What’s better for summer beach break fun, a fish or a single fin egg and why?
marc,
Still out there glidin’
Egg for less experienced and those needing stabiility and glide.
Fish for later takeoffs, more radical moves, but still good paddling and small wave performance.
Eggs usually average about 18" longer than fish, so there’s a diff in float.
Ok, but what about rapid tight arc directional change? A full rail cut back for example!
Marc
Slippin’ ‘n glidin’
Assuming both boards were 6’ x 22, and the same thickness, with very similar tail rocker, the squatier tailed board would turn the sharpest.
Since we didn’t specify fin config on the egg, it could be single, twin, tri, quad, or 5.
hey Marc,
i have a tendency to lean towards single fin boards and the full double ender (i dislike the term egg) at about 6ft is great when things are a little sucky. would be awesome for lower tides on Aussie beaches when even the smaller waves have that punch and bowly section. the fish however can handle these conditions and also glide through fatter sections maintaining speed. depending on how it’s made though, it may not turn as tight and might struggle without enough wall to cutback when it’s small.
i usually ride little singles under 6ft in small waves as long as it’s not too weak or slow.
this is my personal opinion, nothing more. only you can decide which is best for you and the proper decision could really only be made after riding both.
hope you’re getting some waves there, haven’t had too much up here lately.
luke
Make one of each and report back with the results. My 6 foot single fin “eggie” board is fun, but does not have the speed and drive of my 6 foot keel finned fish. Mike
Singles feel like that don’t drive because they don’t pivot off the side fins…
Twins go fast down the line because once trimmed high, the outside fin almost releases, causing less drag.
Advantage of single is the speed you get from the initial drop, or anytime off the top, when one fin has less drag than two outer fins, so big sweeping bottom turns can be loaded up with body power and spring, giving you a longer, but faster exit going to the top of the shoulder…
Correct me if I’m wrong ( as I’m sure somebody will ) but as a “back foot” surfer an egg type single fin would give me more drive off the bottom and then allow me to cutback in the pocket a lot quicker than a fish would. On the other hand a fish would be faster over “dead” crumbly sections of a wave and allow me to travel further down the line. Is there some type of magical combination of the two types of boards I’m unaware of?
Might have to take Rooster’s advice and just make one of each.
Next question is, what fin configuration works best on a fish and why?
Marc
Slipin’ ‘n glidin’
"Is there some type of magical combination of the two types of boards I’m unaware of? "
me , I like the “stubbie” style of single fin in those sized waves.[see "stubbie photo thread " for some examples / ideas] .Possibly with a couple of side plugs , for little side fins, also.
I also replied to your p.m., Marc …I hope that my thoughts / questions contained there help.
cheers !
ben
Yeah stubbies are single fin fishes really, not in planshape but i reckon a stubbie is more fish like than a fish with a single fin… if you know what i mean.
I agree with Chip,
Stubbies FLY in small waves!
or to rephrase Josh’s post …
I made a stubbie from a cut-down , narrowed fish template.
and it goes well.
for me , anyway .
ben
how about using both? use that quiver to the max. i ride my 5’8" fish and my 6’0" and 6’10" eggs depending on the surf that day or my mood. would i rather flow or skate? more boards = more options = more waves = more fun.
Yup, I often take two boards down to the beach and trade off. Mike
well, i just made a 5’10" fish for myself, and set it up as a quad. no wings, just a smooth outline, and just got back from surfing 2-3’ slop, and had a great time. having only ridden a keel fish once, i would go with the quad set up. it is as fast as a twin, has more drive, and seems to allow more vertical surfing, as well as turns in the pocket as you would like.
now, having said all of this, i have a 6’ diamond tail stubbie on my racks to finish up that i can’t wait to try out. it is a single fin, and not quite 21" wide, but i am guessing that it is going to be very similar in performance to the fish.
i also made a 6’1" - wierd size i know - board that had a fish outline until the last 1/3 and finished up with a round tail. glassed on a wide - 15" to the side fins - thruster and that is my favourite board ever.
anyway, if you’re going to make it, make both, and switch them up and sell the one you don’t like. or give it to your friends…lol.
i prefer fish over single fins for smaller waves. they say fish are heavy off the front foot but my quad fish responds really well when pumped from the back foot. digging those fins into the wave, that wide tail pops you out of the pump really fast. fun. i love single fins, but not until its 4 feet or so because it is simply too hard for me to get them going in smaller surf. a 9’2" single fin is my favorite in small surf, but alas mine was stolen.
in my opinion, get a modernized quad fin fish. cant really beat them. my pavel can get radicle in 2 foot surf.
‘chipfish61’ posted this a while ago, which looks like an early '80s thruster outline.
Well, rode my 6’1" single fin today in small week waves and had a blast. there probably not as fast or "surf circles "like as a fish but they give nice glide espicelly comming around white water and are very nice in floaters and going verticle on your forehand.
If you watch Rob Machado in Thicker than water on that green single fin (which many people say is a “bad board”) you can see how you get good glide around sections. he fits in to some good sections of the wave too.
in contrast watch “hydronomica” at www.allaboutsurf.com or the fish section on www.cisurfboards.com you’ll see there quicker and surf differently.
My singly isn’t so eggy but more a late seventies design.
This is just what i’ve found personally and results differ with different people.
A suggestion is to get a fish and buy a cheap old singly to feel what there like (see tips, second hand shops etc.)
Hope you have fun.
PS… i thought you weren’t into that “retro shit” stubs… haha
PS… i thought you weren’t into that “retro shit” stubs… haha
dude, you got THAT right! But Pancho rips, even ol’ “soul man” chippy acknowledges that.
cecil
here’s Bruce Irons, having fun on a single fin …
i like the fin in that board.