Summer is here, atleast it feels like it since it’s somewhat warm and the good surf just vanished. So while I hack away at the foam of the noserider in the basement I keep thinking about the next project, a summer shortboard. Thicker, wider, fuller, flatter… right? I’ll mostly ride beachbreak, either fat waves/windswell or closeouts, but some days the points have small and clean, but oh so powerless surf. I’d like the board to be fast, paddle well and be manoverable(sp?). I don’t want a board that have to be turned continuosly to keep speed, i’d rather have better trim/glide. If it could handle atleast headhigh surf it would be a large pluss. I weight roughly 90kg(200lb?) with the wetsuit. I normally surf a 6’10"x19 3/4"x2 3/4" bigboy shortboard which is good if the surf has just a little power. I’d like to go wide and short, relative to my weight. Two designs look very attractive, the retro fish ala what Magic man and Herb among others are making and some kind of an egg with a wide tail. Questions: Are those retro twinfin fish boards hard to ride? Does it glide or does it have to be pumped/turned to keep speed? What does the deep swallowtail do? If i made an egglike board with a rocker quite like the retro fish rockers and put twin fins on it with a small stabilizer trailer, how would that compare to a retro fish of the same dimensions? I’ve also been interested in the mccoy nugget, www.mccoysurfboards.com . How would a thing like that ride? Any suggestions? Thanks, Håvard
Summer is here, atleast it feels like it since it’s somewhat warm and the > good surf just vanished. So while I hack away at the foam of the noserider > in the basement I keep thinking about the next project, a summer > shortboard.>>> Thicker, wider, fuller, flatter… right?>>> I’ll mostly ride beachbreak, either fat waves/windswell or closeouts, but > some days the points have small and clean, but oh so powerless surf. I’d > like the board to be fast, paddle well and be manoverable(sp?). I don’t > want a board that have to be turned continuosly to keep speed, i’d rather > have better trim/glide. If it could handle atleast headhigh surf it would > be a large pluss. I weight roughly 90kg(200lb?) with the wetsuit. I > normally surf a 6’10"x19 3/4"x2 3/4" bigboy shortboard > which is good if the surf has just a little power.>>> I’d like to go wide and short, relative to my weight. Two designs look > very attractive, the retro fish ala what Magic man and Herb among others > are making and some kind of an egg with a wide tail.>>> Questions: Are those retro twinfin fish boards hard to ride? Does it glide > or does it have to be pumped/turned to keep speed? What does the deep > swallowtail do? If i made an egglike board with a rocker quite like the > retro fish rockers and put twin fins on it with a small stabilizer > trailer, how would that compare to a retro fish of the same dimensions? > I’ve also been interested in the mccoy nugget, www.mccoysurfboards.com . > How would a thing like that ride?>>> Any suggestions?>>> Thanks,>>> Håvard Hmmm, glide in a short wide board thats gonna be hard, if you want a board that flyes and turns on a dime I would recommend a fish, a la Steve Brom. These boards work great even in small summer surf and the deep swallow tail holds great when you make a roundhouse. Youre gonna have to pump for speed on a board like this,but speed is what get. Peter Rijk.
Summer is here, atleast it feels like it since it’s somewhat warm and the > good surf just vanished. So while I hack away at the foam of the noserider > in the basement I keep thinking about the next project, a summer > shortboard.>>> Thicker, wider, fuller, flatter… right?>>> I’ll mostly ride beachbreak, either fat waves/windswell or closeouts, but > some days the points have small and clean, but oh so powerless surf. I’d > like the board to be fast, paddle well and be manoverable(sp?). I don’t > want a board that have to be turned continuosly to keep speed, i’d rather > have better trim/glide. If it could handle atleast headhigh surf it would > be a large pluss. I weight roughly 90kg(200lb?) with the wetsuit. I > normally surf a 6’10"x19 3/4"x2 3/4" bigboy shortboard > which is good if the surf has just a little power.>>> I’d like to go wide and short, relative to my weight. Two designs look > very attractive, the retro fish ala what Magic man and Herb among others > are making and some kind of an egg with a wide tail.>>> Questions: Are those retro twinfin fish boards hard to ride? Does it glide > or does it have to be pumped/turned to keep speed? What does the deep > swallowtail do? If i made an egglike board with a rocker quite like the > retro fish rockers and put twin fins on it with a small stabilizer > trailer, how would that compare to a retro fish of the same dimensions? > I’ve also been interested in the mccoy nugget, www.mccoysurfboards.com . > How would a thing like that ride?>>> Any suggestions?>>> Thanks,>>> Håvard I think a nugget is a great idea, but so is a fish. I don’t know if McCoy sets his boards up with fin boxes but if he does that would be a plus. I think a winged swallow tail about 7’2-7’4x 22 or so might be worth considering too. You could surf it any number of ways. Twin, Twinzer, C5, thruster or single. If you put the right boxes in it. Frankly I think it’s the most desirable outline for what your thinking about. Mark Ritchards sure had a lot of success with that outline. But in the end it all depends on your surfing style and how you want the board to act. Best, Rich
