Fish cut surf boards

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6548 Posts Couve / Hood Site Lackey

So I am a surf novice... what is the main advantage of a fish style outline/build?

Gman · Since 11 Feb 2006 4907 Posts Portland Unstrapped

From transworldsurf:

Fish are supposed to have volume. The board is 2 3/4" thick almost everywhere. From nose to tail and rail to rail, the volume of this board is very evenly distributed. Buoyant boards work better in weaker waves that lack the power to generate a lot of speed. Think about it.

Very low rocker makes the board plane better and acts as an accelerator to help you speed through flat sections to the next peak.

Legendary San Diego shaper Larry Mabile, told me that he started making fish like this about fifteen years ago when a lot of his friends were fed up with riding longboards and wanted a shape to transition them to a shorter board. The fish is easy to ride and will get you into the pocket easily. Don't worry about purists who want you to think that fish mess up your style. Surfing is about having fun. You either have style when you're born or you don't-Gerr excepted. Get a fish.

jsj · Since 11 Sep 2006 83 Posts Hood River

fish are zippy little boards that perform in a surprising variety of conditions...

*paddle more easily than a typical board of the same length - as described, the increased volume (which is a function both of thickness and wide nose/tail) is mostly what's responsible for this

*quite loose (turns initiate faster), this allows quite a bit of sliding which can be fun.

*don't however, have the squirt off the bottom of a more drawn out plan. this is unlikely to bother you and may never do so, depending on how your style develops.

*wide tail makes speed control less responsive as well, but again, this is a relative thing.

my best friend rides one on the same days i ride my funboard (aka mini-mal or mini-longboard).

good choice for a beginner and far more appropriate to most oregon spots than a longboard.