Spitfire or Hellfire???

[crazylegs]

Hey Nev/anybody...
Im looking for a bit of guidance with buying a firewire board. I have never owned one but like all I have read and heard about them so have decided to make one my next purchase. Anyways, I am 6'1" and 84kgs and my long term shortboard in the UK was a 6'3" x 18.5 x 2.5 and was a well rounded board which was awesome at any location I used it, beachies, pointbreaks whatever. I used it in 6'-8' surf max and it wasnt the best paddler at that size but felt comfortable once riding. I moved to Perth West Oz and hadnt surfed for a while so bought a 6'6" da lewy thinking the surf would be more powerful and the extra float would do me good except Perth is pretty poor for surfing and felt like a boat! It is great in bigger surf 8'-10' (south west wa) but very directional.
Im moving to the East coast soon around Newcastle and want a new board, something that would allow me to catch a heap of waves from waist high to the 6-8 foot range. I will use the 6'6" if it get a bit bigger.
I want something that is fun to surf and suits my preferred power turn style rather than snappy tight turns and loose surfing. I havent really surfed much at all in the last 2-3 years so I wouldnt mind a fairly forgiving board with a bit of paddle, but something that will perform as I get back into it after a while. The Dominator was an option but I feel I may want to progress onto a more higher performance after a while so I looked at the Spitfire. Then I thought how will it go in good solid 4-6 foot surf, will it be too wide and small? So im also considering the Hellfire! Im really not sure which one will be the more versatile and bet 'one board for all conditions' (up to 6-8'). Im looking at the 6' SPitfire and the 6'2" Hellfire, are these even the right sizes I should be looking at? The 5'10" could also be a goer? I am more inclined to the SPitfire for some reason.
Also which fins are best all round. Im maybe looking at the FCS PC-7's, SF-4's or the K3's. They are all a little different but which are more suited to a thruster setup on the Spitfire (that is the board I do end up getting).
Ive just noticed this is a massive long winded lifestory but I sure aint re writing it now!
Any help would be great from people who know these boards well.
Cheers

[Chris]

Hey Crazylegs,
IT sounds like you are after a single horse, a board that can kind of do it all. In my opinion, one of the most versatile boards in our lineup is the Hellfire. It goes well in smaller surf but it also can handle a bigger wave. it certainly isn't a shortboard so its going to paddle well!! That being said its not a super small wave board like a potato. So I guess the most important thing to do is to identify which wave type you want to address then go from there!!! For the range you mention, the Hellfire is a great option.

Cheers!

[crazylegs]

Hey Chris,

Yeah I guess I would like a go to board that gets me plenty of waves from 2-6' at a push no matter what the break (will be 70% beachies) and is more fun than high performance orientated but can still perform when needed. I was thinking of using my 6'6" for the 6'+ range or when the smaller board gets a little uncomfortable.
But....I keep looking through the range and keep getting new ideas! If I were thinking of getting 2 new boards in the long term, maybe a 6'/5'10" Spitfire and eventually a second board 6'2" Hellfire or 6'3" Hellrazor if the SF and HF are too similar?
If I was to get just one board, I agree that the HF does seem the better option, but will it still be fun and to a degree forgiving to surf rather than high performance and frustrating in small to medium, less than perfect surf?
It seems Im looking for the perfect board...but arent we all?!
Thanks
Phil

[core personal training]

i'm near newy...get the hellfire...if you go low volume your upper limit performance will be mind blowing...if you go up a notch you will grovel better...i've ridden mine everyday since they came out...pulled out a longer board on a couple of serious days but rode the HF even on some of those just to get my jolly's....

[core personal training]

just read the "power not snappy" part...chris, razor maybe???

[Slowman]

For one board for everything my pick would be the hellfire. While the spitfire is good its limitation, in comparison to the hellfire, is the take off, just because of the flatter rocker and fuller nose. Indeed I am faced with the same choice in another location as it is time to update the Webber afterburner at the inlaws.

[crazylegs]

Yeah the more I look into the Hellfire the more inclined I am towards it...My old shortboard was 6'3"x18.5x2.5 (unknown volume) which I loved and is pretty close to the 6'2" Hellfire bar a little more width and due to it not being a full on performance board could be a bit forgiving with me getting back into surfing day in day out again. Man, ive gone from the Dominator to the Spitfire to the Hellfire! Whats next?!
Where do you live near Newy? Im hoping to move to Nelson Bay area. Also what fins do you use on the HF?
Cheeeeers.

[Slowman]

And maybe if you want longer turns then use either the GAM or K3 thruster set or GAM/Q1000 or GMB/Q1000 (Mayhem) quad set in the hellfire. My pick would be the GAMs.

[hwork50]

Slowman, what would you recommend for the Future set up? Would the Am2's be the equivalent? Do you think I could use Am1's in the back and AM2's in the front. I surfed it last night like that and it went pretty good in 4-7 foot.

[core personal training]

fcs am's are large and the am2 are smaller (med)...in futures its reversed....am1 is medium and am2 is large....