So last night I checked out the flyer shape at a local shop. I reaally like the way it looks. They had both the surftech and poly versions… it’s funny that they’re the exact same price new, nowadays… I guess the surftech sales pitch got a bit better in the last year. At any rate, I’m keeping my eye out for used ones.
Humorously I remembered when I got home that I have a friend’s merrick tucked away in my backyard, waiting for a ding repair I promised a year ago… I dug it out hoping it was a flyer, thinking it was probably a couple inches big though… It turned out to be an MX (which seems like a reasonably similar shape)… but it’s 6’4". Ouch! I’ll probably take it out anyways to check it out.
The flyer II with the swallow tail looks like a lot of fun also. Plus, I spent a long time looking longingly at the Hynson twinzer fishes… Has anyone else ridden those? At the same length they’ve got way less volume than my KG, they really look like they’d go.
That’s my area, alright! I won’t be able to chase one down for a couple weeks since I’m going out of town (Maui!), but I was poking around craiglist last night and it’s clear I shouldn’t have too much trouble finding one… I can’t believe how many people surf those boards that large though! The 5’10"s seem a touch rarer.
I’m also having trouble coming to grips with the idea of buying a surftech, even though they do seem to make some sense for shortboard shapes.
silly has some really good advice on dimensions - one of my favorite boards of all time was a 6’2", 19", 2.5" Malcolm Campbell bonzer with a relatively lowered rocker into the nose and a bit more width in that direction. I’m 5’6" and about 155 lbs. That board would not perform in crap waves like the Kane Garden you mentioned (I’ve been fortunate enough to have ridden a L. Mabile twinzer and have nothing but good things to say), but did work well in punchy waves in the waist to 2-3’ OH range. I’ll keep the bonzer description brief as you can search and read numerous posts on this and other sites . . . but it may be a good compromise set-up for you because it marries the drive of a single fin with the higher performance of a thruster to create its own special feel. Considering your current choice of boards, be careful to not go too potato chippy. Good luck and let us know how it works out.
“I’m looking to add a modern thruster to my quiver. So far I’ve avoided them. My only shortboards are a 5’6” kane garden fish and a 6’2" Kenson karma (which I still wish I’d ordered 5’11"!) "
‘’… I’d like to be able to take off a bit steeper and get more drive out of my bottom turns.… so I’ve been looking at modern shortboards, but the last thing I want is something that’s gonna have me jumping up and down like an ape trying to stay in waves. I’m also used to a really low rocker and a really fast paddling board, so I want to find something that’s going to ease the transition a bit.
Today I saw the new channel islands ‘red beauty’ model, I guess it’s a replica of one of Curren’s boards from 1980. It’s got pretty flat rocker and a much fuller outline than the other stuff on the rack… I’m sure I’d feel more comfortable on it than any of the more modern rides, but I’m not sure if it will be what I’m looking for.
Has anyone else seen this board? Anyone have other suggestions?
I’m looking for a board that works in low-chest to slightly overhead surf, and I don’t need anything snappy.
I’m interested in something that trims that I can draw nice long lines with. "
Hi “famous actress” !
…how big are you , please ?
I ask , because piecing together the bits I’ve highlighted , edited from your original post , plus your weight , and height [and perhaps your age / paddling ability] may be helpful .
Also , what are the widths and thicknesses on the kane garden and the kenson boards you currently ride , just to give me an idea , please ?
Thanks for asking… I’m 5’7", 130lbs. Also, 130 is about as heavy as I get… by the end of the summer I’m usually 115… It’s always easier to duckdive that 6’2" Karma after the holidays, so I guess drinking beer in the winter time is sort of cross-training
Sheesh. I have no idea what the dimensions are on my shortboards… I’ll measure them tonight, and post.
I still don’t have exact dimensions on my shortboards… it occurred to me that I don’t have a good way to figure the thickness out so I decided to build calipers, since they’ll be needed anyways. I’m fairly sure the boards are somewhere in the following ranges though:
KG Fish: 5’6" x ~20-21" x 3"
Karma: 6’2" x ~19" x ~2.5"
Yesterday I had the fish out at a local beach break in exactly the sort of conditions that I’ve been talking about. Sets were chest high, and the wave was really sectioned and steep. I’m getting better at surfing the fish in these conditions, and it’s a lot of fun… but I seem to run in a couple of problems with it. For one thing, I slide a whole lot in steeper sections, and on waves that I need to take off pumping down the line… I often have to straighten out instead and can’t make it to the shoulder. The second problem I have might be kind of silly, but the overall volume of the board makes duck-diving and taking off a bit hairy when the sets get bigger. The board floats so well that on a take off with a solid face, the board doesn’t mush into the wave much… that seems to make for a much faster take-off with less room for error. I’ve been surfing the spot all week though, and I suppose that’s something that I can just get better at.
Also, yesterday I borrowed my buddie’s shortboard for a few waves. It’s dimensions were similar to the Merrick Flyer I was looking at, though it was a bit longer… 6’1" x 18 3/8" x 2 1/8" I think… Paddling it felt like swimming with a piece of cardboard stuck to my chest! I’m not sure I’m ready or all that interested in surfing something that chippy.
Since my fish is so much fun, I’m wondering if a four-fin with less volume would be perfect for me for these conditions… and I’ll continue to surf the fish I’ve got in smaller stuff.
Am I making sense? If a different fish makes sense for these conditions, does anyone have a model they’d suggest? Alternatively… would this be a practical first shaping project to undertake?
But, based on your original post (thanks chippy), it seems to me that what you would enjoy the most is a MODERN FISH!
Basically a modernized MR style twinny but with three fins. Lower rocker, wider outlines. You mentioned wanting more drive…thats exactly what three fins are for.
What I recommend is that you use a fin system where you can change fins around to tune the boards feel to your needs. if you want more of free down the line feel, use a big center and small front fins. more twinny/pivoty? use big fronts and small center.
There are many great examples of modern fishes on the Rusty.com website.
The real question tho is whether you want to change your style to suit a three fin board…if you dont like to pump/drive a board then you wont like three. Thrusters must be on rail for them to work best.
Thanks for the advice. I’ve had a couple of people mention those… the Merrick ‘Sashimi’ has been suggested, and I just poked around the Rusty site.
I’m not sure I want to learn to adjust my style that much, though. Frankly, I’m still a relatively novice surfer… especially with shorter equipment… the more I’ve been at the beach break this month the more I like the idea of a board that I can surf like my fish… but with more hold in steep stuff, and less volume overall.
Someone at a local shop this week pointed me at a quad fish by Bob Mitzven. The thickness and foil seemed geared toward steeper surf… I was planning on getting in touch with Bob to find out whether or not the shape was designed for what I want it to do and see what he thinks.
The more I see Chip’s posts with all of his fin options, though, the more I think about shaping my own fish with lots of help from the archives and going a little bit nuts with the fcs plugs
