Upgrade from the El Fuego

[garyandemily]

Hi,

I am currently surfing a 6'3 el fuego in Oceanside, Ca and I am looking for the next board up performance wise - 6' 215lb and fit and surf and better than intermediate but not quite advanced - the el fuego paddles great, I have been wanting to whip my turns around a little faster, especially on forehand snaps, and have grown performance wise.

I was thinking maybe a 6'6 alternator or 6'4 futura - for those that have ridden a wide range of firewires, please let me know your opinion.

For high tide fat days I ride a 5'8 potato.

Thanks

Gary

[buzzy]

I have both an Alternator and a Futura. Both are fantastic boards. The Futura surfs small waves better, and the Alt surfs bigger waves better. But there's an enormous cross over where either board will work.

I've found that I tend to surf the Futura more horizontally than the Alt, but that could also be a function of the waves I've used them in. I feel that the Futura is faster down the line, and the Alt faster through a turn. We're talking small differences here. 2%, 3%.

You could pick either board and you would be happy. Aside from one thing I'm about to mention I'd suggest the Futura as it is probably more closely aligned to your EF. The caveat is there is a pretty big drop in volume from your EF. Around 5 litres. 215 lbs is fairly solid. The Futura works for me at 200lbs but I'm not sure how it would go for someone at 215. For the Alt I'd be thinking the volume of the 6'8" would be ideal.

But if you are confident with such a big drop in volume the Futura would be my pick, by a tiny margin of preference.

[Wandi]

Maybe even use the CBD to shorten a Alternator and bump up the volume

[boardshop]

Have a look at the Jacknife mate. I love the Fuego, probably more than is normal, and have been looking for a board with slightly higher performance for ages. Think the Jacknife is the answer. Surfed one on Friday just gone and it has that familiar feel of a good level of float under the chest, that you get from the Fuego. Catches everything and takes off like a rocket. Surf was shoulder high, fat rubbish really, but on the odd steep drop or steep section the board came into its own. Really quick, floats over flat sections, but turns and bites quick as you would ever need. Loved it from the first paddle onwards. Def worth a look mate. Will come into its own when you are looking for a bit more performance. Easy to jump between the fuego and jacknife in my opinion.

Disclaimer: I am a 40 year old kook with a shagged back, arthritic hip, poo stance, and un-healthy fuego obsession.

But the fuego and now jacknife could well be the best surfboards EVER made!

Fuego is 5ft 11 and the 6ft 0 jacknife felt perfect

Cheers

[FW - Fan]

Have a look at the Jacknife mate. I love the Fuego, probably more than is normal, and have been looking for a board with slightly higher performance for ages. Think the Jacknife is the answer. Surfed one on Friday just gone and it has that familiar feel of a good level of float under the chest, that you get from the Fuego. Catches everything and takes off like a rocket. Surf was shoulder high, fat rubbish really, but on the odd steep drop or steep section the board came into its own. Really quick, floats over flat sections, but turns and bites quick as you would ever need. Loved it from the first paddle onwards. Def worth a look mate. Will come into its own when you are looking for a bit more performance. Easy to jump between the fuego and jacknife in my opinion.

Disclaimer: I am a 40 year old kook with a shagged back, arthritic hip, poo stance, and un-healthy fuego obsession.

But the fuego and now jacknife could well be the best surfboards EVER made!

Fuego is 5ft 11 and the 6ft 0 jacknife felt perfect

Cheers

Hey...that sounds like me..but I got over my ELF obsession ...I think.

[hwork50]

The Hellfire is a great option, I love that board as it rides so smooth and can take off late with the best of them.

[surferireland]

Ive just bought a 6'6 Alternator - We'll see how that goes shortly good swell due in at the weekend