Weird Boards and Short Arse Surf Stars

[Beanpole]

I was looking at the latest popular extreme design : seventies style twin fin fish. It makes me wonder how many average surfers get much value out of something like that in an average Sydney surf. Sure if it suits your style and the style of waves you ride; a fast small point or if you hate cutbacks or something maybe they would go great.
Most of the average ability guys I have seen riding them though aren't on top of them at all :? .
It reminds me of all those Al Merrick boards sold to much less able surfers than Kelly Slater. Some guys particularly if they are really skinny, little and wiry could carve it up but if you were even average build you were up to your chin in the water and pumping furiously to make anything happen. No wonder there are so many frustrated surfers in the lineup
Do you think hot surfers are morphing into skinny short arses with long bodies and little bandy legs ?

[Longygrom]

Well ive been fishing for a few years now and i find that most people can ride them. I know a guy who would way about 90 kgs and is 6ft+ and he got his fish just in a bigger more blown up size, but same shape.

I get so much momentum on them in the small crappy beachies like this morning, it was about 1.5 ft and it was my first surf in 6 weeks from a broken foot, and i still got a decent high line trim!

Watch Glass Love.

[bro]

Longygrom, what sort of Fish do you ride?

I was wondering what the Al Merrick twinnies were like, anyone know?

[Longygrom]

I ride a 5'2 Keyo and sometimes have the privilage of riding a Richie Pavel original Greenroom Keyo.

They Al Merricks look good, but not sure how they go. Machado goes good on em

[Nick Carroll]

Andy Irons, Joel Parkinson, Mick Fanning ... these are not short people. Nor are they particularly lightweight. In fact, many top surfers these days are significantly taller and heavier than the top pros of the 1980s and early 90s.

And many of 'em ride boards with a fair bit more foam than you'd think. The "potato chip" of the 90s is long gone at elite pro level.

What's really interesting about the Fish in Sydney waters is that it has no history here -- it's a San Diego derivation, designed for the flat faced predictable glassy waves of Sunset Cliffs, and made to be surfed in horizontal lines, whereas much Sydney derived board design has been about combining vertical and horizontal lines on our peaky, slabby, unpredictable waves. (Thus Peter Crawford's Slab kneeboard as opposed to Steve Lis's original Fish.)

I'm not even remotely a Fisherman myself but it's good to see some guys out there enjoying the design.

[tootr]

hate cutbacks???

fish are great for cutties, but those big fins do tend to track sometimes and do some weird things, especially on backhand

solution - a quad fish !

also a bit more curve in the planshape, rather than the flat slab of the old school fish, makes a bit more suitable for the sort of waves we get here

tons of fun!!!!!!!!!

[/quote]

[Laurie McGinness]

The idea of two fins and a wide tail has a long history in surfboard design but for most people it has always been a niche thing, something to have in your quiver for small waves. Not even Mark Richards, at the height of his powers, could quite drag it into the mainstream. So nothing much has changed, those with enough talent and commitment can take them into serious waves…..I’ve seen Gavin Dicko rip solid Dee Why Point on a twin keel……but they’re never going to be as popular as the more standard models.

I’ve never really bothered with them much myself but I was watching some classic tiny peelers yesterday, too small even for my small board and a fish would have been perfect!

[chrisb]

Hey "Longygrom" - what are the dimensions of the fish that your 90kg 6' plus mate rides?

[Beanpole]

I'm really talking about extreme wide tailed keel fin fish here like Dick Van Stralen appears to be making. I think the general move towards wider fish style boards is a good development. I am just a bit surpised how quickly some people jump from one extreme to the other.
Why a very average surfer thinks an extreme shape with a 23" tail will improve their surfing I don't know. I blame those movies like Sprout and Seedling.
If the type of surfer I'm talking about just got a slightly fishy shape their surfing would obviously improve. They don't do that though.
On their previous potato chip banana board no trim, on the new keel fish no turn. Its more waves for me
Pleased to here everyone thinks surfers aren't turning into jockeys

[cousteau]

I have a 5'8" keyo twinny which I have ridden into the ground..... without a doubt the most fun board I have ever owned.I do get alot of stick tho on the lines of it'll ruin your normal board surfing.Bit hey i'm never gonna be throwing rooster tail after rooster tail down the line.
They really suit my style(shit)and i feel like I should be whistling the morning of the earth soundtrack as i'm shuffling up and down it!

[tootr]

i reckon mixing it up a bit will in fact improve your surfing

many guys i see riding high performance thrusters just doing little backfoot driven 'flick' and 'jab' turns would, IMO, benefit from riding a fish or a single fin.

[ric_vidal]

Interesting one Beanpole. I like even more extreme and have had some seriously interesting stares and comments with some of my boards, especially the one below.

The tail is based on the plan of a stealth fighter, but I had a change of heart when shaping and hence the round tail component and different deck line.

It was completed earlier in the year and I have had lots of fun riding it in small stuff.

Approx 6'2" x 25" so it is hard to even get it under your arm, and no it's not a kneeboard! Concave almost the entire length with a couple of extra channels through the back and running with the smallest SpeeedFins, which is the exact opposite of some the FISH that are out there.

Yes you do have to keep it pretty upright, let it run and just use the lower half of your body to make it happen. It goes like a scalded cat on next to no wave so I was able to have surfs in days where anything other than a mal would have been a challenge.



Not for everyone, but hopefully it will expand some tiny minds out there.

Alas, time for a new home for it so it's down at Dripping Wet with a couple of other boards, but I fully intend to make another.

I guess the difference for most punters is exactly that, you might be taking a punt and that can be expensive.

[chrisb]

To ric_vidal,

How thick is your board ?

I'd presume that to float a board that size you would need to be less than 6' and about 80 kgs?

[ric_vidal]

To ric_vidal,

How thick is your board ?

I'd presume that to float a board that size you would need to be less than 6' and about 80 kgs?

To be honest Chris I didn't put the calipers on it before glassing, but best guess would be about 2 1/2" with fairly low rails and the tail points/rail combo gave a bit of grip that I hadn't experienced on another very wide round tail board.

Wanto (R.I.P. the pony!) is right, at that width and with all that planning area it is pretty academic. Doooh!

I'm just under 6' and have no intentions of getting back on the scales since eclipsing 85 kg to give you my weight. Rapidly approaching 50 you get to the stage where you are just happy to be riding, well, anything and my selection over the last few years has been many and varied, but that is also because I have a hobby gone wrong making boards.

It is sometimes a matter of slide or carve, I quite like being on top of the water, a tad skatey and would encourage any surfer of any age to put some thought into what and how they actually like to ride. Spend too much time watching people and just thinking they can't be having FUN on what they are riding.

Surfing is not a fashion thing. Whatever floats your boat right?

[Beanpole]

Ric, great looking board. Double ender meets fangtail
Shaping your own and developing something original