Groveller to replace mini-mal ideas

[benjl]

Hey guys

By the time I can surf again it will be summer and while i've got a few months up my sleeve, i'm interested to get some feedback and ideas for the below.
I've currently got a 3-board quiver, a 7'2 torq minimal (47l), a 5'10 hypto krypto variant (33l) and my new 5'9 shortboard hyrbid (28.7l).

I'm interested in the idea of a small wave groveller that I can use to replace the minimal and probably also my 5'10.
Why? I want something that will catch the tiny and small slop, but that I can also just chuck in the car and be more nimble on a small wave than the heavier and longer minimal.
My 5'10 hypto is not a bad concept being widish and flatish but there's probably too much crossover with my 5'9 and the rounded pin is never conducive for small waves.

I was coining with the idea of like a curvy, flat, round or squash-tailed board around 40litres, 6'0 x 22 x 2 3'4 that i would probably only use in 1-3ft.
I'm only 66kg so I know that I wouldn't sink a rail well with this length to volume ratio so I imagine it would be fairly lose, paddle well and pick up tiny slush.

This way I could ditch the minimal and the 5'10, fit both bags in 1 big board bag, easily fit both in the car and basically have most wave types covered for what i go for.
Thoughts?

[Big H]

I have a board very similar....it's a fish, 6'x21 5/8"x 2 3/4" @ 39L and I ride it in waist high to head high....gets a little squirrelly after that. I like it, got it for a change of pace in the off season when we have weeks on weeks of small waves. I tried a couple of grovellers, a 6' and a 5'8" that were 43 and 42L respectively.....didn't like them as much as the fish....this fish is shaped by Studer who lives here in Bali and I noticed that this design has more rocker than either of the grovellers that I tried.....doesn't paddle quite as well but it surfs in the conditions here better where even small waves usually have good shape. Tried the 43L groveller one day on a messy, fat, high tide and onshore wind conditions and hated it....went to the car and traded it for my heavier longboard which ate through all the chop, foam and mush.

[Big H]

Rocker pic.

I guess the point I was trying to make is see if you can try before buy becoz those higher volumed boards did not work as well for me as the lower volumed fish.

BTW Im 185cm and 87kg.

[waikikikichan]

1) Get a big squared off tail Mini-Simmons, but not 6'0" because that'll be too big.

2) Old school twin fin fish like BigH recommended, but make sure it's full in the nose - Eagle/Beak nose would be cool. Twin not Quad.

3) Black ball beater sponge board. So you can pull into closeouts on crappy on-shore days.

[dtc]

Mini sim could be cool. Never used one but they are getting popular in Australia

[benjl]

I've never tried an old school twin fin fish, why specifically a twin rather than a quad?

My other query is why a lot of small board factory recommendations say to ride then 3-6inches shorter than your short board. For me this would be like 5'3-5'5 but then the volume ends up only being around 31-33l and that doesn't seem like enough to replace a 47l minimal?

[Big H]

Your short board, the hy ky copy, is a rather high volumed fish nosed board.....why not get the same size? My 7' epoxy mini mal has alot more float than my fish.......each are surfed differently. The ppint I was attempting to make before is dont get the same volume in a short small wave board as you would in a mini mal....it wont surf well. Sits too high, hard to sink a rail which is what you want to constantly do on a small wave small board, gets hung up in the lip, in spite of the bouyancy is a clearly inferior paddler compared to a longer board of similar volume.