New Board; Retro keel fish; need dimension help, tip spread

General Discussion
1

I am recently taken with a picture of a 1978 Tolhurst fish in a TSJ article. Kinda of pulled in tail; can’t find much on searches of Tolhurst. So, this project is a keel fin fish. It will be ridden mostly on rocky, mushy, waist to head high waves. I usually ride a twin fin or bonzer bumblebee in this stuff but want something that will skate a little more around sections. I am shaping out of an EPS 2# blank i made. Dimensions are 6’10", 15" nose, 14" tail, 22" width (3" above center, based on a conversation i had with Max MacDonald, who has shaped a ton of rocket fishes), 2 5/8 thick. Bottom will be flat to a vee starting at 18" from tail going thru the tail. Butt Crack will be 7 1/2" and trailing edge of the fins will be at 7 1/2", 1 3/8" from rail and toed 1/8" to stringer on front of fin.

My question here is width of the tips of the swallow; i have drawn everything on my template from 8" to 12". I am thinking of 10"? What else?

2

Hi…10" for the tip to tip measurements sounds about right. When I’ve encountered situations like this in the past, I’ve always gone with if it’s “pleasing to the eye”. For the kind of waves you want to use this board in, it does’nt seem you need too pulled in a tail. If you have already drawn out the outlines using the different widths, my suggestion as mentioned before would be to go with the one that looks the most appealing to you. You might want to widen the tail measurement a little to say…15", but thats just my preference.

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Thanks Foamdust, I redrew 10" inch tips and 15" tail and it looks nicer for mushy waves. All the Best

4

How big are you?

6’10"x22"x3"?

You better be a mammoth. cuz that isn’t just a boat, it’s a nuclear aircraft carrier!

the original fish creators, from what I have read, wouldn’t shape a fish over 5’6" unless you were a monster but never over 5’10".

5

General ‘‘Fish Rule’’ is: Tip to tip width, is half of board width. Draw out a few, and see how you like them.

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I’m not sure I’d call it a fish either. Doesn’t matter. Numbers are just guildelines. All the fish I looked at or rode in the seventies were short, but I never took a tape measure to them. Didn’t really like them when I was a kid because Lopez didn’t ride a fish. Love them as an older guy. I built and rode a 6-10 and liked it until I built a 6-6. I liked it until I built a 6-4. I liked it until I built a 5-10 and have been messing around in that area since. My current favorite is a 5-8 with the Pavel quads. My point,I guess, is you can surf them shorter than you think. I like foamdust reply. He always has good advice. I’ll add you might check Clyde Beatty’s boards. He makes some longer ‘rocket fish’ boards with keel fins. Or, check the photo archives of some of Herb Spitzer’s fish boards. Mike