Moved to Oahu a couple months ago (as some of you may remember) and since then I’ve been surfing the south shore after work almost every day. I notice there are a lot of small fast waves that would be perfect for a fish, but the only ones I’ve found are Christenson’s at Surf Garage for 900 bucks.
Anybody know where I can pick up a REAL fish that’s not so expensive? I love my high performance longboard but I’m itching to do some turns again. Who knows…maybe there’s another shape that would be more versatile around here, like when it gets bigger and the tide drops out.
Swaylock’s is mostly populated by guys who make their own boards - why don’t you?
Somewhat to my surprise, it turns out that there are shapers and glassers in almost every lineup besides myself. I had thought that the art had largely died out, but when you get to talking it up, almost everyone knows someone, or has a friend the shapes or glasses. Still, most of the guys out ride shop boards.
Shouldn’t be too difficult to find someone to make a board for you, and (I would expect) most backyard guys are more open to input than the factory types.
You might want to check out Classic Surfboards on Kapahulu Ave. They had a few classic fishes over the last few months or so shaped by Tim Groh. I was tempted to buy one myself. They also had a sweet Safari Shaun Tomson twin fin shaped by Spider Murphy. If youre interested I can give you Steve Lis’s email to order one. He lives on Kauai.
Checkout Hawaiian Southshore on Ward across Sport Authority. They had a couple. but the little Schaper boards are neat too.
There’s a guy who rides them exclusively where I go and his are done by Chuck Andrus(Local Motion/Da SurfaHaus)
Also David B and his brothers all ride fishes from Jay Hodge which look just as good as Christenson’s. I don’t know why Surf Garage is so expensive, could be it’s for the Japanese/Filthy Rich Kahala market. There’s another fish/retro shop on Kalakaua that has alot of fishes (even Pavel Rainbows)
There’s lots of choices, eastside and northshore are a good bet where square foot expensive is cheaper.
Hodge, Schaper, Andrus, etc all deal direct, just call them they’re listed in the phonebook.
Or you could be like me and order one from Manuel Caro (Mandala Shapes). He’s an awesome guy who’s just getting his business started big time…
$400 USD is not getting you a traditional fish, at least not one with wood keels, tinted resin, pinlines, volan, gloss coat, glass leash bridge, etc or any combo of such features…you’d have to be shaping your own for that price or be getting a sweet deal.
Beleive me, I’ve always wanted to give shaping a go. I work with my hands all day and a basic knowledge of surfboard construction, but right now I’m still trying to get settled as far as finding a more permanent living situation and even back at home it was difficult to find shaping space (or so my friends tell me).
Anyway, before I would consider trying to make a fish I’d like to own a good one so that I would know what I like…
I’m curious to know what shop your talking about on Kalakaua that sells the fishes and Pavel Rainbows. Dave B is a totally cool guy whose surfing ability I admire a lot. How he rides those old 60s boards so well is beyond me. I have a hard time just turning them. He’s coming out with another video soon. He was telling me there’s all kine stuffs in it, modern and classic longboarding and fishes and stuff. Let us know how your Mandala rides…
it’s right at the entrance to waikiki next to “planet hollywood”? Anyway its japanese owned and they said they had a bunch of these retro designs.
I tried to check them out before i ordered from Manuel but trying to find parking there’s a b*tch. I went around the block several times before giving up… God I hate waikiki traffic.
You’re right about DavidB, he’s a cool/nice guy as is his brothers. I remember when he was just starting out here in Ewa. Hooking up with Jay Hodge was a good choice. The new hot Ewa kids coming up now could learn alot from him.
Anyway Manuel tells me another month and a half more so it’ll be a while. Still a little skeptical of ordering a board off the net and via mail order to hawaii. But I like giving guys like him a chance and will keep you filled in.
You seen my recap on my latest gemini experiences on the surfer forum? pretty funny with the comments and all…
Yeah I was watching your Gemini thread. An interesting board for sure. Stoked that you like it.
No chip I havent picked up the Safari twin. Still a bit in a dilemma between that one and the HIC I mentioned on the Surfer BB. I have’nt been in that part of the woods lately so I havent been able to get any pics of it. Funny, there is another shop that caters to the Japanese market selling the same Safari for close to $200 more.
Hey Oneula - are you talking about Chans surf shop right across from the zoo? He had some cool boards in there but it was a gamble if they were ever open. Used to park at the zoo all the time to surf Waikiki. Cheapest parking in the area. A lot has changed since I moved to the Big Island. Lots more surf shops and stuff over there. The cost of boards is through the roof though…
I’m interested in how your board from Manuel comes out. He’s a super nice guy. Emailed back and forth with him a few times, and almost ordered a board. Had the privelege of actually meeting the guy here on the Big Island one day. Just by chance - was surfing Pohoiki one morning and as I’m paddling in I see this guy getting out of the water with a Mandala board. I asked the guy if he got the board from Manny, and he said “I am Manny”… Talked design and stuff with him for about an hour - he remembered who I was from our emails. He was riding a 5’10 quad, and he also had one of his new bonzers in the car that he showed me. He said he was just going to sell the boards when he left, and I maybe should have jumped on the quad, as that’s what I wanted anyway, but I figured it would be too small for me. He made it for himself, and he’s a few inches shorter and definitely a few #'s lighter than me. Saw some kid get out of the water at Honoli’i the other day with the quad. He said it wasn’t his board, it was a friend’s, but said it was super fun. Give us a review when you get it!
Oh yeah, before I forget - how are you having it shipped to you? I have a Pescado on the way from Scott Anderson in LA. Cost me $99 to ship it, DHX ocean freight. It’s a 6’10. Shipping it air would have cost me nearly $200!!
