fins don't match and maybe kind of weird to have a pair of CI logo fins on a FW, but oh well.

Here are some pictures:

Attachment Attachment Attachment

Just got back off a trip to Cabo and rented a traditional PU thruster down there. Made me remember that a thruster is best for juicier surf (which we don't often have in southern Calif). I had a 5 fin griffin Modfish that I really liked because it seemed to be the best of both worlds (quad and thruster, almost as fast as a quad, and had better pivot and back side surfability like a thruster). I have been doing a lot of research on the Von Sol Nubster or the FCS "Knubster". Rainbow fin company (RFC) does one as well, but it looks a little bigger, which i dont want. In doing the research, it sounds like this fin does a lot of the same things a 5 fin Griffin Modfish does. Kelly has used the Nubster in 3 events and won all 3, so it has to be somewhat legit.

Anyone try this set up on the Spit or Dom?

Thoughts?

Have a SP on order, and already have a set of MRTFX fronts. What is recommended to put in the rear?

I just got a 6'4" spitifire and I am an intermediate surfer, 5'11" 185 lbs. I prefers quads and fish to thrusters. Favorite board is. Stretch F4 quad 6'5" surf tech (hopefully I like the spitfire better). I was running STretch quads on that board.

I have a futures set up and a set of AM2 fronts and standard futures 375 trailers. Is that a good place to start or should I get something else? Bummer thing is all my other boards are FCS which means I can't demo my other fins with this board, which I have a lot of (MRTFX, Stretch quad, griffin G10, speed dialers, etc...).

Advice?

I just got a 6'4" with futures fin set up. Coming from a 6'3" Griffin Modfish, I really liked how that board could turn kind of like a thruster but fly down the line like a quad. Sort of the best of both worlds. I know the Griffin-philes will make us believe that this is ONLY possible with the G10 hand foiled 5 fin set up on a matched Griffin Modfish board, I'd like to think we could accomplish something similar.

The difference in fin placement might be an issue, as the Modfish rear fins are in a prefect row, while the Spitfire, the rear center is more towards the back. Seems like an easy solution if there is a small center fin that matches the rear quad in design, but in just a slightly more forward position, if that makes sense?

OK guys, I am considering dramatically shrinking my quiver by selling at least 6 of my boards and picking up 3 firewires.

Here is where I am at:

I weigh about 190 lbs, 5' 10", 42 and am an intermediate surfer that needs all the help I can get paddling and getting into waves (have short arms and my fitness isn't what it once was). I get out 1 or if I am lucky 2 times a week and surf South OC, from T-Street, Cottons, uppers, lowers, middles, church and some San-O. I want to change my quiver so I have less boards, but smarter and more purposeful.

Here are the boards I currently own:

1. 6'3" Griffin 5 fin ModFish (really fun and great backside board, but if you put a slight bit of too much pressure on front, pearl city, my #2 board)
2. 6'4" Gary Hanel Quad Fish (tons of volume, really fast and fun, but it is very heavy which limits my turning ability on face)
3. 6'5" Stretch F4 quad-epoxy (probably my favorite board right now, super fast, easier to catch waves than one would think based on dems, my go to). 6' 5" x 19.5" x 2.63". 33ml volume (that seems low)
4. 6'6" Merrick Red Beauty (I thought this would be my favorite, but I love my stretch so much more, I am selling it, just doesn't suit me for some reason)
5. 6'7" Merrick Flyer only 2 1/2" thick, 19 1/2" wide. (Its a good step up board, but still not my favorite, guess I prefer speed of the quads?)
6. 6'10" Retro Twin Fish (I thought this would be the board to take to long board spots, but it is really boring, sucks backside, just really not a fan)
7. 7'9" Infinity Secret Weapon quad-epoxy (was hoping this would be a good a good alternative to 9'+ longboard, and it is, but it still just has way to much volume and weight.
8. 9' long board tri-fin (hate longboards, for sale)

I already have a 5'10" sweet potato on order for Small days EVERYWHERE

Strongly considering getting a 7'6" AddVance to replace boards 6, 7, and 8. For CHURCH and SanO

Want to order a Dom, Spit, EF or Potatonator to replace boards 3, 4, and 5. For CHURCH, MIDDLES, Lowers, Uppers and T. Any one of these 4 boards should be pretty similar in performance to boards 3,4,5 they would replace and be shorter while also having more volume. I don't need a ton of rocker, and with having a sweet potato, Griffin Mod Fish and a Hanel Quad Fish already, this would be my "high performance board", even though I am not a super vertical or agro surfer.

