First Shortboard (fish)

[Kula Ke Akua]

Move me to the correct forum if there is one-

But I had a question about the correct size fish for me. I currently have a cheap 9' longboard, and am still a beginner, but i can paddle out catch waves, turn, walk the board (the basics) and i want to get a fish because I thought it would be the easiest transition to shortboard.

I am 5'10 140 lbs,
what would be the right height/thickness fish for my size and ability?

[maxi]

In your travels I suggest looking up Grant Miller and having a look at his Waterskate. As a minimum give him a call and have a chat. I think he has some interesting ideas - and I think is correct when he points out that few guys can perform well on a fish (Dave Rastovich aside!)

What many boards seem to lack is a bit of volume. Average and above average surfers can perform on the standard potato chip ridden by the pros - but for many others it can be a frustrating experience. Grant tends to put more volume in the board but they still offer reasonable performance - and particularly in the smaller beachbreaks that most people spend time riding.

Anyone else have a view on his boards / approach to shaping?

http://www.waterskatesurfboards.com/default.aspx

[Jamoe]

are you getting a commission or something Maxi??


I'm 6'2 and 74kg and ride a 5'10 x 19 1/2 x 2 1/2 fish and it works really well for me, as maxi said the volume is what you need, particularly if you are still learning from a mal, so definetely nothing less then 2 1/2 inches

Ive found it a bit weird getting used to going from a conventional surfboard, the rocker on a fish is sooo flat, though if you are going from a mal i wouldnt worry about it too much!

no idea what 140lbs equates to in kgs so cant really say much else!

[Kula Ke Akua]

haha sorry about that... my car get 6 hogsheads to the stones throw and thats the way i likes it!!

I'm 63 kg

[aitch]

That's some wierd shit.

I got a fat blaster 6'1 fish from Gnech when I was 98kg / 6ft
rode it all year and in waves over four feet it rocked.
This year I'm going with a channel bottom single flyer version
a little less nose, but I'm 85kg now so it'll float the same.
Marks boards sing and I've aimed to replicate the SKIP board I got for christmas in 1983.

[Cpt.Caveman]

I'm 5'11" and 83kg and I ride a Yorky 6' x 19 1/2" x 2 1/2" and it goes really well. The only thing I would say about it is that its not the best board for when the waves get a bit bigger or more powerful. With all that volume its just so hard to control it in the way you would a smaller shortboard.

For you, seeing as you're going down from a 9' mal, I wouldn't go straight to a fish. It would be like riding a massive harley with a slow engine then going onto small and light 500cc dirtbike and having a race. It will be hell hard to control.

My advice is to talk to the shaper but start off with a shortboard thats a little long (maybe 6'4" or 6'6") and a little wider than normal (18 3/4", maybe 19"). The volume doesn't have to be too much but that depends on what you weigh in kg as I have NFI how to convert pounds. Pretty full boxy rails as well. Being a little wider and longer it feel like a shortboard but be a lot more stable than a normal board. With the boxier rails they're pretty forgiving so you'll be able to get away with more errors in your weight placement and still have a good time and not fall as much.

Once you're used to it and surfing ok on that type of board, then start to bring the board shorter, narrower, thinner rails and adjust the volume to make sure its going to float you.

[cha_cha_]

progression for adult learners these days seems to be mal/minimal -> larger than average shorty (ie extra few inches long, extra inch wide, extra 1/4 thick), proper shorty -> the world = your oyster.

depends on the way you ride (want to ride) but.

[jago25_98]

I've got a 7'10 Mal and want to be able to duck dive the most stable thing possible.

Would you recommend the same for me? Example?

Can you get big fin sub-mal's? I guess I can't have it all.

I've ridden:
6' fish (never caught anything)
7'4" Bunty Mal (nearly duck divable but only because it's knackered)
7'10" custom retro big fin Mal

Can you have something stable yet duck-divable?

[Cpt.Caveman]

Yeh, get a shortboard thats pretty wide like 19 to 19 1/4 inches wide. Get boxy rails as well and a length to suit your height. No less than about 2 inches taller than you, probably a few inches talled then you would go better. It will be a bit skatey on a wave compared to a normal shortboard but when youre coming down from a mal it will be way more stable and easier to catch waves.

