Potatonator: small wave assasinator?

[cuttlefish]

I'm dizzy.
Where do you have the Go pro mounted Iggy?
Can it take a wider angle than that?
Looks like the p'nator was fun though.
Thanks for posting.

[iggy]

jajaj prj I know, but every time I have a chance I do the 1000kms drive to get some "real" waves
Cuttle the camera I had it mounted on my forehead with a head strap, the one that comes on with the outdoor gopro edition.
I wish there would have been a foot or two more on those waves,it was fun though after being in the shadows for a month a a half

[Goanna]

Well I'm back from my ear operation and had a neat little (3rd) surf on the Potatonator this evening. Waves were around 2ft and very weak - the odd 3ft came through very rarely but still weak - add to that some extra weight and lack of surf fitness and it was a battle early on to even get on the waves.
It was one of those surfs where the wave peaks up then fattens out then hits the bank and rushes away down the line - if you don't get in early enough you get left behind.

So this is what this 44 year / a bit overweight / average fitness / intermediate surfer found...
- this little nugget just gets up and goes! (when I could catch a wave!)
-If I were riding the Futura I would be working up some speed to try and get one nice turn in - on the PN I was fitting 5 & 6 turns in all at speed
-At full speed you can do a reo and the Controllers let the tail just pop out and then grab again with full control.
-At full speed you can cut back off the top as hard as you can and right at the end push a little more and the tail slides - again coming back into full control
- I wasn't a fan of the controllers but now I am
- probably could have gone the 5'10 but getting back to proper weight will fix that.

So I enjoyed myself in the end and this board is doing exactly what I bought it for - to take my bigger wave surfing into smaller waves

[iggy]

Yewwww!!

[Goanna]

Yeah you know what I'm talking about Iggy.

[FW - Fan]

Hey Goanna, not sure where you surfed yesterday but my local was waaay more solid than expected..Sets were 4ft easy. I expected 2 maybe 3 foot max and would have ridden another board if I had one down there. It was one of those sneaky swells that just no one expected which was great because there was initially only 3 guys out. Anyway.. I rode my PN with the Elevon quads. I think Chris once called them "Novelty" fins but...I love them. Raz from FW up in Currumbin lent me his set and I thought I would give them a go because I wasnt going to shell out that kind of money without trying the right out. So over 3 days I did just that...and then bought a set. Rode them yesterday and love them in that board..Not sure where you are but we should catch up some time and Ill give you a lash on them...I think you would be very surprised.

[Goanna]

Yeah I drove past a few beaches yesterday during work time and headed to my favourite spot after work and was surprised how small it was but ran out of time to drive around.
I'd ove to take you up on that fin offer as it sounds like you rate them highly. I'm camping for a long weekend up North at my other favourite beachbreak at the end of this month so I'll PM you and see how far it is for you.
Look forward to it!

[Roger]

I have a set of Controllers but only use them on my SP. I will try them in my PN now. Thanks Goanna.

I absolutely love this board. It has relegated both my Dom and my SP to the rafters. I now tend to switch between the Potatonator and the Hellfire.

[Bumper]

Goanna,

I'm about your size and age. I have the 6'0 PN and I am thinking about downsizing next spring to the 5'10. I also have the 6'2 dom and it fits perfectly for my size and ability. I'm Solid intermediate to advanced in good knee to head high waves. Head to overhead drainers are my weak area. Do you find the 5'8 PN to be a tougher board to paddle than your 6'2 dom in weaker waves? It sounds like the 5'8 might be a better small wave board than the 6'2 dom. I know the 6'2 dom is 38L and the 5'8 PN is around 33 I think. I'm not worried about surfing the 5'10 in good stomach to shoulder waves because the wave power will negate the loss of volume. It's more about surfing it in those weak waist high waves. The 6'0 at 40L covers me well but I'm hoping by downsizing I'd actually get little more maneverability and more help fitting the board in punchy pockets. Just curious how your 5'8 pn compares to your 6'2 Dom and also your 5'8 potato?

[Goanna]

Goanna,

I'm about your size and age. I have the 6'0 PN and I am thinking about downsizing next spring to the 5'10. I also have the 6'2 dom and it fits perfectly for my size and ability. I'm Solid intermediate to advanced in good knee to head high waves. Head to overhead drainers are my weak area. Do you find the 5'8 PN to be a tougher board to paddle than your 6'2 dom in weaker waves? It sounds like the 5'8 might be a better small wave board than the 6'2 dom. I know the 6'2 dom is 38L and the 5'8 PN is around 33 I think. I'm not worried about surfing the 5'10 in good stomach to shoulder waves because the wave power will negate the loss of volume. It's more about surfing it in those weak waist high waves. The 6'0 at 40L covers me well but I'm hoping by downsizing I'd actually get little more maneverability and more help fitting the board in punchy pockets. Just curious how your 5'8 pn compares to your 6'2 Dom and also your 5'8 potato?

Hey Bumper, if you are loving the 6'2" Dom I'd go the 5'10" Potatonator for sure. At our weight the 5'8"is a struggle at times to paddle when the waves are weaker. Although once up and riding it is great! I could easily go 5'10" but will stick with the 5'8" now for fitness purposes.
As for the 5'8" SP I had a ball on it but it was too much foam under my front foot and wasn't reactive enough for me - don't get me wrong I loved that board but I wanted to take my short board act into small waves but the SP was more of a very fast, fun, easy to catch waves cruiser. I'd have you on the 5'6" SP.
you also mentioned that you are struggling in overhead drainers-could this be due to the foam in the 6'2Dom? I was the same when I had mine. I solved that by getting a more refined tail in the Futura. It would be interesting to see if anyone else thinks the same.
Well good luck Bumper! I hope I have helped

P.S. look out for the new Unibrow - it looks like the perfect small wave version of the Dom
(Now that's thrown a spanner in the works hasn't it!)