what makes a fish a fish?

When I think of a ‘fish’ I think of a shortboard, up to maybe 6’6, with a wider outline and swallow tail. Yet, I’ve noticed other people have different thoughts. I’m just wondering what makes a fish a fish?

Ryan, as I write this, I’m in the company of a REAL fish shaped and ridden by none other than the inventor of the “Fish” Steve Lis. The length is short (this one’s 5’4"). Wide nose. Very parallel rails. Wide split tail. Fins more like rudders(long base, short height) and set parallel with the stringer and foiled both sides. Very low rocker. flat bottom with a Very slight v off each side of the split tail. the rails are fairly soft until you get toward the tail where they are hard and pinched. The deck is flat but rolls slightly onto the rails. This is a fish. aloha.

remember this rule of thumb: if it has more than two fins, it’s not a fish.

I’m in the company of a REAL fish shaped and ridden by none other than the inventor of the “Fish” Steve Lis. HOW ****ING AWESOME IS THAT? If Lis doesn’t have something interesting to say about how dozens ofshapers have copped off his aptly named and highly original design then I hope I turn blue.

HOW FUCKING AWESOME IS THAT? If Lis doesn’t have something interesting to > say about how dozens of shapers have copped off his aptly named and highly > original design then I hope I turn blue. I GREW UP SURFING AROUND THE SUNSET CLIFFS AREA (LIS’S NEIGHBORHOOD) BACK IN THE DAY. I NOW OWN A EARLY ‘70’S’ 5’10" SKIP FRYE FISH WHICH IS BASICALLY IN THE RAFTERS TO LOOK AT. I REMEMBER WHEN THE LOCALS STOLE AND NAILED NUUHIWA’S FISH TO THE OB PIER AT THE '71 WORLD CONTEST THERE(WHAT A STATEMENT!)FOR EVERYONE TO SEE. LIS AND THE BOYS SURFED NEWBREAK AND BIG ROCK(KNEEBOARD TERRITORY). LIS’S FRIEND STEVE THORNTON ACCUALLY SHAPED A MORE FUNCTIONAL STAND UP FISH (UP TO 6’4 ONLY) THEN IT BECAME WHAT WE CALLED A ROCKET FISH(WHICH WE DIDN’T LIKE). LARRY GEPHART MADE THOSE WOOD WIDE-BASE FINS WHEN HE WASN’T ACTING AS NEWBREAK ‘ENFORCER’, HE ALSO WAS POSSIBLY THE BEST STANDUP FISH RIDER I EVER SAW, BUT WOULD PROBABLY PUNCH YOU IF YOU EVEN APPROACHED HIM. THOSE GUYS WERE ALL ANTI-CONTEST,ANTI-FOTO,ANTI-ALLUNLOCAL TYPES WHO ARE NOW ALL UNSUCCESSFUL AND BITTER. BACK THEN, LIS AND THORNTON REALLY HAD SOMETHING CAUSE WE COULD NOT PUMP/RIP AS WELL ON THE COPY’S, SUCH AS THE FRYE’S, DYNO’S,ROCKET FISHES.

Just twin fin guys? Kinda narrow minded don’t you think?What about all the single fin fishes that were built in the 70s?If I put more than one fin on a gun does it cess to be a gun?Does it mean that if I put twin fins on any shape, does it makes it a fish?To me a fish is the outline of the board,not the fin set-up.I was at Sea world and saw lots of fish,most of them with more than two fins!Some with none!!As for who invented the fish…try Bob Simmons(that’s most likely where Steve lis got the idea)don’t believe me ask Greg Noll.We could go round and round with this one! Remember;it’s about forward progression.

Hey Herb, I think you’re missing the point.

Why pray tell?>>> Hey Herb, I think you’re missing the point.

Hey Ron, what point is it?Herb.

