Difference between NSP/Torq etc. fish and funboards

[Jane]

Hi everyone,

In september I'll go to Ericeira in Portugal for 15 days. I was thinking about buying a surfboard, instead of renting one. I mean, it's like throwing money in the ocean if I rent more than 2 weeks. For that money I can buy a second hand board, or almost a new one.

I've been reading a lot of forum posts last couple of weeks to find out more about different surfboards and what kind of board would suit me.

About me:
Female
5'8" height
130 lbs
28 years old
go to the gym 2 times a week, guess my fitness level is average

I surfed a month ago in Holland, but that was just white water. To much currents and wind to get to the outside on a 7ft softtop.
I've been in Portugal 3 times before. Here I surf at beaches with reefs/sand covered rocks on 2ft. to 4 ft. high waves. I'm a little scared for higher waves
Last year I rented a 6.8 Surfseries funboard. It was 6'8" long 21" wide and 2 7/8" thick. I guess it's the same as NSP so it would be 45 liters.
For me it worked out well to paddle and to catch waves. I can make little turns, it's more like slowly steering than making fast turns.

My questions:
What is the difference between a Fish and a Funboard from brands like NSP and Torq?
Description for NSP Funboards (scroll a little down for their Fish boards) http://www.nspsurfboards.com/surfboards/#funboard
Description for Torq Funboards http://torqsurfboards.com/fun-68.html and for Torq Fish http://torqsurfboards.com/fish-66.html

I've heard from Torq users that you can make faster and sharper turns on a fish board and it will still have enough volume for the Dutch waves. But how are the fish boards in Portugues waves? And what differences will I feel between a fish and a funboard when I'm in the water trying to reach the outside through the white water, catch waves, stand up and turn?

Final question: what board would you recommend me?

Thanks!

[BaNZ]

I don't know the technical details but can share the experience. I've surfed NSP Torq funboards between 6'8 to 7'6. They are okay with for me. The smaller it is the harder it gets.

I own a 6'3 Torq fish and cannot surf it at all. Can catch 1-2 waves within 30 minutes and get worn out.

[jaffa1949]

Last year I rented a 6.8 Surfseries funboard. It was 6'8" long 21" wide and 2 7/8" thick. I guess it's the same as NSP so it would be 45 liters.
For me it worked out well to paddle and to catch waves. I can make little turns, it's more like slowly steering than making fast turns.

And what differences will I feel between a fish and a funboard when I'm in the water trying to reach the outside through the white water, catch waves, stand up and turn?

Final question: what board would you recommend me?

Thanks!

The answers is go with the board you felt comfortable last time in Portugal.
The size and volume suited , nothing is going to enable you to turn more yet, it is a skill you develop not something the board does for you.
The Torq or the NSP boards will do just fine and the NSP boards they are calling fish only have a swallow tail, they are not the full fish.
Just a good basic board is all you need, fun board or minimal, selling beginners fish is a total fashion but useless idea. At your stage flotation and wave catching ability is the requirement.

[oldmansurfer]

The wider the board the more water you push in front of you as you paddle which means it will be more difficult but also the more flotation which will make it easier to catch waves except the width also makes it harder to catch wave so adding length over width is good for beginners. A wider the tail will be easier to ride mushy waves and easier to catch waves in general but it will be harder to do rail to rail turns so wide tails are ok for beginners but on other than small mushy waves a more advanced surfer might want a narrower tailed board (not a fish). However you can most likely get used to the extra push from a wide tail in a lot of different surf. A wider nose adds volume but you can get a board with volume added in more useful places like directly under you as you paddle and a wider nose is more nonfunctional weight when you turn a board making it more difficult to turn but really important to noseride a board. I guess that what is the right board for you is always going to be a temporary thing so get one that works for you now.

[saltydog]

Oldmansurfer, that is one of the best explanation of the tail and nose shapes that I've read

[Tudeo]

Hi Jane, I did a lot of surfing in Portugal in my beginners period, I used a Bic 7'9" Malibu (Natural Surf model) that worked fine there, I'm pakweg 73kg

Your main concern when going on a 2 weeks surfing trip/ a year, is paddling. You want to get as much surf action as possible in those 2 weeks. After a few days you will start feeling your shoulders, after a week you'll be looking at the biggest board around. Don't worry about turning, worry about paddling..

It's good to prepare your body in the gym for what's coming, but dry exercising is not the same as actually surfing.

I fully understand the attraction of shorter boards, they offer a more dynamic ride. But if your shoulders cannot handle it you will regret it.

I would say something like the Torq Mod Fun 7'6" or Mini Long 8'0".

Please understand you can only practise turning when you catch waves.. When getting more comfortable in riding waves you can start experimenting with setting your backfoot back about over the fins and making carving turns. You don't need a shortboard to do that

[BaNZ]

Train up before you go on trip too. I normally go for a 2km swim every other day before I go on my surfing trip. It helps a little bit but nowhere as good as paddling on a surfboard.