[Shaunm]

6'6 Hobie 20" x almost 3" I'm 6' & 85kg / just like a mal only faster, Phil Byrne does one @ 6'6 cost around $800 though

[ric_vidal]

Capt-C,

Nice advice but I wouldn't stop there if you are talking to jago who is ridding some pretty lengthy equipment.

Longer and wider still could be in order. 6'10" x 20" or even more I still think a lot of people would have a whole lot more fun with more foam under them rather than trying to 'fit in' with the crowd.

My ride is a 6'8" x 20" x 2 9/16" but it has a fairly large flyer in it to pull the tail in and it is proving to be a heap of fun. I am however somewhat older than probably your average surfer (whatever that is)

The transition can be a bit of a challenge coming down from longer more stable boards. Spent a lot of time jumping from over 9' boards to around 6'6" and till you get your head/body around it you can feel like a bit of a gumby.

As someone inferred earlier, just keep refining your boards as you improve...

Good luck

[Johnno]

rics right about crew not havin fun cause there "in the scene" with too thin off boards.

they go well "thin boards" but not in our average summer slop

sizes are personal things....regardless i suggest u look at making sure u get a very flat deck....i think a flat deck adds heaps of stability too any size board tailshapes can help here too

And rails..........................

[Hound]

Jago,

I reckon you'd be hard pushed to find a decent fish type board in the uk, especially as refined as many of the above have discussed, we have the advantage here of being able to drive a couple of k's and talk to many shapers about what we want and get feedback. In the uk it seems that unless you have some serious till getting a good custom is hard work.

Also the waves here generally have more power here, even in the crappest day of summer, however the general rule of more volume is better obviously applies.

I'd recommend getting something like a 6'8" with around a 19 1/2 width general fat shortboard, reckon bunty and nige semmens make decent models, as they have some rocker so when it gets over head high and sucks like low tide croyde you can still take it out, something you may not want to do on a shorter, fatter, less rocker fish.

On a side note. What are prices in the uk for new boards? I'm visiting friends over xmas and are thinking about bringing about five new boards over to sell, what do reckon I'd be able to get for them, 300 pounds?

[philw]

i learnt to surf in the uk. started on a mini mal, then rode a longboard for a while, then did a lot of travelling and learned to ride shortboards. never ride anything else now.

gulf stream in the uk used to make a really nice full shaped shortboard called the retro rocket (though poss too advanced for someone going straight down from the mal). check their website. i gave mine to a mate here and i've considered getting it back to have it copied. new they're prob about 400 quid. which is a lot of dollars.

i reckon it also depends on how much time yr going to put into it and where you surf. eg: uk does get great waves but it's not ideal for shortboards much of the time. so if yr going to learn how to ride one there you're going to have to put some time into it!

selling aus surfbaords in uk seems to work pretty well - they have a bit of status! but, most people are aware that a bladed out pro-model 6'1 ain't gonna be much good for 2ft saunton sands! i'm sure you'd be able to sell a few modern fishy shapes.

[sandtrax]

no idea what 140lbs equates to in kgs so cant really say much else!

Tip: Go to Google - type in '140 pounds in kg'. Comes out at 63.5 kg.

Re. the board - don't get anything too narrow. Coming off the longboard, as a beginner, you'll find shortboards "tippy". Look for something that paddles well (plenty foam under the chest) and is reasonably stable (wide plan shape - re. the watersake philosopy). You'll then have enough momentum on the wave to keep up with/ahead of a section while you're learning how to generate speed through your turns.

[vonie]

Move me to the correct forum if there is one-

But I had a question about the correct size fish for me. I currently have a cheap 9' longboard, and am still a beginner, but i can paddle out catch waves, turn, walk the board (the basics) and i want to get a fish because I thought it would be the easiest transition to shortboard.

I am 5'10 140 lbs,
what would be the right height/thickness fish for my size and ability?

Im 5'10" and 78Kg - when the time came to progress from the mini mal to a shorter board I went for a 6'10" JC. However it didnt take long to get into a 6'4" JC Peter Mel then a 6'4" Webber afterburner.

The 6'10" was a great transition to a short board and felt like a skate board after the mini mal. It has plenty of volume and stability and was easy to surf.

I have never surfed a fish so cant really comment on the comparison.

Good luck.