Busting to get a new Mctavish , not sure whether to go one of the Fireball model or the Original. Thinking 9.3 I am 102kgs and mostly surf beach breaks with the odd reef break. At present riding a 8.3 local shaped mal which is a performance shape which I am happy with.
Any recommendations greatly appreciated on the models.

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hinch said..

Busting to get a new Mctavish , not sure whether to go one of the Fireball model or the Original. Thinking 9.3 I am 102kgs and mostly surf beach breaks with the odd reef break. At present riding a 8.3 local shaped mal which is a performance shape which I am happy with.
Any recommendations greatly appreciated on the models.

Call mct and ask for Dave English he will put you on the right board,901 or 903 in length,the original is an old model have you looked at the Evo II or UFO which are both the ducks imo.

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Macaha said..

hinch said..

Busting to get a new Mctavish , not sure whether to go one of the Fireball model or the Original. Thinking 9.3 I am 102kgs and mostly surf beach breaks with the odd reef break. At present riding a 8.3 local shaped mal which is a performance shape which I am happy with.
Any recommendations greatly appreciated on the models.

Call mct and ask for Dave English he will put you on the right board,901 or 903 in length,the original is an old model have you looked at the Evo II or UFO which are both the ducks imo.

UFO has had a name change

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asea said..

Macaha said..

hinch said..

Busting to get a new Mctavish , not sure whether to go one of the Fireball model or the Original. Thinking 9.3 I am 102kgs and mostly surf beach breaks with the odd reef break. At present riding a 8.3 local shaped mal which is a performance shape which I am happy with.
Any recommendations greatly appreciated on the models.

Call mct and ask for Dave English he will put you on the right board,901 or 903 in length,the original is an old model have you looked at the Evo II or UFO which are both the ducks imo.

UFO has had a name change

Yeah - it's called the Feel-Good-Fred-Jazz-Ooooooompaaaaa nowadays Prez

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asea said..

Macaha said..

hinch said..

Busting to get a new Mctavish , not sure whether to go one of the Fireball model or the Original. Thinking 9.3 I am 102kgs and mostly surf beach breaks with the odd reef break. At present riding a 8.3 local shaped mal which is a performance shape which I am happy with.
Any recommendations greatly appreciated on the models.

Call mct and ask for Dave English he will put you on the right board,901 or 903 in length,the original is an old model have you looked at the Evo II or UFO which are both the ducks imo.

UFO has had a name change

Fk really Vuelo = UFO in spanish serious

If your happy with your current board what are you trying to improve with the new choice?

On a beachie I would go with the original,even being a old shape. I have surfed a 9'3 a few times on the beachies and liked it with the big rocker. It's still big in the nose unlike the hp boards,so you can still get to the nose....I didnt....
.I won't go into what would be even better though

gday mate , I v'e had my Fire ball Mk 2 for 4 months ,9.3 x22x 2,7/8, 3 fin main set at 50% im 70 odd kgs, goofy,
surfed it on Gold coast B breaks ,spent 2 months Feb March at Anqourie Point surfed mostly lefts on point , some rights , Ballina flat rock , long weekend just gone , and also Agnes Waters .....
before that I had a Mtav epoxy 9.3 original great board but fell to bits ..and went yellow fast...
.any way heres my opinion ....
nose riding ..not so good .. hang five ok, turning good , tube and in the pocket real good, speed not as fast as original but ok.. , build real good no pressure dings , only slight fractures due to nose/tail resting on zip when in board bag ,traveling ...( its just travelled to Darwin and back in my ute)
was a bit disappointed with nose riding ability . as this is what enjoy mostly about long boarding..
Would I buy another? ... no... while a good all round board , I"d go to a local Ballina shaper and tell him what you want out of a board , and in the process save 400 odd dollars...
Why Ballina .. seems to be a lot of long boarders who surf well on local boards in that area.Cheers Bazz. Nomad....!

Hey Hinch

Until recently I rode a 9'2 x 22 7/8 x 3 UFO exclusively for over 3 years and am not likely to sell it. I'm around 95kg. Prior to ordering this board I demo'd a Fireball and have since ridden an epoxy Original.

To be honest I didn't rate the Fireball any better than the Phil Myers longboard I was replacing but the UFO was absolutely the right choice for me. I live in NNSW so it hasn't seen a lot of reefs but is unreal for fast points and beachies. I have ridden this one up to just over head high and its one of those boards that just wants to go - sets a rail beautifully on take off and will hold a fast line or turn well in the pocket depending on what you want to do. It rides small stuff really well too but I don't think nose riding 1 footers is what its really for. I found the original a good board but for me I'd take the UFO (or whatever its called now) every time.

The Mctavish fellas are great and provide excellent service - the boards are fantastic and have superior resale as you likely already know. Tweaks with dimensions are a given and artwork possibilities at your whim. If I was richer I'd have a shed full.

That said the advice in the previous post is worth considering also IMO. In recent years I've also had Phil Myers, Munro and Astro longboards and they were/are excellent quality and great boards that cost considerably less. In each case you get to talk the fella who's gunna shape your board himself and has done so for a long time.

Hope this is helpful and good luck - ordering a new board is dead set treat I reckon.

I have an Astro and love it. But I am also a crap surfer so my opinion isnt worth much.

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McHenry said...
I have an Astro and love it. But I am also a crap surfer so my opinion isnt worth much.

Well said but it's not how the board goes but how it looks

As I know jack, I have a switched on board consultant!

Here's my thoughts...

I've had a 9'1 Original, and a 9'1 EvoII Fireball. Both are pretty much bang on 22"3/4 and 3"...

The Original has more "final tail rocker", and and a more pulled in tail... Pin, rounded in, with hips...
The Original handles the juice better, and the suck from punchy beach breaks...

The EvoII is better on The Points, and surfing it hard down the line.
The surfer can generate speed from the EvoII, especially though flatter sections.
The Original - the surfer can control the board better in the juice, in the pocket, in powerful conditions...

For bigger waves, heavier, sucky waves... and beach breaks... go for The Original.
The EvoII will handle these conditions too, but for fuller, weaker waves, and average surf, I would go for the EvoII.
For Point Breaks, for a high performance Longboard, also go the EvoII.

Generally, the EvoII will suit most days, but the Original has its place, and time... when it is better than the EvoII.




But every board can be a little bit different though...

My 9'1 EvoII was Dave English's board (at McTavish), then he off-loaded it to The Great Asea... I have since had it in my possession, and I will never sell it! A keeper! Thanks Dave, and THANKS ASEA!


Owner 1
http://www.mctavish.com.au/staff-profiles/dave-english

Owner 2
www.seabreeze.com.au/Members/Profile/Details.aspx?member=asea

Owner 3
www.seabreeze.com.au/Members/Profile/Details.aspx?member=simondo

If it's Overhead, or over 1.5 overhead, then The Original is the choice.
Waist to head high, to 1.5 over, The EvoII is great!
As soon as it goes Overhead, I have a raft of boards that are better options than the EvoII...

But, The EvoII is a brilliant board!