Hi and Welcome to Rogers Surfboard Reviews, today we have the Slater Designs/Firewire co-lab Gamma. Which is stated as been Kelly Slaters utility board for the 2017 season. I have the 6’4 x 20 1/2 x 20 7/8 coming in at 38.4L.
Now been a classed as utility board means to me it will work in everything from knee high to well over head. Well surprisingly it actually does, the first surf I had on this was thigh to waist high day, not too much push but did have a wall to it and it still went, allowed snaps and top turns without loosing speed. The next was knee high, clean lined up wall and once again it performed great. Then finally some swell arrived it wasn’t big a nice 2-3 ft that was very disorganised but had some serious push to it. Been that it was disorganised it had heaps of flat spots to and some long sections to great round. The Gamma handled the flat sections well and drove round the sections with so much speed if you weren’t careful you’d over shoot but were able to wrap back in the pocket with ease. This to me makes the Gamma exactly what it says a utility HP short board that handles a range of conditions that an every day surfer will come across.
I’ve ridden it with the Futures AM-2 and Large Jack Freestone, of the two I would highly recommend the Jack Freestone. The inside foil and more up right template compliments the Gammas rocker and bottom contours well. Interesting the Freestone fin is the exact same template as the large JJF so if you love the JJF fin and want something that helps generate speed a bit more then check out the Freestone fin. You can click here to check Futures full range of fins
The Gamma as deep single concave running throughout with a V behind the fin. The rocker is considered medium continuous rocker, with a decent amount of entry and exit rocker, making for a living fast board that is loose and fun with the added hip just in front of the side fins which allows for some tight turns but will still drive out a roundhouse cut back with ease. The Gamma comes in two types of dims the normal type and HP dims. The normal dims have a medium rail while the HP dims have a lower more HP rail. Both come in a 5 fin option but in all honesty with the hip and pulled in squash tail I don’t know how well quads would work. The Gamma also comes only so far in Firewire’s new Helium Tech which I’ve come to love, it’s lively, fast and durable really complementing the design. However if this construction isn’t your thing later in the year you will be able to get them in LFT and also in a swallow tail.
Overall if you after a day to day HP shortboard and only want a one board quiver then this will do the trick. I’m really looking forward to seeing how powerful of a wave this board will handle and pushing my surfing ability up. I’m finding this board is HP enough to allow me to perform moves I may not of been able to before but forgiving enough that if I haven’t come in with enough speed of set up just right I can still finish the turn out. Well thats if for the review. I hoped you like it.
Please let me know your experiences on the Gamma in the comments below. Till next time.
If you would like to get one of your own get in contact with the team at Kirra Surf
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The Full normal and HP dims are below
| LENGTH | WIDTH | THICKNESS | TAIL | VOLUME |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5′ 0″ | 16 7/8″ | 1 15/16″ | SQUASH | 16.9 |
| 5′ 2″ | 17 1/4″ | 2″ | SQUASH | 18.4 |
| 5′ 4″ | 18 1/2″ | 2 5/16″ | SQUASH | 23.4 |
| 5′ 6″ | 18 7/8″ | 2 3/8″ | SQUASH | 25.4 |
| 5′ 8″ | 19 1/8″ | 2 7/16″ | SQUASH | 27.2 |
| 5′ 9″ | 19 1/4″ | 2 1/2″ | SQUASH | 28.5 |
| 5′ 10″ | 19 1/2″ | 2 9/16″ | SQUASH | 30 |
| 5′ 11″ | 19 7/8″ | 2 5/8″ | SQUASH | 31.8 |
| 6′ | 20″ | 2 11/16″ | SQUASH | 33.2 |
| 6′ 2″ | 20 1/4″ | 2 3/4″ | SQUASH | 35.4 |
| 6′ 4″ | 20 1/2″ | 2 7/8″ | SQUASH | 38.5 |
| 6′ 6″ | 21 1/2″ | 3 1/16″ | SQUASH | 44.1 |
| 6′ 8″ | 22″ | 3 1/8″ | SQUASH | 47.3 |
| HP DIMS | ||||
| 5′ 6″ | 18 1/4″ | 2 1/4″ | SQUASH | 23.3 |
| 5′ 9″ | 18 3/8″ | 2 5/16″ | SQUASH | 25.3 |
| 5′ 10″ | 18 1/2″ | 2 3/8″ | SQUASH | 26.5 |
| 5′ 11″ | 18 7/8″ | 2 7/16″ | SQUASH | 28.1 |
| 6′ 0″ | 19 1/8″ | 2 1/2″ | SQUASH | 29.7 |
| 6′ 3″ | 19 1/2″ | 2 5/8″ | SQUASH | 33.1 |
Does the board paddle better than LFT should you go up or down in your normal volume
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I personally feel it paddles the same as LFT however some say it feels .5l more floaty. Which isn’t much so I would say stick to your normal volume
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My dims for my hashtag is 6’0″ 19 1/2 2 5/8 31L
Not wanting to drop in volume for paddling as I am 50 years old, but not wanting to go to 6′ 2″ so I can keep performance. What do you suggest
HP Dims
6′ 0″ 19 1/8″ 2 1/2″ Squash 29.7
6′ 2” 19 1/4” 2 9/16” Squash 31.5
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Personally, I’d go the 6’2 while Noel could feel a distinct difference between the lengths I find even my 6’4 does not surf like a 6’4 it whips around so quick on a big open wall and with that in mind I feel rail length helps keep a little bit of control. The .5l more is also helpful for getting in and will likely serve you better for years to come.
I’ve also since writing the review experimented with quads on big days which gave the board a whole new sensation in the pocket and in the barrel just feels faster and more engaged.
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Hi, how do you think an over volumed gamma would go? One has come up locally with a good price and wondering if t would be worth considering as a good paddler when there is strong current. It is a good 6 L over my usual. Thanks
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What size do normally ride length wise?
It’s a shape that lends itself to be surfed bigger but I would be worried you’d struggle to duck dive it on a big day. In saying that my Banana is 4 inches longer than my Gamma and 5 litres more and still duck dives well. The domed deck will allow you to get it on rail.
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Cheers. I am about 6’2 tall. Usual boards are from 6’ to 6’4. There’s a 6’8 gamma for grabs! I would only plan to use it for long paddles/currents but probably better waves. Thanks
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I live in North San Diego and the waves only occasionally are overhead plus. I was thinking of getting the 6’0” regular Gama vs. the high performance board in 6’3”. I want to stay around my normal volume of 33 L. Any thoughts or recommendations on the regular vs. the high performance dims?
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I found the 6’4 in bro dims fine for me I’d have to go to a 6’6 in hp and it really didn’t cut down much width by that point. So I’d stick with the normal dims I did find eventually that setting it as a quad helped in hallow days and as a thruster is suit pretty much everything else. It’s truly one of my favourite boards I’m interested to see what the DFK is like when it comes out which is what Kelly rode in the pool the Dan Mann/Slater designs Colane. Back to Gamma though one advantage is the 6’0 will generally fit in the pocket better on smaller days.
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