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how hard are fishes compared to longboard?

PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 10:22 pm
by Shinjap2
im planning to buy a fish board as my first board. i already have some experience but i want to make sure that im making the right choice.

Re: how hard are fishes compared to longboard?

PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 11:08 pm
by BaNZ
They are completely differently. I got both and I can't surf a fishboard but I can surf a longboard.

Re: how hard are fishes compared to longboard?

PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 11:21 pm
by waikikikichan
1) What's the dimensions for the Fish you plan to buy ?
2) what was the size of board you have "experience" on and for how long was that experience ?
3) can you turn front side and backside ? ( fishes like to be on rail, they don't to well riding flat )
4) "right choice" ? Between what two boards are you considering?

Re: how hard are fishes compared to longboard?

PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 11:26 pm
by oldmansurfer
Not all fish boards nor all longboards are made the same. I hear from others that fish are difficult to ride but in my single experience the fish was quite similar to the longboard. But again I am sure it depends on the longboard and the fish. I hear over and over how fish are not good boards to start on, must be something to it. I think perhaps there may be people who will find learning on a fish just fine but overall the odds that it is you is not so good but once again the design of fish can vary.

Re: how hard are fishes compared to longboard?

PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 11:34 pm
by Shinjap2
waikikikichan wrote:1) What's the dimensions for the Fish you plan to buy ?
2) what was the size of board you have "experience" on and for how long was that experience ?
3) can you turn front side and backside ? ( fishes like to be on rail, they don't to well riding flat )
4) "right choice" ? Between what two boards are you considering?


1) im planning to buy the widest fish possible, so it will be similar to a longboard
2) i've surfed mostly on longboards, but i've surfed twice with fishboard and was able to catch waves, but not as much as on the longboard. the fish was 5,4 something like that
3) im learning to
4)a longboard or a fish

Re: how hard are fishes compared to longboard?

PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2016 11:36 pm
by Shinjap2
oldmansurfer wrote:Not all fish boards nor all longboards are made the same. I hear from others that fish are difficult to ride but in my single experience the fish was quite similar to the longboard. But again I am sure it depends on the longboard and the fish. I hear over and over how fish are not good boards to start on, must be something to it. I think perhaps there may be people who will find learning on a fish just fine but overall the odds that it is you is not so good but once again the design of fish can vary.


the fish i surfed was harder that longboards, i had to use my legs to paddle, but at the end i was able to catch some waves.

Re: how hard are fishes compared to longboard?

PostPosted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 12:22 am
by waikikikichan
What length Fish ? 5'4" 5'10" 6'4" ? Depending how tall you are, you might not be able to kick. ( how tall and heavy are you ? ) After about 6'6" they get mighty hard to duck dive. ( is that another reason why you want a fish ? )

Re: how hard are fishes compared to longboard?

PostPosted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 12:31 am
by icetime
I bought my first board as a hybrid fish, it's a 6'6, 22 inches wide, I would suggest buying it over a longboard if you don't have the means of moving a long board around, especially in a small car.
But yeah, "fish" is jsut too vague there are different fish designs from retro to modern, thick to thin, some hybrid, some roundish around the nose and middle.
I'd suggest going for a nice and long fish, it'll paddle like a longboard and be easy to move around like a shortboard, thing is, it won't duckdive at all so you better get used to turtle rolling.
Don't expect to be able to duckdive your first board, if you can then you're probably undervolumed or a really strong guy :lol:

I noticed my hybrid dish absolutely flys in big surf and it's hard to control and sometimes bumpy, most my rides are me crouching all the way down trying to stay on it, but I've tried a narrower minimal for a few sessions it was easier to control, so yeah, don't go as wide as possible, though as a beginner this won't be an issue but if you're planning on keeping the same board as you advance your surfing don't go overkill with the wideness, go a bit longer and a little narrower :lol:

Re: how hard are fishes compared to longboard?

PostPosted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 12:48 am
by oldmansurfer
Shinjap2 wrote:
oldmansurfer wrote:Not all fish boards nor all longboards are made the same. I hear from others that fish are difficult to ride but in my single experience the fish was quite similar to the longboard. But again I am sure it depends on the longboard and the fish. I hear over and over how fish are not good boards to start on, must be something to it. I think perhaps there may be people who will find learning on a fish just fine but overall the odds that it is you is not so good but once again the design of fish can vary.


the fish i surfed was harder that longboards, i had to use my legs to paddle, but at the end i was able to catch some waves.

