smdrew,

Hey Smdrew

I am a weekend surfer 52 years, 185lbs 6'. I came to this forum and still do for advice; Chris' advice sounds pretty spot on. Until recently I was away from surfing for 12 years. Previously surfed performance boards for 25 years in south west Australia, and was well experienced. Coming back I wanted some performance features; i.e. reasonable turning & handle steep (ish) waves, but easier paddle and catch waves. 

Coming off the backdrop of 1990s wafer thin boards, I very nearly went for a 7'6 because I wanted to be sure of getting enough float & stability, but changed to 7'2 actually after I placed the order. Now I am happy with 7'2 performance relative to what I would expect from a 7'6; if I wanted slightly more cruise and even easier wave catching would have gone for 7'6. May be it will suit you better.

With 7'2 I can get in to head high hollow beach breaks early enough to get up and set, and still feel confidence and satissfaction in the board' ability to track and turn. I expect the 7'6 would offer that same track and hold - albiet with just slightly more drawn out turns, and a little bit earlier wave entry.

I will add the AddVance is a big board to manage paddling back out through the waves and even though I can paddle it pretty quickly, I am glad to have a bit less board (than the 7'6) to deal with when confronted with a wave about to drop on my head. - A factor which might multiply as I get into bigger waves over time. Good luck - hope you enjoy. JV

Hey JVSouthCoast,

Chris, I've been surfing dawn patrol at Threes off of Waikiki for over 30 years, Mondays through Fridays, in whatever conditions, from ankle snappers up to 8-10 foot faces if lucky.  I am 58 years old, 160 lbs., and decent in the water. Have to compete with a ton of longboarders on a regular basis, mainly during the summer onslaught, so I require a board with a lot of volume.  Right now surfing an epoxy 7'6" Kane Garden Fish thuster with Vector fins that is 3 1/4" thick.  The larger Firewire ADDvance boards caught my eye because of their similar thickness.  Thinking these Firewires would be even looser than my KG.  Given my age, weight, board I am currently using, and reasonable amount of experience, would you recommend the 7'2" or the 7'6"?  Appreciate whatever opinion you have.  Jim

Hi if you don't mind me giving my 2 cents worth ,I have the whole range of addvance surfboards and the 7'2" is plenty big enough for anyone ,you can still catch waves just as well as the 706 but with a lot more movement and fun ,go for the 702 you won't look back !

Hey Jim,

I really appreciate your responses guys.  I was kind of leaning towards the 702.  I'm thinking it would be much more manuverable than what I now have going.  My bud who surfs all the dinky and thin Firewires (tried one, and the water came up to my neck!), as well as our local surf shop guy (who made me feel the 6'6" and  6'10" Addvance boards to give me an idea how much volume the boards have) suggest I go 702.  Actually, my paramount concern is paddling power....Threes is a reef break 1/2 mile off of Waikiki, so I need to get out there quickly before dawn and start paddling back in for work around 7. Volume helps there.  And in summertime I plant myself just inside the longboarders and SUPs and can pick up lots of nice waves, oftentimes one of the last waves of the good sets. Again, volume helps me move quickly to capitalize on these opportunities. I'm hoping I can do the same with the 702.  Once again, I sure appreciate the advice.  It did help.  Aloha, Jim

Went to the surf shop at lunch and ordered the 702. Upon looking at the 6'10" I saw how thick that board really is ALL the way through, and decided the 702 was definitely worth the good try.  Ordered it today.  No better feeling than getting a new stick! Absolutely stoked, and I haven't even ridden the darn thing! 

I second that.  Getting a new board is one of the best feelings in the world.  Almost hate waxing up a new board because it looks so "purdy" sitting there all shiny and brand new.  Good luck with the board, I have been hearing nothing but good things about that model.   

hey rapozamango22. did you think about the 7'6 ? how big are you because i am not sure whether to get the 7'6 or the 7'2. been only surfing 3years and worried that the 7'2 will only let me down in terms of catching waves (paddling) have to believe the 7'6 is easier to paddle

good to hear rapoza.  let us know how it goes...

bot the 7'6 today from huntington surf and sport. love the board..its a little hard to hold under my arms because of the width but will manage.

http://www.oregonsurfshop.com/future-fins-rob-machado-thruster-fin-set.html
bot these fins yeesterday here at HSS surf in Orange County. they look cool with the bamboo deck

Good to know the 706 is good for you smdrew.  I am smaller than you at 5' 7" and around 155 lbs (certainly older at 58!), so your input helps me see that my decision in ordering the 702 was the right one.  Thanks for your info, and those fins sure look nice.  I recall somewhere in this forum reading (Mr.Cuttlefish perhaps), that the Blackstix EA's and the SB1 trailer worked like "magic" on these boards......still waiting for my 702 to arrive through Surf Garage over here in Honolulu....apparently these boards are not stocked in our surf shops, so long wait.....

