help selecting a new board!!

[radicalshakas45]

hello!! for a couple of months now ive been riding a channel islands retrofish, about 6 feet with a ton of volume and im about ready to transition to a shortboard with a little less foam.. im 140lbs and surf a 3-4ft mushy beach break 3-4 times a week. any recommendations on what CI model i should try and how much volume i should look for?

[dtc]

a fish seems like a good choice for the waves you describe, why not just a shorter fish?

The CI website allows you to refine the boards down to what they 'suggest' for your needs. I dont know the volume of your current board, I wouldnt drop more than 15% in one go

[kookextraordinaire]

Fish are supposed to have a lot of volume, that's how they are designed.

I would advise (some may disagree here) against riding a twin-keel fish to begin, it's so easy to get down the line that one doesn't need to develop the ability to link turns properly and work the wave. It's just point down the line and go. I'd really recommend a thruster setup, and, I think that this opinion is echoed, and nice big old funboard. Shortboards are for advanced riders, and don't believe the "novice to pro" description ci has on their site. They are simply trying to sell more boards. The only board anywhere near suitable for a beginner is the biscuit, and maybe the average joe, but for the ci label you are shelling out an extra 100 every time.

There are other, better board companies out there. Sorry if I sound really jaded about CI, but it's more or less true.