I just came into some money via insurance after my house burnt down and i'm gonna use some of it to purchase a new surfboard. I'm probably getting a firewire, cause i've been interested in them for a while. I've been riding a chili 6'4" thruster/squash tail for a couple years now, and am looking for something a little thicker and shorter that will be fun on small ocean city days but also hold up in good conditions (outter banks overhead barrels). A guy at K coast suggested either the dominator model 6'0" or the quadfish 5'10", i've never owned a fish so the quadfish is intriguing to me. I weigh about 166, am 6'0" tall, 24 years old and am borderline intermediate/advanced. Does anybody that surfs firewires have any suggestions? I've been wanting a new board for a couple years and am stoked as hell to get a new firewire.
well it's not like you can't be good if you haven't owned a fish, you need to work with what you have
I own a fish, and I am rather terrible at surfing. Seems to be no correlation to owning a fish and being good.
I rarely see anyone out tearin it up on a fish. Usually if the conditions are decent people use their go to board which is most likely not a fish. I've wanted one forever, I just haven't had the dough.
A lot of people don't like them but for smaller days I use a 9Fish Seared Ahi...the board is about 3in thick so it catches almost all kinds of waves. Personally I love it...how much are you looking to spend?
I would go with the fish I have two boards with a fish tail one of which is the firewire futura, which happens to be my go to board.
i can spend anywhere up to about a grand, i'm totally open to suggestions and am really lookin for something quality.
Well first of all, the guy who wanted to sell you a 6'0 surfboard when your 6ft, just wanted your money. Typically, you want to add a bit of width and legth unless you are an expert surfer. You will actually make your surfing worse in the short and long term if you go too short too early. Also, how are your turns? Are you good enough to understand and do different tweaks on your turns or just what 'feels' good? I feel if you are claiming anything other than expert your wasting your money on a firewire. I personally think the best bet for you is something in the 6'2 range. This will allow you to progress on the board and sell it when your better. Last, this is just personal but check out XTR instead of firewires. They have the same properties of a PU but the strenght of a firewire. Also, many different board manufactures make XTR versions of their boards so, more choices for you to choose from. I say browse the shapers and see what you come across. You can shape a custom XTR cheaper than a stock Firewire, keep that in mind.
I rented a firewire quadfish when i was in florida surfing sebastian and had a damn good session on it, so i'm pretty sure i can handle one. But if a board that's similar or better for cheaper then I'm all for it. I'm gonna check out XTR...
I think both boards he mentioned are wide enough, the 6'0" Dominator is 20 1/2" and the 5'10" Quadfish is 21".
I have a friend who is about your size and tears it up on a dominator. I would stay away from those 9fish, they are horrible boards from the one I saw in person and the videos of them being ridden on the net are pathetic. Sorry scypher no offence intended.
I was the same way when I was buying my firewire. The whole thing about the flex is true. They're great boards. I'm about the same size as you are and I was in the same situation too but I went with a quadraflex instead of a quadrafish simply because I don't like how a fish feels under my feet. I got a 6' and I love this board, I used it all winter except for one storm (double o-head). I instantly felt the speed difference off of the pop-up with the quad after coming off a thruster. I say go for it.
i think the opposite is true..once you think you know it all and stop seeking other opinions is when you stop advancing. natty boh dude: Id say for your size those dimensions sound bout right.
being around your size and an intermediate surfer i have ridden the 6'2 dominator and it felt a little big for me even but i really liked it it paddled like a gem and it does still have that firewire pop and lively feel that even and average surfer can feel even though its a bigger board than most other firewires. The dominator model from firewire is supposed to be ridden 4-6 inches shorter than your normal shortboard because of the increase in volume in the beak nose and the thick tail that it is known for. Not truly a "fish", the dominator is a hybrid that will fit the pocket better than its round nose fish brethrn but float and paddle much better than your standard thruster. IF your riding a 6'4 shortboard comfortably, and want something beefier than the dominator is a great board in either even the 5'10" or the 6'0". I personally think that would be a beetter fit for the waves around here than the quadfish if you want to go that route their are maybe better boards out there to be completely honest. I know a couple of guys who are ridding them as their summer time boards and are crazy over them and they are more foam than you think so don't be afraid to maybe look into that 5'10" too. BTW..the idea that because he is 6' he can't ride a 6'0 surfboard is ridiculous and shows that your offering advice on a board that you know nothing about. and surfing0c912...just because we dont have 6 fishes..maybe your suspect! ha! snap!
Man this is a tough decision...My heart says get the quadfish but reason is pointing to the dominator...hot damn...this is a fun dilemma to have though. I guess it's gonna come down to a last minute decision when i go to actually buy the board. Thanks for all the advice guys.
