6'8" Dominator in good waves

[tallkook]

Wondering if anyone has the 6'8" Dominator and how it goes in better waves. Clean 3-5 foot east coast Australia. I'm 196cm and 90kg low intermediate surfer, who loves a bit of volume. I have the opportunity to get one 2nd hand for a great price. Thanks.

[buzzy]

I'm 90kg and have the 6'4" Dom in Sydney Australia (ie East Coast waves). I don't think I'd like it that much too much above head high. I reckon 4 foot (8 foot faces) would be its realistic performance limit. Sure, I could probably surf it in bigger waves but I'd really be nursing my turns. So as an eg last weekend I surfed the Dom in up to 3 foot surf (head high) and the Alternator the next day (head high +). The Dom didn't reach its limit at head high so maybe 4 foot (1.5 times head high) would be its realistic limit). That's for a 6'4" though. A 6'8" for a bloke of the same weight would, in my view, have a much smaller performance window, and would reach its limit in smaller surf.

I'd personally be steering you to the next model down (6'6") in Dom or Spitfire.

[surferireland]

In the old forum there is a picture of a guy near 60 years old surfing triple head on a 6'8 dom and he was ripping it up - the dom in bigger surf is stable and fast, it wont want to sit in huge hollow stuff but it will work everywhere else

[Chris]

608 is pretty big for someone your weight, but for someone who is your weight and knows how to handle volume, you might have some fun.

I would however push you to consider smaller, think 604 and go from there. Seriously making that step to a smaller board that is actually easy to catch waves with and surf is a game changing move!!

I am sure other guys on the forum can attest to what the modern day hybrid revolution has done for them.

Cheers!

[tallkook]

Thanks for the input everyone. Just wondering what the drawbacks would be with going a bit big in this shape? Is it just that I wouldn't be getting the best out of the design or would it actually be harder to surf? The 6' 8" on offer is so cheap I don't think I can resist!

[iggy]

Too big of a Dominator will feel too buoyant, making buttom turns and cuttbacks a bit too skiddish
You could try to put bigger fins but you will be limiting the board and yourself. The dominator has lots of volume packed in a smaller package.
Iny case I tried the 6'0" and found it too buoyant and ended up on a 5'10". Right after changed for a spitfire 5'8" and could not be happier (80kgs dry)

[Chris]

yeah agree with iggy, but its also important to remember that every individual is sooooo different which means one set of preferences may deviate greatly from another. if you grab a cheap 608 nd love it, then SCORE! if its a little too big, at least you figured it out in a less expensive way and you can move down the line from there....

Cheers

[Fritzkat]

I ride the 6-4 dominator in head high surf no problem, Love that board its a keeper, I have the same weight and height as you. IMO 6-8 is way too fat. You might have a hard time cutting loose with that much floatation. Maybe try the 6-6? if you think a 6-4 isnt enough, dont let length fool you on the dominator.

[IronBuddha]

In the old forum there is a picture of a guy near 60 years old surfing triple head on a 6'8 dom and he was ripping it up - the dom in bigger surf is stable and fast, it wont want to sit in huge hollow stuff but it will work everywhere else

The guy Surferireland is referring to is SamtheMan, an older dude, who by all accounts is a very competent surfer. He was surfing his 6'8'' Dom in Indo and by the Photos Sam posted, surfing about 10+ foot face waves, and having a ball. He did have however a large set of custom foiled fins, 5 kilos more body weight and experience.

Your tall at 6'5'' and a quarter so riding a 6''8 would be good as you probably have a wide stance. The volume of The Dom may cause you some problems in bigger powerful surf if your only a Low intermediate stage surfer. However in average waves you'll probably have a blast.

I have started riding a 6'4 Dom and I'm currently about 103kg and 186cm tall. I reckon if push came to shove I coulda got away with riding a 6'0'. They have a lot of volume, and despite the denials, more float than polyurethane boards.

Dominators have great resale, so if you can pick one up cheap, go for it. Ask yourself how often will you be going out in surf bigger than you..lol

If you like volume and being a tall dude also look into the Addvance model in a 6'6''

[Chris]

GReat stuff IronBuddah. Thanks for the insight, I concur with your advice.

Cheers