fish vs. shortboard

[falcone]

I grew up surfing the east coast of florida. my question is im now looking to get back into it. im a bit older now 30, not to familiar with the concept of the "fish" and was wondering what the advantages and disadvantages are between a fish vs. shortboard vs malibu or longboard. thanks.

[Guest]

What do you weigh?
How tall are you?
How fit are you...do anything sporty or lift weights? What have you been doing in the intrim while not surfing....

In order to offer you something constructive...we need to know where you're at now. Your questions are too generalised as they are

Brent

[falcone]

thanks for the reply. im 6'3", 190 lbs and physically fit. ive surfed intermittently over the last 3 yrs on a 6'5" shortboard and found it really didnt suit me well. my question is really related to the fish and its differences to that of a shortboard.

[Guest]

OK, I've got two fishes. A real one (twin fin, huge swallow tail 5'10" X 21 with plywood fins) and a "fish Hybrid" which, in essence, is really a short wide thick thruster (dimensions 6"x20", 2 5/8" thick with a 14.5" nose & 15.5" tail. Both boards have a flat rocker.

The two are quite different. The real fish surfs like a rollerskate. it is fast in a straight line and really, despite all the hype/fashion at the moment isn't that good a surfboard. It's good for stuffing around in crap mushy 1-2 foot waves...and that's about it.

The fish hybrid is a much better board, being wider in the nose & tail than a conventional short-board it's easier to catch waves on that a shortboard, it turns better than the old-school twin-fin fish and tracks better on a wave. I look at the fish hybrid as a real alternative to a mini-mal for an "experienced but out of practice or returning to the sport" sufers like yourself.

Frankly, I find the fish hybrid as easy to catch waves on as a mini-mal, I can get into waves earlier (because of it's higher volume and flat rocker) and on small days my wavecount is the same as my friends on mals. I can surf it aggressively and really get into those 1-3 foot days.

If you want to see what one looks like go to a typical shaper like brucejonessurfboards.com and have a look - you'll get the general idea.

I guess this is where you ask yourself the key question. Are you going to be a sunday surfer looking for an easy surf (the Mal route is best)....or are you coming back as a guy wanting to ride a shortboard...but just one more suitable for your build & weight this time around (the fish-hybird route possibly?

Talk to a local shaper, get a board made for yourself & be HONEST with the guy when ordering about your ability....you'll get a good board that way.

Brent

[tiny2]

a modern fish is a shortboard designed specifically for smaller, mushier waves. it differs from a standard shortboard in that it has a flatter rocker (curvature in the board from nose to tail), usually wider and thicker with a split or swallow tail. the flat rocker and more volume give a fish more planing area on the water in order to generate more speed both while riding and paddling. the swallow tail is meant to allow good turning performance despite the added width. most fish these days have wings (the bumps in the rail 4-6in from the tailend) to futher reduce the tail volume.

fish perform in all kinds of conditions up to about overhead. bigger than that, they can get squirrelly.

the orginal design was developed by a kneeboarder back in the 70s. it was a much more stumpy, twin finned version of what's being produced these days. if you chose to get one...which is a fine option for florida....keep an eye for the shops who slap a swallow tail on a standard board and call it a fish.

if you live in the central florida area, look up R&D Surf design in Melbourne. they built a fish for me that i like so much, i'm actually going to stop riding it after this year to save it and have another made. it handled all kinds of stuff, from thigh slappers in texas, to shoulder/head high typhoon swell in japan...

hope that helps, enjoy

[Brent]

Hey Tiny2,
Can you describe your fish to me dimension wise. What's it like.
I think reading your post...either mine's a dud...or I'm a dud :-(
I just can't come to grips with the width, bury rails all the time on it.

[toreadorblue]

i ride shortboard-6'6'' and fish-6'2''. i also ride smaller/choppier waves (on average)...which means i mostly use my fish (unless the wave is glassier and bigger [ie 5-6ft]. not to say that you couldn't use a fish on a wave anywhere from ankle high-dbl overhead..because i have.

But i think it pretty much all depends on the type of wave you usually ride (and of course your vital stats).

[coz]

surfing on the east coast of florida = fish or longboard. you can get away with a shortboard easily its just that fishes and longboards are a lot more fun in the mushy surf.