I’ve been interested in purchasing a Kane Garden board for awhile now. I live in South Florida and it’s seems it’ll be fun for most of the year down here since we don’t get much of big surf. I wanted to know if anyone owns this board and how it rides. I am currently riding a 6’0 Al Merrick M4 I am 5’9 155 lbs. so do you think it’s a good idea or not. Another question was how I could get in contact with Larry Mabile directly if anyone had his number or was friends with him. Thanks for taking the time to read the post have a good one and pray for all the victims of the Tsunami.
as of about 2 weeks ago, Island Water Sports in Deerfield Beach stocks boards from Kane Garden…go check 'em out.
I have checked out one fish there I would like to get a custom order though. I think it would be better for me to talk to an actual shaper and tell him my questions. So he can give me all those answers I need thanks man.
well, you’ve got a whole bunch of “actual shapers” right here…many of whom have at least taken a crack at a retro fish. if you have a question…ask it…and you might just get an answer. if you want to get in touch with larry directly, i’m sure the Kane Garden website has a “Contact Us” page somewhere. btw, awesome board…
I’d like to make a fish and thats the one I was going to take a template off of. Does anyone have the measurments for a 5-10 to 6-0 in this Make ? or does anyone with APS 3000 experience can give me the dimentions off the one someone has posted here. Thanks DR . I hear good things about Kane Garden fishes…
You don’t need to go to Cali to get a great fish shape. I don’t know about your end of FLA but here in Brevard we have have plenty of excellent shapers who can give you what you want. Natural Art has fishes by Pat O’hare and Dave Detrich and others. These guys brought the fish to Fla. in the early 70,s and have plenty of experience with them. There is also Stu Sharpe at Oceansports, Steve Forstall and many others who can shape a board for your local conditions. Support your local surf industry!
Kane Garden boards look beautiful. I guess it would be funner to make a fish like that yourself but they still look great.
Check out the Surfermag BB plenty of KG info on the design forum just do a seaech.
Kane Garden fishes are nice. But, you can make a fish, too. Do it. Check the photo archives. For the cost of one KG fish you can build three. Mike
Hey - Here’s the number to their San Diego store. Their fish are great, but you are gonna end up shelling well over 600 bucks for a fish including shipping through them. Why not just get one from a local shaper or someone in Florida?
Also, there was a 5’3" fish on Craigslist for sale a few days ago that might be perfect for ya. I dunno. Do some research before you blow a ton of money. KG boards are great, I have a 5’8", but you gotta realize that it might not be the best thing for you just to buy a brand name. I’m not telling you anything Larry wouldn’t.
(858) 549-2073
That’s their shop number. Just realize that you wont always be able to instantly get in touch with Larry, and that there is a bit of a wait for their boards.
Aloha
Bryan
Another Florida shaper you might want to check out for fish is Chris Birch of Split Lip. I have a twin fin fish that he shaped and am really happy with it. It works fantastic in Florida waves. Ground Swell in Jupiter carries them and I’m sure they could put you in contact with him for a custom.
Jeff
600 bucks plus shipping? You can build 4 fishes. I’ll provide templates for free. Mike
thats exactly what i was going to say. i rode one and loved it but i wasnt going to spend that much money for a board that small.even if you dont glass it your self you could still get two boards or more for the price of one from lm. theres enough info on here to definetly get you started. and 30 bucks for shaping 101 and your own your way. and the the board will be better becasue you made it.
Chris Birch is up there with the best on old school fish and is a great guy to work with. Would be my first choice of the SE shapers for that kind of board. Stu, Nielson, etc each seem to have their own niche, but Birch’s fish are head and shoulders above the others.
Why specifically Kane Garden? Why not go local?
I have a SouthCoast fish bought off the racks, tinted over the shaper’s name, and it absolutely rips. Template, foil, lines, fins are beautiful…I’ve used it in all sorts of waves and copied more than one curve off of it. Living in SD, most of my friends have “big name” fishes (Frye, Pavel, LaMa, etc.)… yet, plenty of them ride “no name” fishes far more often… SouthCoast, GStar, homemade…
Isn’t it very un-fish-like to want a big-name fish–they helped start the backyard revolution!!!
They are beautiful boards but I would still say to build it yourself. You could get someone to glass it for you and walk away with only spending 200 bucks. Nothing beats the satisfaction of riding a board that you built for yourself. There is more information in the archives about building a fish than you can read and a ton of experienced people online to get you through the process. I will be happy to get you a few templates to chose from. Just let me know. If you are set on buying one, get one shaped localy as there is a ton of good talent right in your back yard.
Lots of good advice here. But the bottom line is that Florida surf is small and dribbly most of the time( I know, I’ve surfed here for 40 years), and your typical high performance thruster is the wrong equipment for these conditions. If you want to get the most out of our waves you need at least one board that has sufficient width and volume to take you through the mushy stuff. It can be a fish, egg, “fun board”, longboard or whatever. You could get an egg shape in the same length you have now and have 90% of the manuverability plus much better glide. Also consider a 2+1 setup. Single fins are much faster in small waves. Have fun.
If you’re set on a KG, they’re going to be doing a surf show expo in Florida sometime very soon. Might be worth your while to grab some cash and talk to the man himself and grab one of the extras they’ll have.
But, like just about everyone else on this thread, I would suggest shaping your own or buying one from a local shaper. I’m not going to assume anything on your experience or what not - but generally people cannot tell the little nuances that seperate different fish shapes. Chances are, a fish shaped by Larry will ride about the same as one shaped by your local shaper to you. I may be wrong, but it’s definately something to think about. Is it worth the extra 300+ dollars you’ll have to shell out just to have a pretty board with “KG” on it? If it is, by all means - go after it. If you are experienced enough to notice the nuances and feel you need them - then I encourage you to get a fish shaped by a master shaper. I own a KG and I have two fish I shaped myself, and the KG blows them out of the water. Not bashing the quality of my work, but I am DEFINATELY no Larry Mabile.
I just dont want you to fall in a brand name trap. If you’re getting it for a brand name, just get one from your local shaper, and use the money you save to buy a couple blanks and shaping tools and shape a few of your own boards.
Aloha
Bryan
Sorry but you missed the shot at the Expo, it ran from 1/7 to 1/10/05. KG was there and did fire sale their boards (as we all did). So at this point I would say try Island Water Sports…