[Jane]

Thanks for all your replies. It helps me a lot.
Especially the explanation about the effects of nose and tale design, I haven't read that before. So if I want to noseride a board, it should have a wider nose? Or will it depend on my weight if it's possible to noseride? i.e. Can I noseride a funboard or BIC minimal 7'3" or 7'0 egg?

So much things to consider when buying a surfboard. I'm glad I've found this forum. I keep on reading all the posts

I've scheduled an appointment at the gym for making a special surf preparation work-out scheme. And I want to go for a swim every week from now on. So hopefully I'll be as fit as possible when my vacation starts

Thanks y'all!

[oldmansurfer]

There are lots of factors going into noseriding ability but you can actually nose ride boards with a pointier nose as long as they don't have much nose rocker. If they do have a lot of nose rocker then you need to stand a bit back or the tail comes out of the water quickly but you can still get up on the nose a bit. It's easier to noseride wide nosed boards and longer boards but it's possible on shorter boards and narrower noses just way more difficult. Now if you can nose ride is another question If you can get the tail locked into the wave then standing even further out on the nose becomes possible. There are boards with spooned out noses to help with nose riding also if that is what you want to do. I am not a noserider but have done it on occasion.

[waikikikichan]

I can make little turns, it's more like slowly steering than making fast turns.

So if I want to noseride a board, it should have a wider nose? Or will it depend on my weight if it's possible to noseride? i.e. Can I noseride a funboard or BIC minimal 7'3" or 7'0 egg?

You can NOT noseride going straight in the whitewater. You need to be able to bottom turn, set rail, trim, stall, lock the tail, and cross step to the nose. Yes, it can be done on a Fun board. Learn the basics first before you try to attempt to noseride.

[Jane]

Now if you can nose ride is another question

I think there will happen to me more noseDIVES than noserides in this stage But I was just curious about it.

[dtc]

I've scheduled an appointment at the gym for making a special surf preparation work-out scheme!

I would be interested in what work out you get given - am always thinking about the best out of surf fitness regime

[Jane]

I would be interested in what work out you get given - am always thinking about the best out of surf fitness regime

Sorry for the late response, but I forgot the exercises every time I wanted to post them.
So here it is:

Warm up: Rowing machine.
Squats on the bosu ball (it's like a half fitness ball with a platform, very good for balance)
Lunges with front foot on the bosu ball
Back extensions on a special bench
Bent over dumbbell row
Condition: interval on a bike
Next exercises are on a fitness ball: Bicep curls, overhead extension and chest press.
Upright row
Captains chair leg raise.

I think that these are all the exercises. Does someone have an additional exercise that I really have to add as an preparation for surfing? Please tell me. I can add it to my schedule.

[oldmansurfer]

Swimming is a good exercise for surfing

[dtc]

Not a huge fan of too many exercises on an exercise ball - yes you can do light weights and focus on the balance side of things, but the unstable platform doesn't really allow you to use heavier weights and gain strength - its a trade off (especially for the chest press and bicep curl) - benefits of instability over benefits of strength. Strength is always useful. My personal view (FWIW) - perhaps do 1 session of those exercises on the ball and then 2 sessions on a bench or (for biceps) just standing up and use heavier weights (ie switch between on different days). Same for squats. However obviously discuss with your trainer

I would probably add lat pull downs (or chin ups/pull ups), but there is a good focus in that routine on the back muscles (rows) and shoulders, which are the key paddling muscles. The pull down just hits those muscles from a slightly different angle. You might alternate this with the upright row perhaps. And for me triceps get a workout paddling, although you will probably get a good tricep workout from the bent over row

My comments are coming more from a strength focus, I have realised - are you doing this as a circuit/conditioning routine (ie do the exercise in the 10-20 rep range with lighter weights/body weight, move quickly onto the next one?) Or as a strength type - do the exercise as hard as possible with heavier weights in the 5-12 rep range, then rest and do the exercise again? Either is fine and if you are doing it as a conditioning routine then the comments about stable platforms and exercises like the lat pull down may not be as useful (require more set up etc thus more time between exercises is wasted). In any case, go with your trainers suggestion but have a think about it over time and see what you think is working and not working. There are plenty of good websites around for general training ideas

There are so many core exercises that mixing them up is a good idea rather than just doing one (varieties include anti-extension, anti-lateral flexion, anti-rotation, then rotation, flexion etc)


Otherwise, yes, swimming is very worthwhile.

[Jane]

Thanks for your opinion dtc.

My trainer is no surfer, so I can use some expert view.
You're right about the benefits of balance vs. strenght. I do the exercises max.12 rep. I'll keep your suggestions in mind my next training. So thanks a lot.