Board selection help - Addvance or Potatonator?

[NathMac]

Hey all,

I know this has prob been done a million times and after searching through the forums there is some super advice. However nothing that really suits my needs..

I am after a board to step down from my 9'1" longboard. I have been surfing for about a year twice a week usually. I am wanting to progress my surfing past the slow turning longboard.

I am a bit of a big bopper but more muscular than fat. I am bang on 6 foot tall and weight 110kgs. Being an ex athlete I still keep in shape and am pretty fit. (I like to think I am anyway!)

Anyway to get to the point, I was wondering what board would be best for my needs? I am wanting something small and something I can have more manoeuvrability on. Is the Addvance or the Potatonator the best option for me? And also what sizing would be best? I am thinking a 6'10" Addvance or a 6'8" potatonator...

I should mention I surf mostly beach breaks - and nothing overly massive!

Any help would be fantastic.

THANKS!

[STC67]

Hi NathMac,

I did the same as you in that I came down from a longboard to the 702 Addvance. I am now surfing a Potatonator. I am 95kg but unlike you, not fit or athletic:)

My opinion is to go the Addvance. It is an incredibly good all round board and makes the transition down in length an easy one. Up to head high and a bit there is nothing it can't handle from 2ft mushy to a pitching beachie. I have paddled mine into some beachies that other young guys weren't making and the Addvance never let me down. I really regret selling mine and intend to get another at 6'10 as I think for these head high conditions I prefer it to my Hellfire as I can get in and set up earlier which my slowing back and hamstrings seem to struggle with.

The Potonator is a more specialized board. It won't be as easy to catch waves, it is harder to surf and requires a very Backfoot style. I also find not quite suited to fast hollow beachies however others will say they have no problems here. I have just came back from a 2 hr sesh at Coolangatta which today was made for the Potatonator (I even saw a few others out there) It went very well and out performed what I could have done on the Addvance. It still paddled well and I competed with longboards. It was faster and more vertical than the Addvance and I was really happy with it but I also have other boards for different conditions. I believe for an allround board coming down from longboards the Addvance is a better option.

Just to confuse the issue, have you considered a Spitfire. I haven't surfed one but it seems to be between Potatonator and the ADDvance and the biggest Spit has a fair bit of volume which would make it easier to catch waves. The rocker is a bit flatter and may not handle the punchy stuff as well as the Addvance but the tail is also not as extreme the Potaonator but still has that double concave which I am really enjoying. It will out perform the Addvance. If I could only have 1 FireWire it would be an Addvance without the benefit of having surfed a Spit.

I hope this helps.

[cuttlefish]

6'10" Addvance.
As a longboarder you will benefit from it's planshape more.
You will also appreciate it's well distributed volume.
I too scratched my head as to why you would sell your Addvance STC?

[STC67]

6'10" Addvance.
As a longboarder you will benefit from it's planshape more.
You will also appreciate it's well distributed volume.
I too scratched my head as to why you would sell your Addvance STC?

Yes, a guy wanted it. He was just starting out and was full of stoke. He was talking about a SP which was all wrong. The Addvance was perfect for him so I sold it! I don't really regret it as I am having alot of fun playing around with some different boards, some I like, some I don't. It has been a challenge for me but there is an inkling for a 6'10 Addvance, if only they came in FST. My only concern if I get another one, I just won't surf anything else and I'm just not ready for that yet.

Had a blast on the Pnator this morning at Greenmount. I'm running Pancho Sullivan Fins (thruster) which could have had a touch more drive. I have tried Controllers but a but found them tracky.

[cuttlefish]

Good on you for sharing the stoke.
When I'm teaching my No 2 daughter to surf I laugh so hard with the joy of seeing her take off on little tiddlers and glide along.
Way more stoked than battling it out with the hordes.
Re p'nator - Put in AMT fronts and the controller rears.
This is what I run in my baked.
Haven't tried them in the p'nator yet but I've tried the amt fronts with smaller conventionaly raked rears (albeit small SB1 sidebites) and they were too loose off the tail for my tastes but they controller rears could be the money combo on the p'nator as well.
Still love the amt fronts (tonnes of drive) with a normal trailer (EA blackstix).
I would really like to have a 6'10" addvance and all my other boards could well gather dust.
:-)

[Chris]

Yeah i have always been of the mind that the addvance is a perfect board to transition downward on. it gets your body used to the response and performance of a shorter rail, with creating a huge gap in volume and paddling. i think its important to keep the ease of use at a respectable level because it allows for quicker development.

cheers and hope this helps.