It right at the start of Waikiki. If you turn right off Kalakaua next to it the road goes down to the Halekulani and you can go around by DeRussy and loop back up Mauka to Kalakaua to look for street parking again. I believe there’s a garage that services Planet Hollywood but you know how much kala parking goes for in waikiki. I believe they take your first born as collateral.
Anyway I’m stoked you met Manuel.
He seems like a true spirit to what’s he’s into having tutored under Toby Pavel and all. The variable flex stringer design seems neat but he said no for hawaiian waves. I think he quoted $100-$150 for shipping(air) so we’ll see A 6’4" or 6’6" I believe. I all told him was make it float 200lbs easy and make it fast. How he gets there is up to him and his experience. Oh yea I also asked for it to be bright yellow with a big smiley face painted on it, you know the happy face logo… I thought that would be somewhat retro. Better than these retro Acid-swirls everyone is into nowadays. I kind of like that South African fish with the big flowers… reminds me of those old surfline jackets with the see-thru outside they used to sell at sears when I was a kid hanging at the wall in waikiki…good days.
The Jay Hodge quads I’ve seen are pretty close to the San Diegos. David B rides a yellow one. I saw him one summer with his white oakley surf goggles and yellow fish tearing up O-beach(Barbers) on a medium size day. My brother’s seen him tearing up courts with it too. I shouldn’t say tear because he’s so smooth…
Anyway will keep you filled in… Still trying to figure my new Gemini. I hear there’s a south swell coming this sunday.
Ah, guess I got the wrong side of Waikiki. The place seems to change so fast I can hardly keep track. I was surprised to see a darned Starbucks across from the zoo that was new to me last time I was there… Can’t say I miss the crowds and expense much, but I do miss the waves. Just not the same quality of surf over here on the big island…
One of these days I’ll have Manny shape me a quad. Might plan it to pick it up on a visit to the mainland or something, though no trips coming soon. Looking forward to getting my new Pescado. 'That’ll be a pretty big change from the norm for me…
I agree with you- the surfboard market here is ridiculous.
If you want a local shaper to make you a board, you’re stoked. Many of them are talented and will make you an unreal product at a very reasonable price, and you can order them from your shaper while waiting with him in the line-up for sets out at the local breaks. But if you want a specific name brand board, or a special market board like a retro fish, Oahu has less of these than software and consulting jobs. That is unless you pay the Japanese markup (200-300 more). If I were you, next time you’re in CA, spend happily, and bring boards back with you. You can sell one of your boards and pay off the shipping!
I had two sessions with KP’s 6’10" Pescado at Big Sur…got a taste of what they’ll do on my second wave. Rolled it up on a rail and it snapped like a thruster but rather than dieing after the squirt, it pulled like a hull. I was playing catch-up as I came out on the flats, rolled it back on the other rail and drove a very fishy cutback…I WANT ONE!!! It felt really comfortable in overhead waves…some of which were nice and hollow. With a quiver of fins, you may never need another board in the summer (or maybe the winter too).
Hey Lee, stoked you got to try Kirk’s board and have such a killer review. Mine is supposed to be just like Kirk’s. I can’t wait until next Tuesday when I’m supposed to have it in my hot little hands! You were instrumental in me choosing the Pescado, and Kirk really went above and beyond in helping it become reality. Super big mahalos to both of you…
Some questions I have… what fin setup were you riding? I decided to have mine set up as a 2+1, per your suggestion. I really like the idea of being able to ride it with different fin configurations. Kirk told me he just went with the Red-X thruster and he was pretty happy with it as it came. He mentioned that he had gotten some larger (?) fins from Larry Block however, and had yet to try them out. My other questions are about your descriptions of how it rode -
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Rolled it up on a rail and it snapped like a thruster but rather than dieing after the squirt, it pulled like a hull.
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I was playing catch-up as I came out on the flats, rolled it back on the other rail and drove a very fishy cutback…
I’m afraid I can’t say that I’ve ever ridden a hull or a fish, so could you possibly enlighten me as to what a hull “pulls” like, and a fish cuts back like? Sorry for my lack of different board-riding experience. I started surfing in the late 80’s and the new retro fish revolution is still pretty new, especially for Hawaii. I guess I could say that I’ve ridden a hull before - it’s an old Con board… a Super Gun? Mini Gun? I forget. Big butterfly on the top of the deck. Definitely remember the belly on the bottom though. Probably goofed by glassing a fin into the thing. Wasn’t the right fin for whatever type of weird box it was, so just glassed it in where I thought it looked right. Wanted to try riding it again when I was home last summer, but didn’t get a chance as the waves were too small. I remember it being pretty fun, but that was years ago already. I should have my folks take a picture of it with their digital camera and email it to me. I could post it and see if anyone knew anything about it. Sort of wish I had it here, to be able to surf it. Needs a bit of refurbish work. Some bad patch jobs by who knows who before me.
Allright, way off on a tangent there. Stoked to hear that the Pescado felt comfortable in overhead and hollow waves. Winter’s coming and it sounds like I shouldn’t have any problem. Maybe throw the starfin in it just for kicks… Don’t know how I’ll set up the fins first. I’m getting all excited and I haven’t even seen it yet because it’s on a boat somewhere out in the Pacific!! Living vicariously through you guys at the moment…
Hey Lee our freind Rob rode the Malloys am got some good waves came in called and ordered one ,seems everybody who ride it likes um. Don Estaban Bojorquez had it dialed 20+ yrs ago.Props to Liddle thats who did it the first time around.
Saw some kid get out of the water at Honoli’i the other day with the quad. He said it wasn’t his board, it was a friend’s, but said it was super fun. Give us a review when you get it!