Surfing Waves

Hello. I'm a 6'3", 178 lb. beginner/intermediate surfer. Already have a great 9' Stewart Redline and wish to add to my collection. Interested in these two boards and would like to how they compare against each other, both at 7'10" length - the Firewire Vacay and the Firewire Seaxe. I'll keep my Stewart, just want something shorter and little different. I've compared the dimensions and volume myself, just need help understanding the other differences. Can anyone provide any input on particular strengths in each board relative to the other? And perhaps what would lean me to choose one vs. the other knowing they are both great boards? Also considering a 7'10" Bing Seeker too.

I don't have both Firewires but I've read some about them, the Vacay is more beginner oriented with a lot of floatation (thickness) in the tail and the Seaxe I've heard good things about as a step up for better bigger waves.

Thanks Tudeh! After talking with the folks at Bing and Firewire I’m now leaning between Seaxe and Bing Collector, in 7’10”. Feel lucky to have either board really.

Great, please let us know how it goes!

pjgazele wrote:Thanks Tudeh! After talking with the folks at Bing and Firewire I’m now leaning between Seaxe and Bing Collector, in 7’10”. Feel lucky to have either board really.

The latest Surf Simply podcast recommended the Collector.

I wish I could have one. But the price tag

I (6'3 / 180lb) have briefly (one session) surfed a 7'2 SeaAxe and it was a pretty easy board to surf. Super lightweight, which caused me a few problems (as I'm not used to that, rather than because its bad - the Vacay is probably the same since that is a Firewire thing). I would say its more an advanced beginner board - for people who have a solid pop up, can do bottom turns, basic top turns. The Vacay is probably a little more of a cruiser and more stable.

It looks like the Vacay holds its thickness right out to the rails, whereas the SeaAxe has more refined rails (ie thicker in the middle and then thinner to the outside). This will make the Vacay more stable, but of course stability is the 'enemy' of turning - the Seaxe will turn more easily. Then again, thicker rails are better in smaller surf, as thinner rails can dig in when you push against them. Although, reality, most surfers below quite advanced probably wont notice much of a difference - basically the Vacay is probably more stable and easier to surf; but the difference is fairly marginal.

The SeaAxe has a middle fin box so you can surf it as a single fin or a 2+1; the Vacay seems to just have regular fin boxes so you will be looking more at a standard thruster/quad set up. Which again is a personal thing - I surf my 7'4 mini mal with a standard thruster set up, but others might like the ability to mix and match and vary the fins, which the SeaAxe offers

Probably a 7'10 Vacay and a Stewart will overlap a bit more than a Steward and a SeaAxe.

The Bing Seeker looks nice as well, probably more like the Vacay. But it will be much heavier - for good or bad, depending on what you like in a board. The Seeker looks much better as well, cant beat those glossy spray jobs. And it has a central fin box, but doesnt allow for quad fins (this wouldnt influence me in the slightest, but again others may like the flexibility the firewires offer)

If you wanted to push yourself a bit, go for a 7'6 Vacay or a 7'4 Seeker. If you are fairly comfortably on the Stewart, you should be able to make the transition reasonably easily

Thanks dtc. I called the good folks down at Bing and here is what they said about the differences in the Seeker and Collector (below). I think I've narrowed by choice to Seaxe or Collector. Going to have a quick look at Lost Crowd Killer too:

"Outline and Volume
Collector - Fuller outline and volume in the nose similar to a mini longboard, with a rounded pin tail. Most of the volume is through the middle 1/2 of the board and the rails are a little pinched, so this board will lean on rail much easier for quicker more calculated turns like a shortboard especially with the rounded pin tail.
Seeker - Full outline with volume all the way out to the rails which makes for amazing paddle power when combined with the stability of the square tail. The nose outline is pulled in mostly because some people don't like the look of a short, wide longboard style nose. This doesn't affect boards performance.

The Collector is a very versatile board in that it can be ridden as a singlefin or a 2+1 depending on the size of the waves. I personally ride this model in a 7'0" (I'm 5'6 x 155lbs.) and I love that I can get into a wave early and still have the ability to do some serious turns and cutbacks in the steeper sections of waves while the outline and volume will help to hold speed by moving up slightly on the board through flat sections. If you are an intermediate + surfer in good shape this board will work in a large range on conditions from waist to head high.

The Seeker is also versatile, but with the fuller rails and the square tail it tends to work better in slower surf and a model I would choose for someone that is beginner to intermediate and might not be the strongest paddler. This board is much more of a cruiser and although you can ride it as a 2+1, I would recommend it be ridden as a singlefin. I would choose this board if the waves you surf tend to be longer, mushier style breaks."

Yeah, I think the sea axe and collector are similar and then the vacay and seeker are also pretty similar

Personally- for what that is worth - I think you are making the right choice because the vacay and seeker will be much more similar to your Stewart than the other two (of course there is still a big difference between a 9ft and a high 7ft).

So the other boards, esp if you go mid 7ft, will offer you a noticeably different experience and may better suit different waves (eg steeper and bigger) than the Stewart. After all, the purpose of a quiver is to have boards that suit different situations and offer different experiences

Having recently ridden a Bing (Karma 7’6”) over the summer, I can say that the Bing mid lengths (this one, anyway) are STELLAR. Everything about it, the pinched rails, the glass job, fin placement, overall feel is awesome. I would highly recommend a Bing.

Disclaimer: As much as I wanted to buy this board for my next mid length, I’m having a local shaper make his own version of it. Trying to support local biz!

Tom