So I'm about to pull the trigger on a new board, but wanted some input. Looking for a board that can be ridden from 1"-3'. Was really thinking the sweet potato, but have read the baked potato is more performance. I am willing to give-up some performance for speed and ease of catching waves- but wanted your input. I'm 6.0, 195, so thinking 5.8 sp or 5.11 bp. Thanks in advance
sweet potato is going to give you an edge in wave catching...and isn't that pretty much the goal? I would think baked pot is if you surf a lot and have your paddling game on. Don't just guess the appropriate size - use the firewire volume calculator (once you fill in your dims, it'll have a link to board suggestions underneath)
I have a sweet potato and it's my "daily board" but when the waves get stomach high or bigger a baked potato would be the call. For reference I'm 5'10 170lbs and I have a 5'4 and could easily ride a 5'2. Even at your size I wouldn't go over a 5'6. They have insane float and catch waves with ease.
I'm your size and ride a baked potato in anything from ankle high to shoulder high, my board is 5'9" . I can catch anything on that board that a sweet potato can, and it turns much easier. You could go much smaller on a sweet potato.
sweet potato 5'6.. don't go to big on these.. i had a 5'4 at 170 and it was a boat.. sold it and got a 5'6 potatonator.. paddles better then the sweet and its 5L less volume.. its my dd and a much better performance board in the small stuff the the sweet..the sweet isn't a great paddler however it will skate over flats like a dream
i should add if you normally surf 1-3 mush then sweet it the call.. if its a beach break with any kinda punch the sweet doesn't fit into the curve of the wave well
I was looking for a 5-6, I'm around 5-6 myself and 140lbs. Damn, how much float do these things have? I kinda wanna try one out. Also, did you just order these online and had it shipped? Or picked it out froma distributor/shop?
Why don't you get a custom shape done for LESS than the cost of the FireWire? Support local shapers for cheaper and a better overall board! You could take the same shape of blend something of the bing dharma sweet potato and a fish
delass, i have a 5'6" sweet potato and the thing rocks, even in punchy shorebreak, I'm 5'11", 195lbs. Can't speak to the baked, but may pick one up here soon. McLovin, I would go shorter with your height & weight, at least down to a 5'2". Had a blast on mine today...there was a solid window of about 2 hours where it was crankin'. This surfing everyday...I could get used to.
I ride a 5'4" sweet P and I am 6'1 170-180 depending on the time of year. I tried the 5-2 and it was just a hair too small. 5'4 seems just right. The thing makes it through some crazy sections especially backside and I can catch a lot of waves on it. Super fun board. I would agree and disagree with escsurfer in that I usually try to get a locally made board but with these small wave, wide ass boards you better find someone who has made a bunch of em cause I have ridden a few that have been complete turds...which is why I ended up with the firewire. I now a few people who have em and they all love em
Thank you all for your input. I went with a 5.8 sp- and it is awesome. I will admit it took a session to get used-to. It's just different how far back your rear foot needs to be- but I eventually got it and was making drops where I was just pearling before. Talk about a wave magnet- only my old 7.6 egg could compare. I know I have just begun to understand how much fun this baby is going to be!
I have to agree with ecssurfer! You could get two custom boards for the price of a firewire. Firewire's are overrated and can still be broken. If you want to build a board like a firewire, go to your shaper and have them glass the board with a layer of innegrity. Your board will be bullet proof and just like a fire wire!
eh...I have to agree with ukelele. Local shapers aren't always the best call. I recently had a local shaper shape me a board based solely on what he thought I should have, based on my age, dims, experience and the local surf spot's usual conditions (a spot on which he was born/grew up on and knows as good as anyone). He's also a standout local surfer including a bag of aerial tricks, so I had to appreciate his knowledge. The board he made me, although expertly built, was a dog. Thing was heavy as hell and wouldn't turn worth a sh*t (I gave it several months just to make sure I wasn't jumping the gun...it still sucked). "Corporate" shapers have a lot of things going for them, including an exponential amount of boards shaped, years of experience with alternative materials, shaping machines for consistent copies of developed shapes, networking with other world class shapers, etc, etc. Re-sale value on a nationally known shaper's board is something to consider, too.
Ummm ya, I would just go to any local shaper. You really want to find someone experienced. You also have to go in there with an idea of what you want. Unless the shaper knows you personally and has surfed with you there is absolutely no way he is going to build you a board that will fit you just right. Unless he gets really lucky. Also I think there is a huge misconception about the machines used to shape boards. They don't just spit out a finished board by any means! Once you program the machine with your dimensions and load the blank up, its basically just a drill bit that spins and goes back and forth the length of the board until it is shaved down to somewhere close to the dimensions. Once that's done you have a very rough version of your board. You then hack of the nose and tail and now the board is ready to be shaped. Still takes about 20-30 minutes of shaping before its ready to be glassed. Still I would highly recommend you support your local shaper. In fact there is a good chance that your local shaper (if good enough) just maybe shaping for the big guys. I won' t name names but many big companies have local guys shape their boards so they don't have to pay outrageous shipping costs. If you buy a hawaiian board in Cali it was probably shaped in Cali. If you're buying a hawaiian or Cali board and you live on the east coast, chances are it was shaped on the east coast. So what it boils down to is you are paying a lot of money to say you have a name brand board. Instead of $800 you can spend $400 and it was shaped by the very same hands! If you're a real surfer you already know the story and where to buy your equipment. The rest of you just buy what Dane is forced to ride for that week! Anybody see Dane riding a dumpster diver during the contest last week? NO.... Haven't you all noticed that they very rarely give out board dimensions during a contest. This is because the pro's very rarely switch it up or ride something unconventional during a contest. They can't take that chance. These large companies want to sell boards and they can't sell the same board over and over. They make radical, retarded boards and then pay Dane to go ride them all day and try to catch him doing something on one of them. How many of you have ever ridden a dumpster diver?
