Fish or small wave performance?

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brendo
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Re: Fish or small wave performance?

Post by brendo » Tue Mar 22, 2011 7:05 pm

pridmore wrote:I think you are spot on with the last comment, boards that were magic, sometimes arent years later, or even months..my magic few in Yamba arent so magic up here on the Sunny Coast...different waves, I have put on 3 kg's in the last 2 yrs too, plus surfing differently.....but when you have a magic one, its great to get that confidence in a board....

aint that the truth! i still got my all time fave board. mid 90s heavy rockered 6'3 x 181/8 x 21/8. very low volume. triple concave, reverse vee, squash tail, with dreamkillers schorched earth policy album cover painted on the deck. i took it os 6yrs ago as a backup and took it for a few waves... :shock: it felt super loose, and 3rd wave in lost it, got worked, almost had my head go through the cheese grater in 3ft deep water over sharp coral. paddled straight in, swaped boards. now it sits in the rack. :lol:

pridmore
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Re: Fish or small wave performance?

Post by pridmore » Tue Mar 22, 2011 7:17 pm

haha... the good old dreamkillers, had a few wild and drunken nights seeing them.... 8)

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Hano
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Re: Fish or small wave performance?

Post by Hano » Sat Apr 02, 2011 10:40 pm

Here’s my new allrounder. She’ll be a quad with fifth plug option. When discussing the design with Mark I limited my input with the measured makeup to just the core ingredient of the design-we came to a mutual agreement on length,width,thickness. I was a little more particular about the bottom contour and back end edges but left the nose/ tail widths,rails and rocker design to Marks knowledge on what would work best for the conditions and waves I wanted it for. Im fortunate enough to still be able to spend a fair bit of time on local reefs that have rail grab type takeoffs, and waves that usually end in a race for the window.

http://i403.photobucket.com/albums/pp11 ... oQF010.jpg
http://i403.photobucket.com/albums/pp11 ... oQF009.jpg

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monkeyman
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Re: Fish or small wave performance?

Post by monkeyman » Wed Jun 15, 2011 1:45 pm

I probably owe a review on my 6'0" Bourton Fat Bullet... I've had it for about 6 weeks and we've had some waves in Sydney so it's been well tested.

Me, about 75kg and 185cm and <45 and >35 if that helps.
Paddling out - excellent. lots of float.
Paddling in - excellent, seems to act like a board with no rocker and stay low with very little resistance and lots of paddling acceleration. Best short board wave catcher I've been on.

Positives:
Under 4 foot, loose and driving, not like a thruster (snappy), more like a skateboard with kryptonics (if you know what I'm mean - drivey). Good for cutbacks, tail drifts into pocket nicely, very fast when you drive it hard.
Over 4 foot, paddles in early like a gun, very solid feeling when you are riding high or mid face, very very quick down the line. Doesn't mind being steered down the face on a vertical takeoff - the nose shape and side fins really hold on when it's sketchy and hollow.

Negatives:
over 4 foot... got axed by a 6 footer on a late take off, as I shot out onto the flats the tail felt like it was cavitating... like not holding on and not finding a line for itself, precious second lost and lip smashed me before I could lay it into a bottom turn.
Found the board didn't lay on its rail on another bigger rail - stayed flat and I fell but it is 21 inches wide so just have to recalibrate myself!
On a really solid fast late 5 footer back-hand it flew along taking a high line but I just couldn't get it to let me carve a nice line down to the bottom so I could do some more vertical turns... I actually think I wouldn't have been quick enough to make the wave at all on a thruster... but I really just wanted to do a big turn off the top and bottom and couldn't get out of trim!! Maybe that's a quad thing?

Positives far outweigh negatives to make it the best board I've owned and i highly recommend it as a thruster alternative for the non-aerial generation.

:D

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Cpt.Caveman
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Re: Fish or small wave performance?

Post by Cpt.Caveman » Wed Jun 15, 2011 2:47 pm

What fin set-up are you using?

Sounds like more fishy dimensions at 21", maybe not refined enough for solid overhead waves :)
Davros wrote:Ego saved - surfing experience rubbish.

'llo-and Behold
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Re: Fish or small wave performance?

Post by 'llo-and Behold » Thu Jun 16, 2011 6:39 pm

Can I put in a vote for semi-fish?
A bit sketchy over 6', but my 5'8" Byrne TC Tufflite (stop with the " :roll: " will ya!) made me reassess the need for anything over the 6'4"-6" that I had been riding for maaany a year. Actually, reassess isn't true. Dispose of is more accurate. While I have to say that takes offs are later, the speed generated ( with the biggest fins I can find (Sunny Garcias)) gets me out of trouble and pretty much anywhere I want to go on the wave.



Damn I'm itching to go for a surf...

Natho
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Re: Fish or small wave performance?

Post by Natho » Thu Jun 16, 2011 8:45 pm

Interesting board review monkey. Your description of being stuck in the trim and having trouble breaking into a turn at speed is a bit of a quad issue, but at the same time you have to turn a quad far more off your rail to break into a turn,so its probably a technique thing too. You've gotta surf a quad right of the rail to get the most out of turns in general. That's one reason why I don't think quads are always the right choice for average to less than average surfers (not talking about you here coz i don't know how you surf) . It was interesting hearing a former world champ the other day who was training a few up and coming groms. His advise was to steer clear of quads and develope their technique on a thruster first. Quads still have their place and can be really fun down the line, but I think the whole speed thing has more to do with the boards rocker than the fin set up itself. A good board is about the elements of speed and turning abilty, not just speed alone IMO.

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monkeyman
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Re: Fish or small wave performance?

Post by monkeyman » Fri Jun 17, 2011 2:38 pm

Fin set-up is whatever was standard, back fins only slightly smaller than the front and they are foiled both sides.
Going to have to ride it from the tail a little more and see how that goes?
Still a great board, nice and nimble and easy to paddle, and it looks like a surfboard not a fish - so I feel like a normal surfer again, and the cut-backs are amazing.

I'd say for how I'm surfing at the moment, it's perfect and it's teaching me a thing or two about setting rails properly and riding better lines.

i've been surfing since '82 and this is the best mix of float and performance that I've had in a board ever.

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Cpt.Caveman
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Re: Fish or small wave performance?

Post by Cpt.Caveman » Mon Jun 20, 2011 10:06 am

I've been finding recently with the quads I ride that trackiness is a lot to do with foot placement. If my front foot is off the sweet spot it sometimes has a tendency to feel tracky, but as soon as I shuffle back no problems.

The back foot seems less important with this effect and more to do with short arc turns.
Davros wrote:Ego saved - surfing experience rubbish.

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swvic
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Re: Fish or small wave performance?

Post by swvic » Wed Jun 22, 2011 1:12 pm

I have a 6'2" bourton silver bullet and originally had sim probs to you monkey. Standard fins for both our boards are M5 front and GXQ rears. Thoroughly recommend k2.1 quad set. Heaps more release off the top and better hold too with slightly larger rears. Win win. Hate the fact that I'm endorsing Slater, but give it a go.

$100 from OS compared to 160 in Oz for PC set. Worth every cent for me
marcus wrote:and that vicco dude, whatsisname?

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Cuttlefish
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Re: Fish or small wave performance?

Post by Cuttlefish » Wed Jun 22, 2011 3:12 pm

How's the OS prices?
It really sucks that anyone who knows the fins they want and doesn't want to pay a silly price needs to avoid the local sellers and go internet.
Oh well.
Only a rat can win the rat race.

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