if anyone knows where I can find a decent deal on a 6'10'' Addvance - please let me know. Wouldn't mind paying for shipping if price was right ... or I can pick it up anywhere from Santa Barbara down to San Diego.

Thanks!

I'm very interested in firewire boards and fish/hybrid shapes in general. Looking for your advice as to what firewire board is best for my situation:

• I"m 200 lbs, 5'11'' 42 yrs old
• Surfed from 15-18 yrs old in newport beach & trails (san clemente) CA - became a proficient intermediate surfer on a 6 foot 80s shape thruster (which I still own & hope to someday be able to surf again if/when I ever move back to CA)
• For last 23 yrs, have lived in Utah & surfed 1-2 trips per year (3-4 surf days total each year) until recently
• Lately, I've started going to CA 4-5 times/year to surf San Clemente (a newport-like beach break usually) ... so every 2-3 months, I go surf for 2-3 days
• I bought a 10 foot longboard last summer, loved it, but am now selling it to buy a firewire b/c I catch more waves and can maneuver better etc on the 8 foot wavestorm softtops I bought to teach my kids than I can on my longboard
• When I only surfed a couple times/yr, I was always in poor paddling shape, which would keep me on the longboard or softtop in order to catch waves.
• Now that I'm surfing every 2-3 months, I feel a bit stronger when paddling. I borrowed a friends 6'3'' retro fish shape (thick and wide) in Feb and thought I'd never be able to paddle it into any waves ... but I was able to catch waves ... not as easily as the 8 foot softtop, but much better than anything shorter than 8 feet I've ever tried since high school. Being up once again after 22 yrs on something that short and maneuverable was AMAZING again & now I want to buy something with a bit more paddle-ability than the 6'3 fish I borrowed but something that will be a lot more maneuverable than the 8 foot softtops I have

I'm thinking 6'10 advance, but wonder if I should go 6'6' advance so that its totally different than being up on my softtop? OR, would you suggest 7'2 addvance since I only surf a couple days (one short trip) each quarter etc?

Also, this board will go with me to Indonesia along with my 8' softop and my 6' thruster this coming winter with my 12 yr old (I've found a place with beginner and intermediate point breaks where I plan to stay for 2 months & surf everyday). My goal is to get comfortable on the Addvance surfing a few times on it this year in so cal, and then to work from the Addvance down to my thruster while in Indo; and for my 12 yr old to continue learning on the softtop & work his way down to the Addvance while in Indo.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Thougths?