Well, here are the initial, although incomplete, test results for those interested. I’ll try to setup this up objectively, comparing the fish to another fish for a control in the materials comparison and then comparing the fish to my normal shortboard (which I expect will only reinforce what we already would expect to hear when comparing such vastly different boards…That is one complaint I have of many board-tests on this forum…shaper/surfers frequently seem to compare their current/latest board to their last board or boards that are nothing alike in outline, fin configuration, rocker, rails etc. and automatically assume that one of the boards is better than the other based on these things. I tend to disagree with this approach and I feel that shortboards should be compared to shortboards, fish to fish, mals to mals, etc and then the differences between the two can be examined more closely to determine what design element is responsible for what effect in the water. Just my opinion though; keep it objective, keep it logical and you can truly decipher how a board rides vs. how it is expected or hoped to ride based on previous boards.
Anyways, I didn’t get the board out all week due to high tides and nonexistent swell in my area but found some blown out head high stuff to take it to this morning and some hollow head + surf at extreme low tide this afternoon. Well, for starters on the rider specs, I’m in my early twenties, former college athlete, 6’1" 170lbs and surf/exercise with reckless abandon the way only an ocean-crazed, financially free, and romantically unrestricted young guy can…ultimately, that means that my paddle power and stamina are rather good in the water. Intermediate skill, though I have my moments of greatness, haha.
Anyways, my normal shortboards are 6’3" x 18 3/4" x 2 3/8…more or less the FW Flexfire in outline, rail, and rocker. I also ride a 6’6" x 19" x 2 3/8" pretty frequently with an in-line setup (seven inch center with 2.5 inch trailer) or as a thruster. The last fish that I rode consistently was a friend’s 5’10" Tate pu/pe which I rode almost daily in August around San Diego in varying conditions, generally small and/or mushy summer surf. The Tate is my point of reference for a retro fish, so I’ll try to stick to fairly comparing that directly to my current board. That said, the Tate has much rounder rails throughout and a bit flatter deck than my board, from here out referred to as the “Dirty Swirl”. The Dirty Swirl’s rails go hard in the last 12" or so, are nearly identical to my shortboard rails, quite thin for 2 3/8" thickness. The Tate also is a bit heavier, possibly due to being a few seasons old, possibly due to materials (pu/pe); Tate is +/- 7.5 lbs, Dirty Swirl is 6lbs even (I hotcoated thin and sanded aggressively, though it is 2x4oz deck and 4oz bottom with extra glass on nose and tail). The keels are almost identical in foil outline and area; cant on my board is 7 degrees wheras the Tate is a bit less though I didn’t check the exact angle. Toe in on my boards fins is substantial compared to the Tate; didn’t check the angles on either board, but from a vertical view, the Tate fins appear to toe-in parallel to the stringer and the Dirty Swirl maintains the same off-the-rail measurements that I have on my shortboards at fin entry and exit points, resulting in toe-in that appears to point +/- at the nose.
On to the fun stuff! Dawn Patrol on Coronado (IB was blown out and excessively high tide) at Shipwrecks, side shore winds and high tide with chest to head high ridable corners and some bigger closeouts. Pretty crap conditions overall. Board paddled well and duckdives were cake. Got into the faces pretty early (granted this wave tends to mush before it breaks a bit) and held up pretty well on bottom turns or angled, down-the-line takeoffs. Definitely had to nurse turns to not overpower the thing, but had two good waves where I went off the lip (both on my backside) and it went up and came down nicely, seeming to gain speed with a bit less effort in the flats than a thruster. Again, two different beasts, two different effects.
Afternoon session thanks to benevolent bosses cutting us early today. Surfed Dog Beach halfway between the base and the jetty on Coronado in strong offshores to avoid the poo in IB from this morning’s rains. Head high sets, low tide. Got about fifteen waves, most on my frontside. This board can go vertical. I’m not sure what to attribute it to, but I had a few hits that felt as locked in as on my thrusters. Maybe not as stable, but it did seem to handle the hollow waves fairly well, though I ate shyt a few times from taking off a bit late or not quite having enough rail to set into the face. FWIW, I also whipped around a half-arsed cuttie that felt a bit more stable than I remember the Tate being; again, I’ve ridden thrusters almost exclusively since September, so I’m probably feeling a lot of the fish characteristics again for the first time in a while. Definitely a very light board and very smooth when pumping small turns consecutively (flex? I need more sessions on it to absolutely confirm this, though it does feel very good on back-to-back turns, maybe better than the Tate).
In any case, it goes fairly well and with some adjustments in my approach to surfing it, I think it will prove a fun board, especially in the tiny and flatter stuff. I’m looking forward to more conditions on this board and a session of trading off with my buddy on the Tate, just for observation’s sake. Probably my last post until the New Year, so Happy Holidays to all and here’s to winter waves for us Northern Hemi residents and good riddance to summer flat spells down south!
