Stepping down to a FireWire Sweet Potato

[tomthetreeman]

Hi guys & gals-

I’m one year in, surfing a minimum 3 times per week, and I’m progressing nicely (IMO LOL). I’ve been lucky enough to be able to buy & sell & try lots of sizes and shapes in a year. I currently take out my 10’ Tipster single fin when it’s small or when I go to a good spot for longboards, My 9’ Becker 2+1 is a little more of a carver, and I take that one out when it’s a shorter wave. A bit bigger and I pull out my Ricky Carroll 7’ 8” fun board or my Softech 7’ foamie. I’ve also shredded a friend’s 6’8” Hybrid Casper (South Bay foam top).

I just picked up a 6’ Sweet Potato quad fin on Craigslist... It’s 52 (!) liters, so I think I’ll catch waves without much trouble (I’m 6’1” 190#). Questions I have for those in the know:

Medium or Large fins? I have both, so I can try either, just wondering if the fat tail will be too much to handle with the large fins, or if large fins will give me more control because of the insane double concave/massive ridge at the back? (That’s actually the second question... Does anyone have experience with how that tail design behaves?)

Also, just wondering what y’all think about the board in general. It’s pictured here’s with the medium fins.

Thanks in advance!

Tom

[oldmansurfer]

Interesting shape reminiscent of the old v bottom longboards. Most likely the bottom design will help to make the more more stable turning at higher speeds. I would start with those fins and see how it goes. Maybe use bigger fins on faster or bigger waves.

[waikikikichan]

1) Are those Mediums you go to set up on your previous board ?

2) Do you slide out on your back side bottom turns ?

3) What do you have in terms of the Quad rears to choose from in your stash ?

[tomthetreeman]

1) Are those Mediums you go to set up on your previous board ?

2) Do you slide out on your back side bottom turns ?

3) What do you have in terms of the Quad rears to choose from in your stash ?

1) Actually, this is my only quad currently, I just happen to have two sets of quad fins from other sales/trades, so I have no knowledge of the difference.

2) I do not slide out, or haven’t had a problem with that happening.

3) I just have two sets of Futures, one is medium and the other is large. The rears look slightly bigger on the large set, but I could be mistaken.

[waikikikichan]

Well since your new to the quad scene, it's all going to feel so weird for a couple go outs. I would go with the Medium set up at first. If it's too squirrely, then go back to the car and put on the Large fins.

[Tudeo]

Nice board! Very interested to hear how it goes.

[dtc]

as I'm sure you are aware, the sweet potato is a grovellor board ie designed for small waves. Its very flat rocker so steep waves can be an issue for some (but not all). Also, while the volume makes wave catching easier (the small wave focus is the point of having a lot of volume plus the fat tail), if you can manage to stand u , keep in mind that its pretty corky and quite unstable (again, designed that way to maximise manoeuvrability in small waves - manoeuvrability= instability). You will probably need to put in a lot of effort to maintain speed, it will be nothing like a 7'8 or a foam board. Nothing like....

but it could be a heap of fun; hope it works out

[oldmansurfer]

I like big fins on my quads because they provide more drive and I have no problem turning with them however I am 210 pounds so I have lots of weight to throw into turns. It’s just my personal preference. I want the fins there when I need to get some speed or do a power turn

[oldmansurfer]

I like big fins on my quads because they provide more drive and I have no problem turning with them however I am 210 pounds so I have lots of weight to throw into turns. It’s just my personal preference. I want the fins there when I need to get some speed or do a power turn

[tomthetreeman]

as I'm sure you are aware, the sweet potato is a grovellor board ie designed for small waves. Its very flat rocker so steep waves can be an issue for some (but not all). Also, while the volume makes wave catching easier (the small wave focus is the point of having a lot of volume plus the fat tail), if you can manage to stand u , keep in mind that its pretty corky and quite unstable (again, designed that way to maximise manoeuvrability in small waves - manoeuvrability= instability). You will probably need to put in a lot of effort to maintain speed, it will be nothing like a 7'8 or a foam board. Nothing like....

but it could be a heap of fun; hope it works out

I’m aware of the flat nose rocker, designed for smaller (not steep) waves... It should get a lot of use around here lol!

As far as effort to maintain speed, I have skateboarding in my blood, and I tend to pump and try to go rail to rail on almost every board I ride, I can’t help it. So I guess I’m looking forward to trying! Tomorrow we’ve got 3-4 foot waves at Newport, and that wave can get punchy. I’ll report back!

