spitfire vs potaotnator

[big leigh]

hi guys

I have a potatonator 5-10 love it and surfs good! but being 187cm i feel to get optimum paddle power-paddle in i have to be really far back on the board ie knee touching tail! If i stepped up to a 6-2 spitfire which is around about my height with a tad more volume would i loose any performance? i could go a 6-0 potatonator but i dont want that much volume!

[Slowman]

Depends on your weight really but I don't think you would lose any performance since this is a performance hybrid. I can't compare the 2 but I can tell you firsthand the spitfire rips in its intended range of surf (thigh to overhead and slightly weakish). It can go in bigger and hollower waves but becomes a handful on takeoff when the drops get steep though I think the p-nator would be the same maybe a bit worse.

I'll get around to demoing the p-nator one, day either 5'8 or 5'10 could be ideal for summer waves in Taiwan which are as weak as ....

[iggy]

Spitfire is a great board, very well rounded.The smaller tail no the spit will make this board move all over the place

[FW - Fan]

Yeah Leigh , I have ridden both the Spit and Potatonator..If you want something with more performance and to refine your volume a little you could definitely go the Spit in that size. I think your surfing would progress over time much faster and you will be getting more performance and range with the Spit. If you want to sell your PN...let me know.

[Slowman]

... If you want to sell your PN...let me know.

No, sell it to me! I need it more...look at this...
110720122336.jpg

[tallkook]

Sorry big leigh, quick question for Slowman. Had my eye on Taiwan for a holiday. When and where would you advise? Internet paints a fine picture of that place, but what's the reality? Thanks mate.

[Slowman]

Sorry big leigh, quick question for Slowman. Had my eye on Taiwan for a holiday. When and where would you advise? Internet paints a fine picture of that place, but what's the reality? Thanks mate.

TK, July is about the flattest month of the year, middle of summer, and even though you call yourself tall kook, you have no idea of how to really kook until you see this place! Barely 1' and a local mate has got a new board and he also has to surf in in a comp this coming w/e so he's keen. I count 76 guys in the water! And this is not even the weekend. It's insane there will 300 guys on this 300m stretch of beach! Surfing has really exploded here but the Taiwanese kind of seem to like crowds, it seems inbuilt, if it's crowded it must be good!

You see it everywhere, restaurants, shows, parks, exhibitions, if there's a queue they'll jump on almost just in case they might miss out on something good. This means you can drive to another beach that might even be better and score it to yourself! Although the days of it literally being the next beach are almost over just because there are now a crew that are pretty good and because of the growing numbers...still keep driving and you will find one that is deserted. Instead of 2 minutes it's probably 10-20 minutes.

I'm up here in the NE about 40 minutes drive from Taipei, in Yilan County, it has it's moments but definitely the better place is in roughly the centre of the east coast - they call it the east coast. Nearest city is Taitung and the surf centre of the universe is in a little coastal village called Dong He (pronounced "dong her" which means east river). Down south around Kenting is pretty good too. While it takes around 5 hours to drive from north to south because of the new cross island highway, it still takes around 4hrs to drive from Dong He to Kenting along highway 1 (it's a meandering coastal highway). If you have a car you can chase swells around the island but to do that you need to know your way around, so probably not worth contemplating on your first attempt. With a Garmin GPS you can get around but you still need to know where the spots are anyway.

August to September is typhoon season which can produce some good swells and good waves. Winter is good too I've had good waves in December/January and the water remains around 22-25 degrees but the air temperatures can be cooler like 15-20 I reckon a long sleeve spring is all you need on the "east coast", down south a hot shirt.

I reckon the best bet is their winter on the "east coast" and stay at one of the local surf shops accommodation. They'll take you to the spots and show you around the place. Up market there is Jun's place, he's an expat Japanese surfer who married a local, then there is Bay Bay's which is cheaper and a little more rustic - you get what you pay for, Jun's is family friendly. Down south there is a dude called Moonwalker (Neil Armstrong) who is editor of Pacific Longboarder (Oz Mag) and he runs a tour service too. There are others too. For a first visit using one of these "tour" operators is the way to go because you get accommodation, local knowledge and transport.

Anymore questions PM me.

[Chris]

hey big leigh.

yeah its going to come down to your weight a little bit and also the types of waves that you are in for the most part. By switching to the Spitfire you will gain performance but it's performance that will only come if you have slightly better waves to surf the board in. Remember that by going with a small wave board, wide and stubby board, you will always have to get your weight back on the tail which is ok, it just takes some getting used to.

pass along your weight and some of the peeps will help!!

[big leigh]

Hi there chris i weigh about 96-98kg. i have 2 sweet potatos a 5-10 then traded down to a 5-8! i got rid of that to get the potatonator! I still like the potatonator but i find i try to ride it all the time.. where if i had a 6-2 spit it would have a touch more volume so it would still go good on the really small days?? and when it gets bigger it will still handle it! where on the potatonator i seem to get axed alot on late take offs, i ride my alt when it gets really big so would a 6-2 spit & 6-4 alt be a good 2 board quiver?? last year i had a 6-2 dominator and liked that so the spit should be better...

[cuttlefish]

Woodsy must love you..."I need another board".