Hey Ron, what point is it?Herb. YES I RODE SINGLE FIN FISHES FROM '74-'77(NEVER OVER 6’1) THE BEST ONE BACKYARD SHAPED BY EX-EAST COAST CHAMP MIKE OPPENHEIMER IN SUNSET CLIFFS IN '75(BUDDIES WITH GREG LOEHR AND RICK RASSMUSSEN). THOSE GUYS RIPPED.VERY LOOSE AND YOU COULD BOTTOM TURN INSTEAD OF THE TOP TURN AND PUMP SO PREVELANT ON THE PARALLEL TWIN FIN. THE BREWER DOLPHIN FIN(THICK,WIDE BASE,PLASTIC) WAS POPULAR ON THAT SHAPE BECAUSE OF LARRY BERTLEMAN’S RIPPING IN OUR AREA AT CONTESTS.

YES I RODE SINGLE FIN FISHES FROM '74-'77(NEVER OVER 6’1) THE BEST ONE > BACKYARD SHAPED BY EX-EAST COAST CHAMP MIKE OPPENHEIMER IN SUNSET CLIFFS > IN '75(BUDDIES WITH GREG LOEHR AND RICK RASSMUSSEN). THOSE GUYS > RIPPED.VERY LOOSE AND YOU COULD BOTTOM TURN INSTEAD OF THE TOP TURN AND > PUMP SO PREVELANT ON THE PARALLEL TWIN FIN. THE BREWER DOLPHIN > FIN(THICK,WIDE BASE,PLASTIC) WAS POPULAR ON THAT SHAPE BECAUSE OF LARRY > BERTLEMAN’S RIPPING IN OUR AREA AT CONTESTS. Hey hungry man, this is the first I’ve heard of a single fin fish. What made it different than the twins, changes in outline or bottom contour? Or could you just take the same shape (say, similiar to what Lis was doing) and put a single on it? Thanks for the help, ryan

THE BEST ONE BACKYARD SHAPED BY EX-EAST COAST CHAMP MIKE OPPENHEIMER IN SUNSET CLIFFS Surf Hungry holy moley. Oppenheimer. I’d completely forgotten by but my second board was a Mike Oppenheimer. White, 6’10", thick, thruster round pin that went like a bat out of hell. Ohh the memories. What’s the story with MO these days?

I won a board and want something fun for small crappy surf so I ordered a fish. I am 6’0" tall, 143lbs (intermediate) which the shaper said tranlates to a 6’1 x19.5 x2.5 which seems longer and thinner than I had imagined. What sizes do you guys think are best?

TRY THIS:6’-6" X 21" X 16"N X 16"T X 3"thick, tip to tip=9". I’m sure you would be happy with this providing the shape is correct.

TRY THIS:6’-6" X 21" X 16"N X 16"T X 3"thick, > tip to tip=9". I’m sure you would be happy with this providing the > shape is correct. Hey Herb, what blank would you use for a board of those demensions? When it comes to picking a blank for a shape that’s going to be considerably shorter than the blank (say for thick, flat, wide older style short boards) I have no clue. Is there any way to pre-determine what the rocker may be? I would be very thankfull for any advice you could share. Thanks, Scott

I use several blanks,most ARE NOT close tolerance blanks. 7’-4" Phil Becker is a great blank it has alot of room to play with, and the rocker(for the most part) is correct.6-7A,7-5A,7-10R ARE SOME MORE OF MY FAVORITES,but require more work.It’s not so much the blank… as it is the SHAPER.

Yes, we called them summerfish’s approx. 6’ long and pinch in the swallow tail to about 8.5". 10.5" box in center. Check any mid/late seventies surfer ads expecially G+S they were very ripable up to 6-8 ft faces. Then rocket fishes filled in for 4-10FT faces (clyde beatty’s baby).

Surf Hungry>>> holy moley. Oppenheimer. I’d completely forgotten by but my second board > was a Mike Oppenheimer. White, 6’10", thick, thruster round pin that > went like a bat out of hell. Ohh the memories. What’s the story with MO > these days? I heard he is on the north shore shaping Blue hawaii’s and is a devout christian. That guy showed up in OB in the mid-seventies and just ripped the place-a very low key stoner type,extremely talented surfer/shaper/airbrusher who turned heads everywhere we surfed together, really like to bump into him again…those days were so relaxed,no logos,no contest jerkoffs,he was a unique individual from a special time period in surfing who could switchstance barrelride into a roundhouse cutback re-entry with no leash in front of rocks on a psycodelic airbrushed backyard shaped board. Clyde Beatty was another (rocket)fish standout back in the day around there.