The fish I used was longer than me and caught waves just as well as the longboard I was using but I think it was wider and thicker than the longboard.

Re: how hard are fishes compared to longboard?

PostPosted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 12:59 am
by Shinjap2
waikikikichan wrote:What length Fish ? 5'4" 5'10" 6'4" ? Depending how tall you are, you might not be able to kick. ( how tall and heavy are you ? ) After about 6'6" they get mighty hard to duck dive. ( is that another reason why you want a fish ? )
the fish i surfed was a little smaller than me, im 5'5

Re: how hard are fishes compared to longboard?

PostPosted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 1:01 am
by Shinjap2
icetime wrote:I bought my first board as a hybrid fish, it's a 6'6, 22 inches wide, I would suggest buying it over a longboard if you don't have the means of moving a long board around, especially in a small car.
But yeah, "fish" is jsut too vague there are different fish designs from retro to modern, thick to thin, some hybrid, some roundish around the nose and middle.
I'd suggest going for a nice and long fish, it'll paddle like a longboard and be easy to move around like a shortboard, thing is, it won't duckdive at all so you better get used to turtle rolling.
Don't expect to be able to duckdive your first board, if you can then you're probably undervolumed or a really strong guy :lol:

I noticed my hybrid dish absolutely flys in big surf and it's hard to control and sometimes bumpy, most my rides are me crouching all the way down trying to stay on it, but I've tried a narrower minimal for a few sessions it was easier to control, so yeah, don't go as wide as possible, though as a beginner this won't be an issue but if you're planning on keeping the same board as you advance your surfing don't go overkill with the wideness, go a bit longer and a little narrower :lol:


thanks for advices

Re: how hard are fishes compared to longboard?

PostPosted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 1:19 am
by Shinjap2
oldmansurfer wrote:
Shinjap2 wrote:
oldmansurfer wrote:Not all fish boards nor all longboards are made the same. I hear from others that fish are difficult to ride but in my single experience the fish was quite similar to the longboard. But again I am sure it depends on the longboard and the fish. I hear over and over how fish are not good boards to start on, must be something to it. I think perhaps there may be people who will find learning on a fish just fine but overall the odds that it is you is not so good but once again the design of fish can vary.


the fish i surfed was harder that longboards, i had to use my legs to paddle, but at the end i was able to catch some waves.

The fish I used was longer than me and caught waves just as well as the longboard I was using but I think it was wider and thicker than the longboard.

mine was smaller than me

Re: how hard are fishes compared to longboard?

PostPosted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 1:44 am
by oldmansurfer
The fish I used caught waves and turned really well and I got very close to a backside tube ride with it. I would have bought a duplicate of it but it seemed to have problems negotiating whitewater like in foam climbs and floaters as compared to the longboard I fell off the fish a lot and it felt like the whitewater bucked me off. I talked to the shaper and he made me a 8 foot fungun which I still use which navigates foam climbs and floaters really well.

Re: how hard are fishes compared to longboard?

PostPosted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 1:45 am
by jaffa1949
Shinjap2 wrote:
waikikikichan wrote:1) What's the dimensions for the Fish you plan to buy ?
2) what was the size of board you have "experience" on and for how long was that experience ?
3) can you turn front side and backside ? ( fishes like to be on rail, they don't to well riding flat )
4) "right choice" ? Between what two boards are you considering?


1) im planning to buy the widest fish possible, so it will be similar to a longboard
2) i've surfed mostly on longboards, but i've surfed twice with fishboard and was able to catch waves, but not as much as on the longboard. the fish was 5,4 something like that
3) im learning to
4)a longboard or a fish


Width does not equal length ( ie a longboard) realistically what do you think a fish would offer you.
They are rarely favourable as a beginner board.

Re: how hard are fishes compared to longboard?

PostPosted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 9:34 pm
by waikikikichan
Shinjap2 wrote:
waikikikichan wrote:What length Fish ? 5'4" 5'10" 6'4" ? Depending how tall you are, you might not be able to kick. ( how tall and heavy are you ? ) After about 6'6" they get mighty hard to duck dive. ( is that another reason why you want a fish ? )
the fish i surfed was a little smaller than me, im 5'5

Sorry, what I meant is what size Fish are you planning on purchasing ? Maybe get a board at least 1 foot over your head ( if you can't turn backside, then 2 feet over your head ). A 6'4" Fish ( modern not classic twin keel ) should float you plenty and still be able to duckdive. For your 2nd board, after you can do all the basics, think about getting something smaller.