how small will this board go in?

[dabid]

I would love to hear anyone's experience regarding this board in really small surf. How small was it? What were some of your waves like? I currently have a ELF and love it but I am trying to decide whether or not I want to buy a spud. I hate riding longboards...well I hate lugging the log is more like it haha.

[prjwebb]

i think it'll surf as small a wave that is actually worth surfing. below knee high, super mushy junk it probably wouldn't be much fun in, but i wouldn't even be trying to surf in that anyway...
anything with a bit of shape to it it seems to go on

[iggy]

Well the spud will be an excellent choice for the really caca conditions. Now as PRJ says, how small is too small?. What I like about the potato is the possibility to shorten in length quite substantially giving the board this "skatey" feeling which, on small days qhere you would normally stay out, you would be going down the line like a bat out of hell.. Speed and maneuverability is her game

[dabid]

Thanks guys. I just wanted to see if it would work well in knee high stuff. I live on the US east coast so while at times our waves can get juicy ( and I have boards for that) , most times the period is below 10 seconds ( 6-8 more so). I demoed a 5'2 last year and it just felt meh it felt like my ELF almost would have been better. I didn't know if more volume would help in those types of waves ( I am 180...ride a 6'1 ELF). I was thinking even 5'6..although I know I could do a 5'4, I want all the help I could get with knee to waist high waves.

Also thank you so much for your contributions to this forum! It helped me greatly last time!

[iggy]

Hey Dabid, 89Kgs . I do surf the NE USA whenerver there are waves. I went for a 5'6" potato at the beginning but ended up swapping it for a 5'2". The 5'6" although very good at catching the absolute junk, was very restrictive performance wise at my weight. Went for the 5'2" and loved it for anything knee high and up. I usually surf Long Sands ME, so chunky fat waves

[hawaii_boi]

dabid,
I ride a spud and I can surf as small as right under knee high. If you plan to ride wave heights ranging from knee to waist most of the time, I recommend getting some fins with a lot of area (e.g, Controller Quad, Robbers, etc). Bigger fins will let you generate a lot of speed. I ride a 5'4...wish I had a 5'2 but it's still good.
ALOHA!!

[dabid]

Thanks guys!

Iggy I surf mostly in NJ, but haven't done Maine, but I know you can relate to having the extra weight with the 5/4/3...two more months here with that! Hawaii boi I imagine this board goes insane at places like threes/fours?

I am going out to the west coast in a month. I am going to demo it one more time, but most likely will purchase one out there. I am hoping to find one in the white RF.

[hawaii_boi]

dabid,
It can definitely ride Threes and Fours but I don't know if it is optimal. I would probably use a dominator or spitfire instead...especially if it is overhead. Also, I doubt you want to paddle all the way out there with the spud haha. I think the sweet potato works better on waves that don't pitch as fast (e.g., Waikiki, Diamond Head, 1-2 foot days anywhere in Ala Moana, etc). Forgot to recommend a board...5'2 to 5'4, don't go bigger than that. I tried the 5'2 and that was perfect. I have a 5'4 because 5'2 was not in stock. 5'4 is still doable but does have a lot of volume...I sometimes have a hard time burying my rail on turns. Other than that, i love it. I surf it 95% of the time! Even on days I should be a on a shortboard haha!

ALOHA!!

[dabid]

Thanks Hawaii,

Yeah that paddle out to threes is not fun! First time I missed the channel a little and got stuck on a coral head I felt pretty haole after that one hahah. In my experience the 5'2 wasn't that great of a paddler. I am assuming it is just the length of the board, not necessarily the volume correct?

[hawaii_boi]

@dabid, i hear a lot of people talk about length, volume, and paddling power as factors. It's probably the length more than anything. When I paddle on my 5'4 (35L) it goes smooth, but doesn't haul a$$ like my 5'8 spitfire (31L). Another factor could be the shape. The spud is short and wide. I'm curious as to what others think.

ALOHA!!