1st Fish, 3rd Board. Little Help Needed.

General Discussion
1

Hey Guys,

I’m about to start on my first fish. I have been reading all the fish topics I can find, got heaps of info. I live in Sydney, I’m 6’2" about 165lbs and I’m a pretty novice surfer. I want a nice small wave board that is easy to paddle. I just want to catch as many waves as I can and ride them for as long as possible.

 

This is what I’m thinking:

5’11" x 22" x 2.5" (19" nose, 18" tail, 12" wide/4" deep butt crack)

Nose rocker: 4", Tail rocker: 1.5"-2", Flat bottom.

4oz + 6oz deck, 4oz bottom

Going to base it on the 6’2" or 5’11" template from http://www.greenlightsurfsupply.com/templates_short_fish.html and rails from http://www.greenlightsurfsupply.com/boxyrailbands.pdf

 

Was originally thinking a glass on twin keel setup (8" base, 5" height) But now I think I will go for a FCS quad setup. Im going to be making my own fins. Probably out of plywood and then glassed (any better suggestions?) I really want to learn more from my surfing. I think this option would allow me to try a lot more different setups. (Different fins, Quad, Twin) hopefully I will be able to learn how different feels and I can work out whats best for me.

This is what I’ve got so far for fin placement:

Twin Keel: 7" from tail, 1.25" from rail, 0.25" toe in (single foil)

Quad: Front - 11" from tail, 1.25" from rail, 0.25" toe in. Back - 5.5" from tail, 1.75" from rail, slight toe in. (not sure about foil)  

I have never made fins before so any tips would be helpful. (thickness etc)

 

Just wanting to check what you guys think. Am I heading in the right direction, will work like I am hoping? Going to try a resin tint for the first time as well, but if its just going to complicate things I will leave it. The last board I did ended up really heavy as I used too much resin. I really want a board I can surf.

Cheers, Grant.

2

Hey Grant,

How goes it, wer abouts  in Sydney are you ???

All numbers look ok !!... could probably pull your nose and tail widiths in a bit ??

Probably easier with first board to just buy fins, once board is shaped you'll be busting to get it in the brine..... anyway happy to help

 

W

3

Thanks foamhead. I might put the quad fcs plugs in and buy fins. That way I can get surfing asap and maybe make other fins later.

How would 1" narrower on the nose and 2" on the tail be?

I live on the upper north shore, near Hornsby. I surf around the northern beaches. Are you in Syd?

4

the fcs fk2 is a great twin keel fin that allows for versatility, you can add some trailer fins if you add more fin plugs and really start playing around with your fin setup. making your own glass on fins is super hard and the fcs fins are really nice. i would reccomend them since it is your first fish. they work well on my 5' 11" fish template and i put the trailing edge 6" away from the tail , so you might have success with them too.

5

My Quad Fish......6'4" x 24"w x 3"t

Love it, paddles & catches waves soooo easy!!

450×600 37.6 KB

6

I had a look at the fcs fk2s. They look really nice. But Im not too keen on spending that much on fins. Until I know how the board rides. Are the plug tabs the same distance apart as regular fcs truster fins?

I might put fcs plugs in and use some of my other fins, maybe Ill try and make a set. That way I can buy the fk2s if the board works well.

 

Nice board Aussiemal, what kind of fins do you have on it?

7

exact same specs as regular fcs (in terms of plug tabs) but thats a pretty good idea. good luck with riding it

8

At the moment I have :-  fronts Shapers SV1's Rears Fin Solutions SF1's........but it's always good fun swapping & mixing