6 foot...85-90kg...30+ years surfing . . . FLEXFIRE 6'2 x 18 3/4 x 2 1/2 and others (mostly nev's)

nev

Hey Guys....Just thought I'd drop in to the forum to give you my perspective on the performance characteristics of my current quiver of boards, and how I these particular boards have changed the way I consider what, where and how I surf.

As you'd probably guess, I can have any board I want but, much to your probable dismay,
I have always been a 6'2" in the back of the truck kind of guy.
Why?...Well as you know, we are not all dripping with freakish natural ability like Taj, Kelly, Laird or Rasta, who feel comfortable on just about anything. (However, have you noticed how they are all ugly as sin…At least we have that on them, eh!)
Is this good enough reasons to only ride a 6’2”?…NO, but the following may explain where I am heading…

Comfort Zone
I preferred surfing one board that I know, not wanting to jeopardize a surf by adjusting to something I am not comfortable with. This especially when trying to get waves amongst the madness of the Gold Coast. Miss a wave or worse, blow it, there’s no more for you baby!
Ringing any bells for you?

No Compromise
A competent surfer should be able to ride anything...However, I don't want to ride anything that actually compromises the way I surf when surfing at my best. I have always been quietly competent, but like most of us, more Edna Average in technical ability. This has not been my Achilles Heel as a surfboard designer, rather an advantage, as I have learned as a designer to LISTEN to all surfers of all abilities at all times.
Like you, when I surf and hopefully get that set wave, I want to SURF!
I want to carve off the bottom, hit the lip, pull in and exit into a roundhouse, finally hittin’ that lip again, as it closes out, all to the hoots of Kelly Slater who’s watched the whole thing whilst paddling out. (Oh yeah, and with Tiger Woods on the boat WISHING he was me!) Mind surfing yes, but you can’t tell me that is not your ultimate watery dream.

Do you imagine doing this on anything but your proverbial 6’2”(whatever you ride) that you know so well?
I doubt it.

I am 5'11" x 69k x and 51 years young.
I have never been a long boarder, mini mal, fun shape or retro fish rider, which at worst has cost me heaps of waves and a fair bit of compromised surfing, but at best kept me on 6’2’s when lots of others have moved on to less performing equipment. Sadly, a required compromise for many.
In the 70's and 80's and early 90’s, pride kept many of us away from surfing more than one board. Now it is a mandate of cool that one can rip on anything. (Joel Tudor/Rasta)…I have been a surfer with not all the time in the world surf. (sound familiar?) So, when going for an quickie or a 6ft perfect and crowded dream session, I want to give myself every chance to surf the way I dream of surfing, not to be pulling out a paddle machine or wide tail wonder board to only end up snagging that set wave and surf dramatically DIFFERENTLY, being in 3rd gear, and not in 5th with pedal to the metal, reeking with confidence.

The reason for this intro is to have you understand why I am now a four, yes FOUR board kinda guy!

I have never, in 42 years of surfing, been this excited about what I am riding… Why?
Firstly they are Firewires...Enough said
Secondly we have filled the gaping hole that was in our range with the RIGHT shapes that work together for most conditions and more importantly they work together seamlessly, allowing you to surf without complete compromise. What do I mean?

As stated, my choice in surfing is to ride contemporary boards. It always has been. I do my best to surf half as good as the pro's who have inspired me. First for me was Ian Cairns...West Oz, 1974, hence the right arm high, snapback style of redirection that I can't seem to shake. Then 1977, style displayed beautifully by Michael Petersen. Technically perfect left arm down right arm bent and following...Then it was the Shaun Tompsons front foot drive, two hand high speed drive boogie.
These moves could only be done with sorta narrowish tails. This is what influenced me and my boards for many years to come.
The 8+ inch fishtail was big in the early 70's, which surfed flat, wide with no drive. Then Mini Mals and Longboards made a comeback in the late 80’s which was more of a Retro-volution. I shaped them all but personally I never liked riding them. I really never had the time, energy or inclination to ride such radically different boards. That’s my “excuse”…Then of course Simon did his thing with the Thruster and at last we had tail width AND drive. 28 years later, after pulling that tail width back in adding more curve, were all happy little Vegimites with our proverbial 6’2”s…Until now.
We all have inherent styles and abilities due to our physicality and natural ability or lack thereof.
Some just want to surf the same old same old. (me before)
Some like to surf something radically different for a different “feel”. (Rasta)
Some want paddle and stability. (everyone else)
Some want a range of boards that go well in all conditions, but to a degree maintain a similarity in performance. (me now!)

nev

Spoilt for choice, but each board has it’s day. Here’s what I am riding now for anything under 6ft which is 90% of the time.

6’2” x 18 3/4” x 2 7/16” Flexfire / Rapidfire - for serious surfing that we all hang out to do.

5’11” x 20” x 2 3/8” Firefly / FST - for more fun in average to better conditions. Nicely foiled for serious surfing when required.

5’8” x 20” x 2 3/8” Dominator / Rapidfire - for having more fun in sad to average conditions. However, don’t be fooled though...these things go mental in good waves too...

