Hellfire 6'2 or 6'4?

[Piha Local]

Yeah Waxer, thanks for the acknowledgment of my older guy perspective! I do find a really critical drop off point in paddle power and enjoyment of my surfing when I drop down below a certain volume. I tried a 5/4 Sweet Potato and loved the way it rode, but was very aware of starting to fade physically in a competitive lineup at about 1.5 hours. Just not enough waves to feed the addiction! I have just returned from Indo last weds. Surfed very fun Grupuk, [Don-Dons and Insides] at waist to head and a half on my 6/4 Hellfire and had a ball. Prefer it with large thrusters when the waves have power, Quads with knubster when you are looking for power out of the wave. Only surfed my 6/2 Dom once at playgrounds on Nusa Lembongan, Hellfire at Shipwrecks a couple of days till the incoming tide warped the sets into the " think its time to call it quits" range, 6-8ft-plus heavy board breakers! Had a good chat to Glyndin Ringrose, ex World tour guy and Phillip Island shaper, good guy and still surfing extraordinarily well. Heaps of Firewires spotted out in the lineup, always interesting to confirm the positive feedback people have of their boards.

[Waxer]

Wow, sound's like you had a great trip!!!
What I like about the Hellfire is that the extra volume doesn't bite you on the performance side. Remember, just a few years ago everyone was riding bigger boards and they worked great. Now, firewire is refining the template so you can have both volume and performance so even intermediates and older or larger surfers can still have a great time! Performance means nothing if you're not catching waves!!

[Piha Local]

Absolutely, I was on 6/10s and basically looking to move up in length and volume as I aged when Nev talked me into demoing a 6/2 Dom at Currumbin. Nev--er looked back since! I find the HFs speed and looseness can get a bit skittery at times hence my gradual movement towards surfing large thrusters in preference to Quads. They also seem to more naturally surf vertically than the Quads. Loving the Firewires, still look brand-new after a thrashing in Aus, Fiji, Maldives and 2x Indo as well as weekly Piha washing machine sessions. Nxt boards, probably PNator and Hellrazor unless the newbies seduce me with their charms when released 2013.!

[Waxer]

Surfed the 6'4 Hellfire as a quad again for the 2nd time this past weekend 3-5 ft. It just keeps getting better! Drop-ins are just so smooth and controlled. The speed is fantastic and the ability to work the board on the wave is getting easier as I'm finding the balance point on the board.
Again, I went large on the volume due to age/51 and weight 175 before wetsuit. Note, I surfed for about 2 1/2 hours and the arms felt great! Yes I could have gone for the 6'2 but since I only surf once a week, I've decided to leave the ego in the car and just catch more waves!!! I'm writing this while waiting for the next new swell to arrive in Southern Calif. I'm looking forward to those Winter swells!

[Chris]

yeah waxer!! stoked on the positive feedback.