Here are my initial thoughts. Would like something that has pretty good performace, has good volume and gets into waves easier than boards 3,4,5.

Potatonator-probably not a ton different than my sweet potato, and not a "high (enough) performance" board to be the only one in my quiver. probably less fin configurations since it sounds like it is only to be used as a quad. or a quad + 1. 6' or 6'2" (40-44 L)

Dominator-seems to have a lot of volume and pretty good performer as well. could be used as 3/4/5 fin. 6'4" or 6'6" (40-45 L)

Spitfire-sounds like the volume and rocker are same as Dominator, but more high performance rear rails to make it perform better. could be used as 3/4/5 fin. 6'4" or 6'6" (41.5 to 45 L)

El Fuego-wouldn't get the swallow, but not sure what the big difference would be between this board and the Dominator or the Spitfire. Anyone can give me some help? 6'3" to 6'5" (40 to 45 L)

Could even get the lost Sub-Scorcher in 6'4" and 40 L

Can anyone give me opinion on my situation and what the advantages would be of each of these 4 or 5 boards? I am leaning towards the Spitfire since it sounds a little more high performance and mostly using it as a quad to replace my Stretch F4, and maybe have the ability to use it on bigger days as a Thruster to replace my 2 Merricks.

I plan on keeping at least my Hanel Quad and Griffin ModFish, and getting rid of the rest and getting the 3 firewires, so I only have a total of 5 boards instead of 8.

Thoughts?

I have read a lot of posts here and I still can't decide on size. I am about 200 lbs, 42 years old, surf south Orange County, but want a board that I can take out to San Onofre and Church when my buddies want to be lazy and ride long boards. I HATE long boards so I am looking for something smaller that can still catch waves early and have fun with. I have pretty short arms and am not in super great shape, typically get out 1-2 times a week, depending on conditions and work. I was at first going to just go for the 6'4" based on the volume and where I would be taking this board, but a buddy of mine is telling me that will be way to big and I won't beable to surf rail to rail at all based on the volume. I am not a really aggressive or vertical surfer so fishy type boards work well for me. I am sure I could get away with a 5'8" or 5'10" at Upper or Lower Trestles where everyone else is riding short, but for a longboard spot, will this thing get me into waves super early like a long board? Something tells me that a long board with similar volume will still have a huge advantage based on the planing surface area, is that right?

Here is a list of My current boards so you get an idea what I have and how much volume I am use to:

6'3" Griffin 5 fin ModFish (really fun and great backside board, but if you put a slight bit of too much pressure on front, pearl city, my #2 board)
6'4" Gary Hanel Quad Fish (tons of volume, really fast and fun, but it is very heavy which limits my turning ability on face)
6'5" Stretch F4 quad-epoxy (probably my favorite board right now, super fast, easier to catch waves than one would think based on dems, my go to)
6'6" Merrick Red Beauty (I thought this would be my favorite, but I love my stretch so much more, I am selling it, just doesn't suit me for some reason)
6'7" Merrick Flyer (Its a good step up board, but still not my favorite, guess I prefer speed of the quads?)
6'10" Retro Twin Fish (I thought this would be the board to take to long board spots, but it is really boring, sucks backside, just really not a fan)
7'9" Infinity Secret Weapon quad-epoxy (was hoping this would be a good a good alternative to 9'+ longboard, and it is, but it still just has way to much volume and weight.
9' long board tri-fin (hate longboards, for sale)

My motto for this board is to try and get on waves as early as I can, but I am still not sure I can battle the longboarders out there.

Thoughts?