6’6” x 20 1/2” x 3” Addvance / Rapidfire - for crap or crowded days when you’d normally pull out the minimal or long board and cruise to get more waves....Not any more! No soul arching to get some semblance of surf stoke. Get everything you want and still do turns all over the shop!

Following is some info on the new Addvance and how it compares to the Dominator…And then some info on the new Firefly.

Unfair Addvantage
There are two ways to consider the Addvance... Going Up or Coming Down.

Going up.

You ride a short board and have considered getting a long board because you are not as fit as you used to be and are frustrated no end. You just can’t get your quota! Your turns may be a bit longer but you’ll still be ripping. More importantly you’ll be catching waves!!
Or, you hold your own when it is good, but the Pros, Groms, Longboarders and SUPers get all the sets....
You want more, you greedy bugger. So, some days, instead of getting a tanker, catching heaps and just cruising, you pull out the Addvance and take over.
(Actually...NO!...People like you are hereby and forthwith banned from ever owning an Addvance.)

Coming Down.

You ride a Mini Mal, or Longboard and love the paddle and the inherent glide, but you wish you could hit the lip, or pull off a clean roundhouse in the pocket like you used to...
Or maybe you have always ridden a longboard and you want to feel what shortboard freedom is all about but don’t want to lose the paddle. You have tried Big Fishes but you don’t get the glide as they are too foiled (thin) in the nose and tail, and too wide under your back foot!
Enter the Addvance. It has similar volume as a longer mini mal, or long board, but is shorter and wider, with the volume evenly distributed from nose to tail and out to the rail.
Combine this with a fuller nose template and a narrower swallow tail, and you have a board that has supreme paddle, instant up and glide, totally forgiving rails, and surprisingly positive in the pocket drive from the narrower tail.
There is a sweet concave under front foot for lift and speed, running into a double concave tail vee, for rail to rail manoeuvrability and squirt.
The entry nose curve is contemporary with nice Rail Chines forward to keep the front rail free and fast. Tail curve has a bit of kick, which helps it to turn on a dime.
The result of all this is that if you for example, came down from a 9’0”, to a 7’2” Addvance, you will catch as many waves, but you will be absolutely ripping the bag baby! Chicks may even start digging you (again)
...Oh yeah, and for the girls, you will tick off your Tanker riding boyfriend big time by surfing circles around him....
Vance Burrow, (Taj’s old man who is about 5’8”x 80+ kilos and 60+ years young) has been my collaborator in the design of this evil surfboard. He rips on his 6’10 “Little Boat”, the original prototype of the Addvance.
He believes in having an unfair Addvantage...

Difference between the Advance and Dominator?

The Dominator should be considered a high performance board for smaller gutless waves, in lieu of a wide tail Fish, Pod.
It is usually a step down from your normal board, but not too wide in the tail to inhibit performance surfing.
A Dominator will still go square off the bottom and into a vertical turn. If you rip go 6” shorter than your normal short board. If more average in ability go 4” shorter. We have ex WQS standard surfers who ride their Dominators 80% of the time, they go that good.

The Addvance can be a legitimate switch, from long boarding to short boarding without sacrificing paddle and glide. Or it can be a fun addition to the quiver for more paddle and glide, in lieu of resorting to a long board.

The volume and stability of both boards are perfect for beginner to average ability surfers who need every bit of help they can get, but who also don’t want to ride a long board. Although there are only two boards in the range that match, (the 6’10” and the 6’6”) my preference for the beginner to average surfer is to go for the Addvance, if you are trying to choose the one that will be easiest to surf. The reason being is that whilst they have similar volume for paddling, the Addvance had a bit more bottom curve and a slightly narrower tail, allowing for quicker response to a turn. It takes more power and drive (experience) to put the Dominator on rail for a turn. A better example is my personal choice of the 5’8” Dominator. I surfed the 5’10 first, which I thought would be perfect for my 69kg frame and experience, however It was too thick in the tail. It lacked drive off the bottom, which is the turn that set’s up all manoeuvres. I dropped down to the 5’8” and viola! Perfect!

O.M.G !! The Firefly is such a good board.
It is more high performance than the Dominator and should be surfed 2 to 4” shorter than your normal board, depending on ability.
The main ingredients are the forward volume and nose area that provides resistance under front foot loading, when pumping down the line whilst looking for speed from nothing. It is not too thick and wide from the centre to tail, allowing for on edge rail carves to offload that speed with plenty of squirt! Full High Performance Fish surfing. This board feel as right under foot as your favourite all round board does. It can be surfed as a Quad or Thruster with almost no adjustment to stance required. The rails are super forgiving. It is crazy how quick off the mark it is and how on rail you can get it. Phew!