hey rapozamango22. i love the way the board looks but there was one scratch near the tip of the nose of the board that was already there when i bot it yesterday. i sent a pic to chris(moderator) to make sure this is a scratch that wont ruin the board. aside from the scratch the board really is almost to good looking to take out. you almost want to put on your wall in your house and look at it. unfortunately i dont think my wife will like it hanging on the wall in the living room. hey attached the picture of the scratch tell me what you think. looks like it was probably scratched when the board was being showed at HSS surf in huntington beach. it doesnt look like it went through to the bamboo but going to wait till chris tells me its okay before i take it into the water

Hey smdrew, 

hey chris never put on resin. so can you tell me which brand to buy and where i fan buy it for the scratch. thanks drew

to me this doesn't look like a shatter, but more like a surface scratch.  wax that puppy up drew and get in the water!  Let us know how it paddles you.

yeah drew on second thought, it probably doesn't need resin at all.   it is certainly a scratch i just can't tell how deep.  if that were on my board i probably wouldn't waste the time.   you could ride it no worries.  for the repair you might stop by a shop with it and ask what they think.   

thank you chris..it does..i will post you guys how it rides next week once i recover from week long cold i cant seem to shake..

that type of thing seems to be going around these days.

Glad to hear you guys are getting with the ADDvance program. I've been surfing a 702 for about a year now and really enjoying it. [ Fla. and Costa]  The board totally changed the way I  think on the wave and motivated me to try a 6-10 Dom.  The experiment is going great and my perf. longboards are gathering major dust. I never thought my old bones would fit in the pocket.  [ 57yrs 6feet 185#] 

yeah wavedogger, good to hear!!

Chris, still waiting for my 702 delivery, but thinking of fins.  Will you recommend a thruster set-up for the 702?  Right now on my plus-sized fish I use Rasta Keels when I want to go twin, but mostly use the Vector package of VFTI (512) with the 3.25 inch trailer. I'm reading on the forum that Vector II 450 with SB1 trailer as one choice.  Also, what are your feelings of plastic versus fiberglass?  Thanks.

Hey Rapoza, there are a lot of good fins out there and lots of technologies.  at your size and weight you don't need a massive fin, but you want enough to to hold the board in line when you get moving.  I think the EAs or the AM1s would be really good templates and then you could choose to get those in a more expensive technology if you felt inclined to.  Personally i think the blackstix are some of the lightest and most high performance fins out there, but their prices are more expensive.  Have a look here and go to the catalog.   Keep in mind, the AM1, for example, is offered in many different technologies, so you will see it in several different places...

I see Chris.  You're referring me to the listings for the "medium" weighted folks where I see the several Merrick FAM1 fins and the Merrick VII FAM1 Blackstix, and the several Arakawa EA fins and Arakawa VII FEA Blackstix.  I'm leaning towards the Fiberglass FAM1 or the VII FAM1 Blackstix unless I hear anything to the contrary from you.  But what about the trailer?  Can I just go with the 3.25 inch trailer I already have, or do you think the somewhat taller SB1 (at 3.57 inches) would be better?  I appreciate your help.

my knowledge of the SB1 is that its a sidebite.   sidebites do not have symmetrical foils and are meant to be used in fin boxes on one rail or the other.   Therefore you are going to want to avoid using that as a trailer.   

Thanks for the info Chris!  I wasn't sure whether the trailer would be included with the two fins, but in my recent internet searches I now see that only a few vendors advertise both the Fiberglass and VII Blackstix (450) FAM1s as a set of 3 fins, while other vendors give no indication that a trailer is included at all.  And only one vendor gives the dimensions of the trailer...that vendor states that in the Fiberglass FAM1 set the trailer is only about 1/2 inch shorter than the 2 main fins .  The height of that trailer fin was surprising to me, because I was under the impression that a trailer fin would be smaller, more like the 3.25 inch trailer that came in my TFT1 set.  I'll try to persuade the missus to incorporate the Blackstix as an "essential, if not integral" part of my ADDvance Christmas present!  Now, if only I had the board in hand!  I'll let you know how the performance and floatation goes.  aloha, Jim/Rapoza (by the way, the Rapoza mango, which I grow over here in Honolulu, is one of the newer and very best mangoes!) 

cheers Jim,

Chris, I have heard from my friends who own Firewires that it takes about 3 months to receive a Firewire surfboard through our Honolulu stores!  On 12/8/10 I ordered the 702 ADDvance through Surf Garage in Honolulu.  I'm thinking that if it will take 2 more months of waiting, I may as well go with the 5-fin set-up (which I read in another forum you indicated will be available in early March).  I will check with Surf Garage to see if indeed I have another couple of months of waiting.  If so, are you able to help facilitate the 702 5-fin ADDvance getting to me through Surf Garage?  No problem if you are not able to do so; just inquiring.

