i was wondering if i could get any advice on getting a fish or not. i currently ride a 5’11 byrne that is 20" with a wider nose and squash tail. when it gets to head high i ride a 6’3" byrne pill. i was wondering if i should get a fish for days when the surf is soft and or under knee high. i know a fish would be super fun at a killer point and hold in at least head high but i want to use it instead of a log when my regular boards will not be that fun. is this the wrong idea or will i have more fun in soft surf with a fish than my regular boards. thanks for the input. i am 5’6" and 155#.
I ride a rounded nose 5`10" x 20" x 2 1/2" swallow tail in this shitty summerwaves. with a flat bottom and a low rocker. It´s perfect for getting speed in this conditions and launching airs. I left a bit mire resin in the cloth and put some extra coat on it so it will not cave in so fast. I´m 6´ 160lb 22 years old.
I live in NJ so I empathize with you about the small summer waves.
In my opinion, you sound like you’ve got a perfectly good justification for buying a new board!!! It takes very little for me to make up an excuse for getting a different kind of board to try out.
Good luck!
Don’t think in terms of “fish” or any other name.
Think “small wave board”…only.
Soft waves can be ridden, smaller than knee high…possibly, if you are desperate.
Just go wider, like 22" wide, harder, down rails, slightly straighter rocker, and then you can pull in the tail to handle the flatter rocker, not wanting the width out on the rails like a fish.
If you have to have a swallow, bear in mind you loose floatation and planing because of the cutout in the center of the tail. Why not fill it in, adding a better small wave board? You hardly need any pins to help you hold in on turns in “small” waves anyways.
Twin fins is good, fastest, least drag bottom for planing fast is flat to slight V.
Lee DD ,
Thought works better on small wave board ? I’m a total idiot on these , if board board have the same size & design . One with fish tail the other one with rounded tail . Which will work better on samll wave ?
THANKS …
Remember, if you fill in the tail of a fish, it catches waves sooner, planes up sooner, floats better.
Since we’re talking waist high and down only, why round tail? Why not extreme pintail for holding power?
Just kidding, go square tail for most surface area, you are not zooming along fast enough that the corners would ever possibly hinder your turning or trim.
Move WP back of center, you are not spinning out or ever in danger of spinning out riding your small wave board.
Twin fins toe’d and BIG. On something like a 18" wide tail, 6" x 6" fins for POWER you can generate with hard turns.
Flatten rocker, you can go either flatter nose for paddling or flatter tail for boardspeed, but watch the nose dropping steep!
Hard turned down rails, tip to tip, since the board is probably shorter than 6’6", you won’t catch rails, and probably need the extra planing surface per width.
WP around 22.5 - 23", depending on your wingspan and width preferences. Don’t worry about rail to rail ease and quickness, we’re talking smaller waves here.
Thick tail. You know why, you need planing and float back there in slow waves, and the thickness doesn’t hurt because your never going Mach 111 riding thigh high surf.
Around 3" thick, you’re not worried about getting out or duck diving.
Wide nose if you like to trim forwards, but in offshore winds, and for late drops, a narrow, pointy nose 3" narrower than the tail is quick and snappy, for high performance tiny wave surfing, as opposed to tiny wave cruising.
You don’t need to glass it very light, or use a superlight blank, because small waves need a board with some momentum, and screwing around in shallow shorebreaks can cause dings to happen.
Thanks BOSS , need more infor bout the board dimentions . My friend only shape fun board , 1’m 70kg .
Regards , A from asia …
Sorry, don’t know what more I can post about dimensions. Thought I gave all pertinent #s.
Fin placement is up to rider preference, and shaper knowledge…depends on size of fins anyways, and rake.
Without knowing your wingspan, it’s hard to recommend width. Which is personal preference anyways.
LeeDD , wat’s ur fav size ? I’ve have try a 5"10 x 19"1/4 x 2"1/2 boxy rail + low rocker double wing moon tail fish (remove the centre fin) , every time when i turn the board harder it just keep sliding …
If you’re gonna ride a twin, and expect holding power, you need 6" side fins.
Subtracting the tail fin, you are asking for spinout/slide on steeper walls or bottom turns.
I"m an old fart, at 55, and last year rode Cojo (famous Ranch right point) with a 5’6" x 22 Lis fish, and it was easy and fun, but a little stiff for my backside attack.
If I were to ride head high backside again, I’d shove the WP back to center, make curvier hips, increase depth of fins to 6.5, fill in the swallow tail, decrease overall width some for quickness, and add 4" for offshore winds. Following week, in the same head high stuff, used a 6’8" x 18.5 round pin. It was fine also.