Surfing Waves

Hey, total newbie here. I've been lurking the "A Guide for Newbies" thread for a while and learning tons from philwilson, scarborough, etc...

I recently purchased a 6'4" Walden Magic Fish. Its 22.25 wide and 3" thick. Is this considered way too big for a 5'5" 155lb male? Anybody think this might surf more like a funboard due to the thickness and width? So far I've been on a 9'4" longboard(much success) and a 7' funboard(not as much success, lol). I bought the Magic Fish on a whim. Total impulse purchase late night on the internet!

After much internet research, I've come to the conclusion that I made a terrible choice for a first board purchase, but with much effort, I might can surf it. Anybody else started out on a fish?

The longboard I've been borrowing for a while has only 1 center fin. This fish has 3 fins. Any reason 3 fins is necessary or does everybody just run a center fin only like most of the guys on longboards?

Thanks for any advice. I've really enjoyed reading the posts the last year or so.

Jon


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Your doomed

If you surf alot you will be ok. It will just be alot more discouraging at first. A fish board that size though wont ride like a fish (skatey) considering your size. You could of made a worse choice. You could of gotten a 5ft grom gun. haha. Looks like a fun board to ride once you get better. My board size progression pretty much went like this....

*Started on a 8ft funboard
*Got a 6'3" shortboard and couldnt ride it after trying for a month so sold it.
*Got a 6'8" superfish. I started catching waves on it pretty fast.
*Got a 6'3" shortboard and it was easier this time around.
*Now I surf a 6'0" smallwave shortboard, a 6'2" performance shortboard, and a 5'11" retro fish.

It all comes in steps. Taking the size down in smaller amounts help, but if you surf enough you will learn it either way. The main thing is not getting discouraged when you are missing waves 95% of the time when you are starting off. Try to figure out what your doing wrong and how to improve and you will be ok.

As for fins, 3 fins is called a thruster. Will turn alot easier then a 1 fin board.

that is good info...thanks man. now when you say 3 fins will turn easier than a 1 fin board, do you mean surfing with 3 fins is less stable than surfing 1fin? I was thinking if a single fin doesn't turn as easy, that might help me be a little more stable once i get up riding on a wave. Or am i bass ackwards in my logic here?

Its more the arc the fin draws. A thruster setup can push aggressive radical turns and fast snaps and sharp turns where a single fin draws out a smoother slower line. The fish will feel alot less stable then your buddies longboard, but mostly because the size difference and tail shape. Wider tail = Looser. Its a good thing in small surf because it allows you to make your turns with less power in the waves, but in bigger surf they can get squirrely.

i'll be surfing mainly around fernandina beach and occassionally using the board as a glorified float in panama city beach, so hopefully this will turn out to be a good board after i learn to surf it. i was at fernandina during hurricane bill on saturday but i didn't go out on the longboard after getting basically demolished by the whitewater. i think i would have drowned in the 10 footers that day. there were some happy locals out there that day but i was kinda bummed the waves were so big because i suck at surfing! check out this monster from saturday 8/23/2009:



That is probably small potatoes to an experienced surfer, but it looked like a gigantic train coming at me from the shore.
You don't see that in north Florida too much!

wish we were getting waves like that here at the moment. But soon soon i hope

Looks like a great board for small days and big mushy point breaks. Enjoy!!!!

I live 4 hours from the ocean, but took the board out in the Flint River yesterday. I was pleasantly surprised at how well it floated and how fast it paddled. I found it easier to paddle than the 9'4" longboard, but I'm pretty sure that had something to do with not being pummelled by whitewater. My brother-in-law has offered to try wakesurfing with it behind his bass boat. I gotta get to the ocean...soon!

4 hours from the ocean Dude, you gotta get moved!

no kidding! i live 4 hours from jacksonville beach or fernandina beach. i'm 3 hours from the Gulf, but i'm kind of wary of driving 3 hours to try and surf in Panama City as the beaches are fun to hang on, but you really don't see anybody surfing there because of the tiny waves. i've seen youtube videos of people surfing the whitewater in pcb, but its real brief rides. at fernandina, the waves seem to be a pretty good size whenever i'm there. actually, i hope next time i go that the waves are smaller, as i'm not really "proficient" yet. my first day out, the waves were 3-4 feet and i got pounded trying to get past the whitewater lugging the longboard. when i finally caught a wave after about 10 failures, i rode at a nice angle to shore on what my friend said was a 4 footer for about 10 seconds. i have a hard time believing it though because i was in total shock that i actually finally stood up and stayed up!