It IS the board for you, if you are inspired by what Kelly has been riding lately.
The wider nose, narrower tail gig is what I was doing 18 years ago, which I called the “Retro Rocket” under the "nev" brand. They had almost exactly the same outline rocker and foil. Danny Wills wanted to surf his on the WCT, and amazing surfers like Guy Walker and a young Rasta loved them…but they were too early and did not have enough volume to compete with the Fish Retro Renaissance. Thankfully we are evolving back to this High Performance Fish style of board. For Firewire, the Retro Rocket was the inspiration for the Dominator, that Dan Mann did so well by adding volume and reducing tail rocker. It has also been the inspiration for the Futura and now the Firefly.

dyoung

Nev,
aloha, great commentary on the quiver!

Your 6'2" is a FE rapidfire round pin?
You have RapidFire in most of your boards.
Can give us your observations on the Rapidfire feel for those of us who have never tried it?

Fins can make a board sing...are those Soars bottom flare fins on the Firefly?
What fins do you usually prefer for the fireFly....and do you use the same fins on each model or do they all vary?
Give us your commentary on Fins.
d
d

kiteboarder

Great post Nev, very interesting. I own a Dom 5'10" and I'm looking for other FW boards to complement it. -D

nev

Hey guys....Um.... I have been really busy at work...Today I slaved away for Firewire for 5 whole hours! Yes...Amazing eh! (see attached photos of my 3rd world work environment too...Disgusting! I think you should all lobby Firewire for better conditions for me and Chuy!

Due to this work load I was unable to get back to you promptly. I am very tired also so this will be short.
Thanks dyoung
My 6'2 is a squash.
I rode a DD round tail for one year. Same board. Now it is in Demo fleet... Perfect condition...Amazing!

I LOVE the DD because I do not like unpredictability in a board. I am light 511 and 69k but I like positive drive. I like solid waves. I don't rip the bag and do airs (doh!) This for me adds up nicely to the DD. Bigger more powerful guys like DD also for the same reasons....They like predictability when overpowering a board.
The RF sits nicely between the FST and the DD. It feels a tad more "sparky" alive if you can believe that, because FST is renown for that amazing alive feeling when you load it through a turn. It gives you back MORE than PU. I/WE believe this here at Firewire, and through the testament of thousands of average Joes to Pros worldwide. I love Rapidfire now, but geez...I love everything, so don't trust me, try and try one mate!

I am loving those power base fins by Soar on my Firefly. They REALLY feel like glassons. Base stability is almost identical now. What a great idea...However, it is certainly no the be all and end all in fin systems or improvements to. Kelly and a host of others rip on standard FCS without base support, and FCS do it well, so I would not get yer knickers in a twist if you can't get them. Futures and their fins are great. I use Blackstix cause they look nice. I am sure they are also making me rip the bag too! Seriously, base stability and fin design is done well by those guys.

Hey kiteboarder!

not knowing your height and weight, and if you surf reasonably well andf have no other boards, firstly I am going to guess that you are 75+kilos so I would suggest the 6'3 Flexfire, or the 5'11 or maybe 6'1 Firefly. You NEED an alround board though so I'g go with the 6'3

I need sleeeeep...It is either going to be 6ft+ or 10ft+ at Honolua in the morning, depending on the accuracy of the buoy data....Nuts!....Sorry to upset you!

kiteboarder

Hey Nev, thanks for the advice. Those photos of Honolua awesome. I lived on Maui for 2 years. Never surfed Honulua though. I did surf Ma'alea. Pretty big summer swell in '03 or '04. But, I spent most of my time in Maui, you guessed it, kiteboarding! Cheers, Danny

donniedarko

Nev you bastard... and yes I'm a jealous tit.

Thanks for the connect with G Trotter. I looking forward to ordering some fins soon to test out.
dd

corepersonaltraining

nev, i second donnie's sentiment!!!
i've been laying in bed for a week with the flu from hell...and you just had to post those pics!! you mongrel!!

donnie, greg is from my little bit of paradise..he's been the go to fin man for ages!!!............

iggy

What can I tell you???I have to deal with snow and sub zero temperatures jejejeBe thankfull guys is all I can say jeje

corepersonaltraining

iggy,
i've checked your pics on facebook....man i feel like a wimp complaining during aussie east coast winters now!!!!
you are hard core dude!!!...and keep the pics coming too!!

taking the boards out of a heated car into snow and icy water and back again is a serious materials test..you should be part of the firewire research team!!!!
see ya
dave

iggy

Thanks corepersonaltraining!!!.I'll be going to test the dominator and the quadraflex tomorrow morning under very adverse conditions uphere (-9C according to the wather forecast).Pictures will be posted in the afternoon after defrosting jejeje

	IMG_14823.jpg	25K
	IMG_14882.jpg	24K
	IMG_14973.jpg	26K
	IMG_14943.jpg	22K

	IMG_14983.jpg	22K
	IMG_15002.jpg	22K

	IMG_1541.jpg	36K
	IMG_1547.jpg	32K

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories

6 foot...85-90kg...30+ years surfing . . . FLEXFIRE 6'2 x 18 3/4 x 2 1/2 and others (mostly nev's)

6 foot...85-90kg...30+ years surfing . . . FLEXFIRE 6'2 x 18 3/4 x 2 1/2 and others (mostly nev's)