hey guys im 6’3’’ 200lbs and ive been surfing for about 6 years. ive got many boards as my dad and i have shaped them. But i havent much experience with fish. I’ve been thinking 6’, 21’‘, 2.5-3’'. im thinking keels and dimensions are only approximates as im not wuite sure about them? i want a fast board that will get into waves early and have great response like a twinnie. any suggestions or info would be much appreciated. cheers Damo
What’s your skill level? So far, from what you posted, I’d go with the 6’0", 2’ 7/8" thick, 17" nose, 16" tail. I’m sure I’ll get blasted from someone about that, but het…You asked.
hey thanks m8 yeah I’ve shaped 3 boards on my own and over 10 with my dad but only ever thrusters. yeah i have chosen to shape a fish because of the waves i surf around here (shellharbour) which are often full and some sections are hell on a thruster.
At your size, 3" thick is not too much. I just finished a 6’0" 18-23-17 fish at almost 3" thick and its a sinker. I’m 6’2", 215. It would probably be just about right for you. It surfs fine, paddles out fine, but getting into waves could use a boost. Its perfect if I can sit in the right critical spot and basically no-paddle takeoff, but with other people around, how often does that happen. If I did it over again, I’d go 6’2-6’3 and 3 1/4" thick with a domed deck so the rails stay thin.
6’2" x 17" x 23" x 17" x 3.24"
just dome it so the rails are relatively thin. youd be surprised how well these things catch waves, even if they float terribly, the wide tail and overall large planing surface allows them to grab the energy from the wave early. this amount of planing surface aso gathers up alot of speed with very little effort, great for small waves.
Hi Damian,
Good to see more fish shapers starting to emerge in Oz 
I’ve just finished a 6’ 3" x 20 1/2" x 2 3/4" fish and the dimensions, template, etc. are all up on my website. Feel free to view the design and have a play with the dimensions for your own board.
I rode it for the first time on the weekend and I absolutely love it… no problems with float / take off / paddling etc… this board just flys I’m not good with Imperial to Metric conversion, but I am 185cm tall and 80kgs. Being in Oz also, that should make sense to you The dimensions you mentioned below should work OK, but take that with a grain of salt as I don’t have a feel for the comparison in body size, but essentially, the normal convention for a fish is 4" - 6" shorter than your normal shortboard… if you are riding say a 6’ 4" shortboard, I can’t see an issue with your fish dimension. I made my fish slightly longer than you would for my body size as I wanted the extra glide for paddling as the board is designed for smaller days.
In terms of thickness, I personally would feel that 3" is too thick… but that’s just personal opinion and that could be balanced out with how boxy / rounded you do the rails. My fish is 2 3/4" thick, but I kept a lot of volume in the rails… for my size I wouldn’t like to go any thicker as I would need a paddle to reach the water
In terms of fins, I highly recommend getting on to Rod from Finfektion in Tweed Heads. He helped me out with my fins and they are absolutely great. Among their fin options, Finfektion do twins for fishes and just this week, Rod mentioned to me that they now have a quad option also… skys the limit.
Good luck with it… you won’t regret it!
-Cam
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. yeah i have chosen to shape a fish because of the waves i surf around here (shellharbour) which are often full and some sections are hell on a thruster.
…maybe not at ‘shallows’ or ‘redsands’ though , eh ?!
5’-11", 6 ft. max… at least for a traditional fish
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5’-11", 6 ft. max… at least for a traditional fish
yeah, dont want one of those fake fish.
hey guys thanks this info is really helpful. Um yeah ill probably surf it at shallows ive surfed fish out there before. Reddies nah dont think so lol. cowries and pool bombies about the limit. but this board will be mainly for the farm. cheers
never was able to suss out where redsands was…had some siiiiiiick sessions at boneyards, werri…some reefs south of werri…oh oz. can’t believe you’d surf a fish at cowries/pool…
hey yeah i wouldnt surf on it at cowries over like 4 foot and pools like 5 foot but on smaller days hell yeah. oh yeah the boneyard is sweet. it holds like 18 feet too. oh and reddies is if u saw south shellharbour beach. its along the same road then ull c suicides, shallows, peers, and the the big one redsands!
Damien, I’m in Newcastle and have made a few fish. First, check the archives and do some research, but from what you’ve said I’d go with 6’ , 21.5"W, 16.25"N and 16" tail with twin keels (get in touch with Rod dunn from finfection in Qld). They go like a rocket, skim over flat spots, and turn on a 20 cent piece.
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"… I’m not good with Imperial to Metric conversion, but I am 185cm tall and 80kgs. "
- " IMPERIAL TO METRIC : - 12 " [1 foot] = 30 cms 2.2 lbs = 1 kg [kilogramme] 2. “IMPERIAL” 16 ozs = 1 lb 14lb = 1 stone [140 lbs = 10 stone] 3. " METRIC TO IMPERIAL " Your height and weight … 185cms = 6’2 " 80kgs = 176 lbs [ = 12 stone 8 pounds]
hey Chip, what if someone wants a conversion for the 20c piece??
i have handed in my board. It went well, I’d just like to thank all the kind guys who helped me with their valuable information. ill soon post some pictures of what they look like.
cheers Damo
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hey Chip, what if someone wants a conversion for the 20c piece??
3 killer pythons , 12 jelly babies , or 4 ‘chicos’… one “wagon wheel” used to be worth that …
…maybe two tim tams ??