BTW, I picked up the Blackstix FAM1 thruster fin set at Rip Curl in Santa Monica for the excellent price of $67 while visiting my daughter in L.A. over Christmas.  I switched them out with the VFT1 fin set on my big fish, and notice it gives a more positive feel to my board. Jim

guys i have been riding this board 7'6 aadvance for 2.5weeks now. i dont think i can go back to my 9'0 longboard. chris is right (never doubted you) that i have been able to actually catch steeper waves that i would normally pearl on my 9'0 longboard. i cant quite describe the ride on the aadvance because once you pop up its so light that i feel like i kind of floating on the water. i am not good enough to surf double overhead. so my little 3-4ft waves here in los angeles have actually been fun to ride. down the road i plan to buy a 7'2 and try to lean and ride that size. i could see why guys on this board keep saying the 7'6 replaced their longboard. i havent really felt i lost any paddle or glide with the 7'6. i am 40years old 5'11 and 190pounds and only been surfing for 5years but i feel like the aadvance has really helped. i think they surf schools should put people on an aadvance versus a traditional longboard. the learning curve would be easier ..

hah agree with your las statement!!! 

Chris, following up on my January 10th post above, do you have any idea why it takes so long to ship a Firewire ADDvance to Honolulu?  My friend who regularly orders different Firewires from Tropical Blend in Honolulu is of the opinion that 3 months is standard.  Boy, Had I known that I would not have ordered from Surf Garage here and paid the extra shipping from one of your regular online dealers like Cleanline in Oregon.

Good on you drew.  glad someone has a new stick. (kind of cold in cali water, eh?)  Jim

yeah just finished going over the details with one of the logistics guys.  you can change it, but just go into the shop and inquire about the status of your previous order and indicate to them that you want to change your order to an Addvance with 5 fins.  You can let them know all they have to do is reach out to us and we'll log the change.   It has to go though the shops though so check in with them and feel free to follow up here afterwards.  

Hi Chris, I just checked with the owner of Surf Garage, and he assures me that my 702 thruster will be here in due time.  Surf Garage received a shipment of Firewires several days ago, and I'm anticipating my order will be in the next shipment.  So, I'm good and will just stay with my original order.  I do appreciate you connecting with the logistics people and giving me the opportunity to go with the 5-fin.  aloha, Jim  

cheers jim,

Chris, I have another query for you.  I went to the surf shop to check on my 702 ADDvance a couple days ago, and while there I picked up the Flexflight 900R to replace those old, heavy, beaten up longboards that I have which I use on small, super high tide, mushy-trashy days.  Now I will have two new Firewires!  I find the Flexflight to be very fast down the line and so light and manuverable that you can actually work it like a shortboard--albeit in a slower, more exaggerated manner.  It makes surfing (i.e., gliding, roller coastering, and slow cutbacks) in small stuff really fun!  Now to my question:  the surf shop threw in a truster fin set, all about equal size.  I know this is an ADDvance forum, but can you suggest fin configurations and/or types of fins that should work well on my 9'0" Flexflight?  Thanks.  Jim

jim, did you get an adapter for the box?

hey mmscott, are you curious if the Addvance will perform better as a quad or a twin?  

Chris,  I am curious if the Addvanced will before better as a quad, twin or even thruster.

i would say that you should look to ride it as a thruster OR quad.  i am not sure that it would ride that well as a twinny.   Its a big board that likes to have trailers or a center fin anchoring your turns.  

Chris,  So with the 5 fin set Rusty from Future, I should be ok??  Is there any other fins that you would recommend??

yeah that is a solid fin set and it comes with 5 so that you can get a quad OR a thruster depending on your mood.   it is a good slightly larger fin so it will fit your weight and the added volume of the board real nicely.   The AM2s are another good option blending performance and hold.   I would stick with a solid all around fin and try not to get one that is too upright.   

Chris, Thanks again. This is helpful info.  Thank you for the words of wisdom!

wisdom.... not yet.   hopefully some day.  at this point only moderate experience.  

Chris, it's Rapoza/Jim (had to change my password to get back on for some reason).  Finally receiving notice that my ADDvance is about to arrive within a couple of weeks!  It's been three months, but I took the opportunity in the delay to make sure my board has the 5-fin configuration.  Per your recommendation I purchased the AM1 Blackstixs for the thruster set-up.  But what type of fins do I use for the quad set-up?  Getting ready!  thanks Chris, Jim

hey Jim,

I am 5' 7" tall and weigh 155 lbs.  This is for the 702 ADDvance.  One more question please:  would the quad fins you recommend be the same for a 706 ADDvance where the rider is 5' 8" tall and weighs 160-165?  Thanks Chris.