Board Choice Help. Fish Questions?

[physiorol]

Any Suggestions Appreciated

I have been surfing on and off for the past 10 years. I have only owned long boards and am wondering if a different type of board would be more versatile.

I have seen guys on out on Fishes who can paddle easy and fast and go lightening fast down the line and I guess they also have a much easier time getting out.

I want a board that paddles easy and won’t pearl in steeper take offs (like my 9’6” does). If it could also duck dive a bit that would be awesome. Can a fish do that? The regular short boards I have tried have hard to paddle.

Thanks

PS my favorite board ever was a 9'0" Classic Hawaiian Single fin. It was a legend board never had anything close to it.

[scuba steve]

Fish - paddle easy
- catch waves easy
- harder to balance and control than a longboard
- can duckdive
- catch waves like you're on a longboard, ride them like you're on a shortboard

[speedracer721]

what size waves are you riding?

[physiorol]

Thanks for your responses

I rarely ride anything over 6ft face mostly due to getting out with the longboard in bigger surf also cause I tend to just surf at convenient locations not necessarily the best spot.

Do you have any ideas regarding length, width and board thickness that would still give me easy paddle and possibility to duck dive?

I am not too worried about maneuverability. I am 180lb (80kgs) and 6 foot tall.

Roland

[speedracer721]

well as far as fish go, they arent much good for anything overhead, usually used for small gutless waves. you might be better off with a standard shorty. but if you wanna go fish, i would go like 6'2'' 6'3'' 20-21 wide and about 2.5 thick. but where are you surfing? i personally would rec a shorty for 6ft and bigger waves

[physiorol]

I ride in California mostly but will be going on a trip to Australia In december and thought now might be a good time to downsize for travel purposes but I have been thinking of trying a fish for a while now.

What are you thoughts about numbers of fins?

[drowningbitbybit]

well as far as fish go, they arent much good for anything overhead, usually used for small gutless waves. you might be better off with a standard shorty. but if you wanna go fish, i would go like 6'2'' 6'3'' 20-21 wide and about 2.5 thick. but where are you surfing? i personally would rec a shorty for 6ft and bigger waves

...And this is the guy who didnt know what a fish was last week

So anyway...

Fishes arent all that easy to paddle if you're used to a longboard, as they tend to be ridden really quite short. But its not such a bad thing - just takes a little bit of practise and effort

Fishes pearl on steep take-offs
Due to the lack of rocker, on a steep face the nose will tend to dig in. They're fine on big fat waves (mine will easily handle overhead) but its the steepness that causes the problem.

Fishes gain speed like nothing else... but then lose it equally quickly. You need to be able to pump over flat sections or go over the crumbly bits.

Duckdiving isnt a problem on a fish. Not quite as straightforward as a shortboard, due to high volume, but not difficult. And if you need to be doing 'proper' duckdives then you probably shouldnt be out on a fish!

Number of fins - 'classic' fishes have two, while the fish hybrids sometimes have three. Mine has three - I ride it with two if I want the board super loose, two and a trailer fin if the waves are gutless and I want some drive, and three fins when it begins to get big. If you're getting a real fish, you're probably best sticking to two

As for versatiity - yeah, I think they are pretty versatile. I can normally make something of a session even when its almost flat, or blown out, or whatever.

I'd recommend having a go on one before buying because a) they can be quite difficult to surf and b) they're not to everyone's taste.

So find one, hire one, enjoy one!

[speedracer721]

just tryin to help bro. info from dec. he told me all about it lol.

[SilverShark78]

well as far as fish go, they arent much good for anything overhead, usually used for small gutless waves. you might be better off with a standard shorty. but if you wanna go fish, i would go like 6'2'' 6'3'' 20-21 wide and about 2.5 thick. but where are you surfing? i personally would rec a shorty for 6ft and bigger waves

well to say that a fish wouldnt be good for anything overhead is a bit of a generalization. it all depends on the dimensions of the fish. i have a fish, but a very narrow swallow-type tail. 6'4. i had that board in the first south swell in costa rica, 12+ ft waves and they werent gutless. that board rode like a cloud, didnt get caught up in any speed or chop problems

[physiorol]

Thanks again,

I can see that there are alot of variables to consider when it comes to board choice and everyone has different requirements regarding what they are used to, where they surf etc.

To clarify, I guess I want a board that most people can duck dive but paddles very well. My experience with short boards tells me that I want something that paddles a hell of a lot better than a regular shortie. I guess I was hoping a fish could do that but there is always give and take.

I will try to rent or demo something as well.

[isaluteyou]

ya try and borrow or rent some boards and find one that you are comfortable with.

[Driftingalong]

If your serious about the fish; I wouldn't go any larger than 6'0". For fins I would go with either a twin or quad fin set-up. It will feel very weird the first few times out.
I think you're going to have to be very dedicated to make the transition.

You might what to think about more of a transition board. It all kind of depends on your abilities, how often you can go and the quality of your surf.



Speedracer: It's great that you want to give advise, but you havn't even been surfing yet. If you're set on trying to spead your stoke and give advise; maybe preface it first with "someone told me..." or "I read somewhere that..."