Potatonator or Spitfire - First Firewire Purchase

[iggy]

Love FST, had a RF Spit and sweet potato and got the exact new ones on FST. Durability, weight and the particular organic flex is what I find uniqu on them!

[anfernee]

Bugger - Can't get a Potatonator anywhere in the sizes I am after until well after November apparently - not stock anywhere. Should I go for a 6'6 Spit instead?

[surferireland]

Id wait if I were you, the potatonator is a revelation - as the owner of a long term owner of a dom / spitfire

[anfernee]

im amazingly impatient once ive made a decision... see how I go - will go have a poke around my local surf shops tomorrow and see what comes of it - every shop i called said no stock and no deliveries for at least a month. I sold my only small wave board already, so I need to find something sooner rather than later (cause small waves is all we seem to be getting).

I should have planned it a little better I think!

[anfernee]

Have found somewhere I can get a 6'2 in FST - I might have a closer look at that. I am concerned about how they will react to heat (I tend to leave my boards in my car a lot - in a padded travel bags - as I go from a surf straight to work)... I hate having so many choices!

[anfernee]

Its done! My first Firewire - 602 FST Potatonator! Bought from the good folks at Cronulla Surf Design - Sam's a champ and helped me make the final decision. Cant wait to get it wet tomorrow!

Wife walked in whilst paying though.... apparently she's going to be needing some shoes or something now....

[nottyR6]

Wife walked in whilst paying though.... apparently she's going to be needing some shoes or something now....

:) Good luck, I've just got my 5'8" PN, 2ft and offshore tomorrow, we'll compare notes...

[anfernee]

Ok. First surf was "okay" I think this board will take a few sessions to get the hang of it.

So far - Pros
• paddles well - easy to pickup waves though admittedly not as easy as I was expecting. It is very floaty and feels a little unstable whilst I get used to the more buoyant board.

• first few waves it was fast and responsive - didn't need much encouragement to get moving

• it's so light I'm scared ill break it compared to my other boards - I usually get a little extra glass cause I liked the weight - but I think I could get used to these super light boards.


Cons
• If you are not absolutely perfectly positioned on the board it's almost unresponsive - on one occasion today I was almost horizontal I was leaning so hard into a turn and the board just wanted to sit in it's groove - might require better back foot placement and probably keep most of my weight toward the back (I tend to surf more front foot).

• the buoyancy although a good thing when picking up waves - not fantastic when duck diving - had to dive harder and deeper to get through the set waves than I normally do.

• I looked like a bigger kook than I normally do on a few waves - must redeem myself now.

Overall it seems like it will live up to the hype - just need a few sessions to get the hang of the different style of board.

[surferireland]

I think with some more water time you will get the hang of it - stick with it

[iggy]

Id wait if I were you, the potatonator is a revelation - as the owner of a long term owner of a dom / spitfire

On the same page here!!