Hmmm, glide in a short wide board thats gonna be hard, if you want a board > that flyes and turns on a dime I would recommend a fish, a la Steve Brom. > These boards work great even in small summer surf and the deep swallow > tail holds great when you make a roundhouse. Youre gonna have to pump for > speed on a board like this,but speed is what get. Sounds much like what I want. Does it surf much ‘different’ than a thruster? I’m a little worried that it will be a little difficult to ride for a mediocre surfer like me. thanks for the input. regards, Håvard
I think a nugget is a great idea, but so is a fish. I don’t know if McCoy > sets his boards up with fin boxes but if he does that would be a plus. The McCoy’s I’ve seen had glass-on fins(all two of them), but I guess you can get it with some kind of a finsystem on a custom. Worst case, you could retrofit some finsystem. I’ve seen those boards in action a few times, in small and big surf, by good and not that great surfers. The next board I’ll buy is very likely to be a McCoy.>>>I think a winged swallow tail about 7’2-7’4x 22 or so might be worth > considering too. You could surf it any number of ways. Twin, Twinzer, C5, > thruster or single. If you put the right boxes in it. Frankly I think it’s > the most desirable outline for what your thinking about. Mark Ritchards > sure had a lot of success with that outline. But in the end it all depends > on your surfing style and how you want the board to act. I’ll keep that option in mind as well. Thanks, Håvard
I think a nugget is a great idea, but so is a fish. I don’t know if McCoy > sets his boards up with fin boxes but if he does that would be a plus. I > think a winged swallow tail about 7’2-7’4x 22 or so might be worth > considering too. You could surf it any number of ways. Twin, Twinzer, C5, > thruster or single. If you put the right boxes in it. Frankly I think it’s > the most desirable outline for what your thinking about. Mark Ritchards > sure had a lot of success with that outline. But in the end it all depends > on your surfing style and how you want the board to act.>>> Best, Rich A big NOT, man!! Going thinner FEELS sooo much better than thicker and thicker, and if those liquid rides start to mack heavier, thinner foils can handle the extra juice way better than like some freekin fat-tailed chunky dock float with fins stuck in the end. For those teeny weeny waves try wrapping your head around these: mild concaves and soft rolled vee, a wider and fuller template, ultra lightweight, minimum even rocker, smooth even thickness flow, smaller thinner fins, relaxed easy rails, 6
-10" to 7-10". In case you hadn`t guessed it yet, the big trick is more about spreading that poundage out over a broader surface area, rather than just floating around like some cork. Yeah you: loose 15 more pounds. No more meatball sandwiches. Dharmon
A big NOT, man!! Going thinner FEELS sooo much better than thicker and > thicker, and if those liquid rides start to mack heavier, thinner foils > can handle the extra juice way better than like some freekin fat-tailed > chunky dock float with fins stuck in the end. For those teeny weeny waves > try wrapping your head around these: mild concaves and soft rolled vee, a > wider and fuller template, ultra lightweight, minimum even rocker, smooth > even thickness flow, smaller thinner fins, relaxed easy rails, 6
-10" > to 7-10". In case you hadn`t guessed it yet, the big trick is more > about spreading that poundage out over a broader surface area, rather than > just floating around like some cork.>>> Yeah you: loose 15 more pounds. No more meatball sandwiches.>>> Dharmon…Yep, Dharmon nailed it! It takes more weight to displace water from under a wide board than a narrow one. That is why a battle ship with a 4" thick steel hull can float. You just may not want to thin the rails to much (flatter deck)?
Not that I have all that much experience with the true type twin fin, but I am currently working out the kinks on my latest fish and it is one of my favorite boards I ever made. You can generate a lot of speed and just S turn thru the flats and carve around sections you thought you would not make. I have ridden it in knee high mush to overhead offshore days and had a blast. I am about your size and it works very well for me. If you are going to get or make a twin, do it right. Get or make a board with a traditional twin fin template (like 7" to 7.5" base - 5" to 5.5" tall) and pay attention to things like rocker, foil, planeshape, fin placement etc… I said it in the past, and I’ll say it again, the fundamental principles of the twin fin are what makes it work. When you start screwing with that you have a whole different ride on your hands. I see guys all the time with new school fishes with a thruster setup with the back fin taken out, and they say they love the loose feel, Blah Blah. When you watch them surf they are hopping around and S turning everywhere but have no board speed at all. They just don’t get it. To each his own I guess. Good luck. There is tons of good info in the archives on the fish design.
Sounds much like what I want. Does it surf much ‘different’ than a > thruster? I’m a little worried that it will be a little difficult to ride > for a mediocre surfer like me.>>> thanks for the input.>>> regards,>>> Håvard Way different, like Volkswagen and Porsche, any man can drive 'm but the ride is aahhhhhhmmmmmm …different. Peter Rijk