Hi guys,

I had posted this note in a related forum, but thought I'd double up here to see about responses, etc. After all, the board shop is across the street, the waves are up, and, well, I've got the fever.

Here's the re-post, trying to find the right board for weak mushy days (and something that is NOT a longboard):

My specs are: Int / Adv surfer, 50 yrs old, pretty top condition, athletically, and I weigh 153 lbs naked and wet. I'm surfing Long Island waters off of NYC, that means most of the year in some kind of rubber; 3/2 in summer up to 6mm in winter. What's that, an additional 10 lbs?

My calculations from the Volumator seem to suggest the following sizes in the two boards I am perv'ing for:

5'3" Baked Potato
5'2" or 5'4" Sweet Po

I would love to hear what you experienced-with-Firewire-board-owner guys think on this subject. Here's what I'd love from this board —*We get lots of days with sloppy, weak, gutless, unambitious, slothful surf. Still, a guy's got to paddle out, right? I'd like to *catch* these waves, and then, once up, I prefer to make turns close to what resembles a pocket, as opposed to gliding down what looks like a line (hence my interest in the slightly tuned Baked jobbie). The thing I do want to avoid is feeling like I am on something with too much float and a lack of responsiveness.

Here's the current quiver, as FYI:
Bing Dharma / 5'6" (quad, simmons-esque, superfun; loves an actual wave)
Bonzer Octafish / 5'10" (five-fin Campbell bros crazy thing; loves an actual wave AND offshore winds)
Chris Birch Quad Egg / 6'6" (surfs anything, like any good egg will do)
Chris Birch Retro Thruster / 6'2" (MR-style shortboard with tons of float; super in good surf and a hurricane or two)
Ricky Carroll Tuned Rocket Fish / 6'6" (quad / thruster boxes; step-up board for BIG days)

What's missing? A true floaty fish for messing around and catching waves on crappy days.

I am inclining towards the 5'3" Baked Potato ...OR... the 5'4" Sweet Potato. Please opine, and thanks kindly.

And on the sizing tip, I would add...

My specs are: Int / Adv surfer, 50 yrs old, pretty top condition, athletically, and I weigh 153 lbs naked and wet. I'm surfing Long Island waters off of NYC, that means most of the year in some kind of rubber; 3/2 in summer up to 6mm in winter. What's that, an additional 10 lbs?

My calculations from the Volumator seem to suggest the following sizes in the two boards I am perv'ing for:

5'3" Baked Potato
5'2" or 5'4" Sweet Po

I would love to hear what you experienced-with-Firewire-board-owner guys think on this subject. Here's what I'd love from this board —*We get lots of days with sloppy, weak, gutless, unambitious, slothful surf. Still, a guy's got to paddle out, right? I'd like to *catch* these waves, and then, once up, I prefer to make turns close to what resembles a pocket, as opposed to gliding down what looks like a line (hence my interest in the slightly tuned Baked jobbie). The thing I do want to avoid is feeling like I am on something with too much float and a lack of responsiveness.

Here's the current quiver, as FYI:
Bing Dharma / 5'6" (quad, simmons-esque, superfun; loves an actual wave)
Bonzer Octafish / 5'10" (five-fin Campbell bros crazy thing; loves an actual wave AND offshore winds)
Chris Birch Quad Egg / 6'6" (surfs anything, like any good egg will do)
Chris Birch Retro Thruster / 6'2" (MR-style shortboard with tons of float; super in good surf and a hurricane or two)
Ricky Carroll Tuned Rocket Fish / 6'6" (quad / thruster boxes; step-up board for BIG days)

What's missing? A true floaty fish for messing around and catching waves on crappy days.

I am inclining towards the 5'3" Baked Potato ...OR... the 5'4" Sweet Potato. Please opine, and thanks kindly.

Redux to ever-present size question

Hi —*sounds like the 40kg guys are netting out between the 5'2" and 5'4" range on the Sweet Spud.

Unfortunately, I am a yankee, and incapable of doing conversion to pounds. Makes my head hurt. My specs are: Int / Adv surfer, 50 yrs old, pretty top condition, athletically, and I weigh 153 lbs naked and wet. I'm surfing Long Island waters off of NYC, that means most of the year in some kind of rubber; 3/2 in summer up to 6mm in winter. What's that, an additional 10 lbs?

My calculations from the Volumator seem to suggest the following sizes in the two boards I am perv'ing for:

5'3" Baked Potato
5'2" or 5'4" Sweet Po

I would love to hear what you experienced-with-Firewire-board-owner guys think on this subject. Here's what I'd love from this board —*We get lots of days with sloppy, weak, gutless, unambitious, slothful surf. Still, a guy's got to paddle out, right? I'd like to *catch* these waves, and then, once up, I prefer to make turns close to what resembles a pocket, as opposed to gliding down what looks like a line (hence my interest in the slightly tuned Baked jobbie). The thing I do want to avoid is feeling like I am on something with too much float and a lack of responsiveness.

Here's the current quiver, as FYI:
Bing Dharma / 5'6" (quad, simmons-esque, superfun; loves an actual wave)
Bonzer Octafish / 5'10" (five-fin Campbell bros crazy thing; loves an actual wave AND offshore winds)
Chris Birch Quad Egg / 6'6" (surfs anything, like any good egg will do)
Chris Birch Retro Thruster / 6'2" (MR-style shortboard with tons of float; super in good surf and a hurricane or two)
Ricky Carroll Tuned Rocket Fish / 6'6" (quad / thruster boxes; step-up board for BIG days)

What's missing? A true floaty fish for messing around and catching waves on crappy days.

I am inclining towards the 5'3" Baked Potato ...OR... the 5'4" Sweet Potato. Please opine, and thanks kindly.