Tom

[dtc]

Let us know. If you fall off 50%+ of the time, don’t despair - it’s sort of a rite of passage with these boards

[waikikikichan]

And if you can't get a hold of it, Flip it around and take the extreme step of installing fins on the other end. Then you'll end up with a wide round nose / pin tail like the Takayama Scorpian.

Screenshot 2018-08-15 at 10.09.55 AM.png (132.03 KiB) Viewed 3187 times

[Tudeo]

I read at the Firewire forum that controlling speed is key with these boards because the board generates so much speed by it self. Carbon controller fins I think someone advised, as opposed to speed generating fins.

I'm still on the lookout for a 2nd hand board like this. I'm tempted, but I resist the urge to buy a new Chumlee. The main reason I'm hesitant is I'm afraid it's too hard to paddle, since I've read these ultra short boards paddle harder. But then again other people say it paddles great because of the big surface. So I don't know who to believe..

Unfortunately I can't find a demo model here in the size I'm after.

It's not I don't have other boards for smaller waves, it's just that nagging feeling something is missing in the quiver

[Big H]

I had a couple and didn't like them much......our steep pitching waves don't like a flat rocker much.....only times I liked the board type somewhat was surfing in the wet season in onshore winds at high tide.....big crumbly fat waves that definitely were not hollow. The boards I tried all paddled well so I wouldn't worry about that, even the 5'8" I tried (5" shorter than my height). More concerning was the bar of soap feeling on the wave, lack of control and the feeling of riding high in the water, lack of responsiveness and the bumper car feeling of the rails on a walled up face which we get here even in small conditions. I decided for a smaller wave board here I like a board a little longer with a more traditional shape and rail thickness vs a groveller. I am enjoying the Spitfire at 6'8" currently for these type conditions......more than the dominator I had and much more than any of the grovellers.

[waikikikichan]

Saw this FireWire at the beach the other week. Was going to ask the guy if I borrow it for a few waves. ( but I changed my mind because I left my paddle at home )

[Tudeo]

..our steep pitching waves don't like a flat rocker much...

Yes that's a big concern, and wide tails. I already had a bad experience with my 6'6 Dominator surfing fat Batubolong. Too high on the water, not connected to the wave feeling.

But later I found some uncrowded spots with very fat crumblers that would be perfect for a Chumlee, I hope..

I was just looking at Boardformula and found:
Sweet Potato 5'6 has a 19" tail!
Chumlee 5'11 ,tail 18.5"
The Dom 6'6 , tail 16.3"
The Spit 6'8 ,tail 16.5"

The Spit has the stepped down rails in the tail that makes it better for Bali I guess compared to the thick tailed Dom. Many guys at Firewire forum are enthusiastic about the Chumlee. It has relative thin down rails they say that make it turn good for such a wide board.

But for sure if our Bali waves are over shoulder high and not extremely fat also the Chumlee will be too hard to control. I think.. If only I could find a 5'9 demo, biggest demo board at Ripcurl is 5'7..

Ah all this board thinking makes me pusing, time for a surf!

[tomthetreeman]

(I changed my mind because I left my paddle at home )

We all have to start somewhere!

[waikikikichan]

I'm only 5'3" 125lbs. , but when I saw that big guy ( for a Japanese ) walking with that board, I could see how thick the rail was for his hand to go around. Sure it's a short board / groveller, but with it's Width and Thickness, I thought it's possible for me to Stand Up paddle on it.

[tomthetreeman]

I don’t doubt you could SUP that! On mine, (and his too, it looks like), the rails actually drop pretty dramatically to a narrower edge... Hopefully that gives it a less clunky feel. I’m taking it out today, so I’ll let you guys know how it goes.

PS, that looks like a nice wave in that second pic!

Tom

[tomthetreeman]

UPDATE: I made a good choice! We had waist to occasional chest high waves at First Beach today in Newport, nice clean sets for a few hours. Unfortunately, they were pretty sectioned, so I didn’t get any really long rides, but I got a few clean ones, got around some sections, and had an all around blast. It took a few attempts to figure out the position and paddling needed, but once I got that dialed in I was good. I probably caught 20 waves, well over half that I went for.

The board is definitely floaty, but honestly, as a 48 year old 190 lb. beginner, it’s perfect for me right now. I feel like the rails are thin enough to trim and move up and down the face without being clumsy, and the board is FAST. The tail is a little fat, but I need a lot of board right now, so it’s fine. I actually started with the large fins, but once I dial it in more I might switch to get it more squirrely in the tail.

Thanks for all the input, everyone!

Tom