I’ve decided to dedicate a completely separate section to my favorite type of surfboard, the trusty old fish. This section will cover fish design, fish photos, fish videos, and everything else related to fishes both retro, modern, and hybrid. I know I’m biased towards fishes but it is my mission to convert die hard shortboarders to at LEAST try some type of fish. Stay tuned as we talk more about one of the most versatile boards around, the FISH!

The sudden shut down of Clark Foam left many shapers and surfers wondering where their next blanks and surfboards would come from. The Clark monopoly made everyone comfortable, shapers and surfers alike riding traditional polyurethane (PU) boards and same basic design elements since the introduction of the three fin design in the early 80’s. Since Clark closed shop, there has been a serious push to take board design to the next level with new composite materials. Finally, shapers have broken out of their old ways and are now thinking progressively.

Surfing Magazine recently released statistics on the types of surfboards surfers have been ordering/buying. While traditional (PU) blanks are still the staple of many shapers, statistics show that non-traditional surfboards (sandwich molded, epoxy, composite, etc) are making their inroads into surfing. The breakdown is as follows:

P/U: 69.26% – While most shapers previously bought all of their foam from Clark, today, shapers are buying blanks from many different companies including US Blanks, Walker, Just Foam, etc. It seems as though a new foam company pops up every other month claiming their foam is top dog. PU blanks account for the large majority of surfboard due in large part to habit. Shapers have been working with PU for years and are comfortable working with it. That may all change in the future as materials are developed to perform and last better than standard polyurethane.

Sandwich Molded: 22.49% (Surftech, NSP, Placebo, etc) – Surftech’s Tuflite technology is the reigning king of sandwich molded pop-out boards due in large part to its efficient manufacturing plant and iconic shapers that produce pop-out epoxy versions of their top designs. These boards last a lot longer than epoxy and PU boards but lack the flex and springy feeling of traditional PU.

Epoxy: 6.1% (EPS, XTR) -� Epoxy surfboards didn’t catch on as fast as some shapers had hoped for after the shutdown of Clark. However, a few big name shapers in the likes of Rusty, Al Merrick, and Matt Biolos of …Lost are still pushing for epoxy’s future. While these boards float much better than PU boards but don’t hold up like sandwich molded boards, the jury is still out on this one.

Composite: 1.35% (Firewire, TL2, Aviso) – While this segment owns the smallest part of the surfboard market, the future of surfing is in high-end composites. Shapers have begun to unlock variable flexing patterns which were previously missing in composites. Materials are now providing a lot more flex to suit high performance surfing. For surfing to progress with the “New Millennials” surfing of Dane Reynolds and Jordy Smith, their surfboard designs and materials will need to progress with their ballistic styles.

Most of us would like to think that our favorite pro surfer rides a particular board label (ala Al Merrick, Rusty, Firewire) because it gives he or she the best opportunity to win contests and surf at their optimal level. Put another way, pros only ride the best boards out there. Not so in the case of South Africa’s future World Champion Jordy Smith. The 6’2 200 lb surfing phenom has been seen surfing boards from some of the largest board manufacturers including Firewire, JS, and Al Merrick. Currently sponsorless, both clothing and board, (he’s waiting to see how much money he can get), Jordy has openly admitted that sponsorships are strictly business and who ever offers the largest contract will get the rights to this incredible talent. When he does decide on a board sponsor, you can be rest assured that he chose that particular board manufacturer because they have the biggest wallet.

I guess it’s quite naive for me to think that pros only ride the best surfboards available to them. Then again, if Costco offered me $1 million to ride their boards, I’d do it in a heart beat.

For all those surfers out there who have a keen interest in surfboard design, you’ll definitely want to get the January 2008 issue of Surfing Magazine. Regarded as 2008’s Surfboard Design Issue, this particular issue goes off on the future of shaping two years after Clark’s infamous closure. The magazine also sheds some light on exactly what types of surfboard materials surfers are actually buying, the pros of twin fins, an interview with shaper of the year Rusty Preisendorfer, and a sneak peek inside the Channel Islands/Burton secret surfboard lab. In my opinion this is one of the best board design issues I’ve read…go get one for yourself and see why.

While Hawaii is known for powerful gnarly surf during its winter months, most locals surf the weaker waves of Oahu’s south shore, which breaks consistently year round. Because the surf on the south shore is typically much weaker and smaller, I’ve realized that having fun on high performance shortboards (ala 5’11 x 18″ 3/16 x 2″ 3/16) is pretty much futile. On days when the surf is halfway decent, surf spots are normally clogged with a mixture of beginners and above average surfers, shortboarders and longboarders, and more increasingly SUPs (stand up paddle boards).

Lucky for us the retro revolution made fishes cool again and for this I am grateful. For the most part, I exclusively ride fish surfboards in all types of surf and conditions. On really tiny days, I take out a retro twin fin fish which features a flat rocker, thick rails, and wide tail. The extra width and thickness combined with flat rocker helps you push through the mush and soft/non-existent sections.

When the surf gets better, I ride a hybrid fish that’s slightly thicker and wider than my standard shortboard. Similar to the retro fish surfboard, this hybrid fish also features a flat rocker for improved wave catching ability. Add quad fins to that mix and you have a speed demon that can catch a million waves but still perform like a shortboard.

If you’ve been reluctant to ride a fish but have noticed a drop in your wave count or poor speed and wave catching ability at your� home break, I highly recommend you try one. Fish surfboards are normally shorter than your standard board which allows them to fit in the pocket quite nicely yet paddle better due to its flatter rocker. They generally perform the best in less than perfect conditions and can make bad days extremely fun.

I decided to listen to my own advice and try a 5 fin surfboard. I have been riding my TORE Rocket Fish (thruster setup) for a while now and have gotten very used to the board. It has performed well in a variety of conditions both weak and crumbly to overhead and sucking. I have noticed however, that in weaker mushier surf, the thruster had a tendency to bog on turns. It was as if the board used all its speed to complete a simple turn. After having a discussion with Kent Senatore of TORE Surfboards, I decided to try the quad. He absolutely loves his quad and the big difference he feels is how much faster the board works in weaker surf.

I was set to order a quad but one thing pondered in my head. Theoretically, I wouldn’t really have an even playing field for my thruster vs quad test if I got two different boards. All things being equal, no two boards is exactly the same no matter whether it is hand shaped or even machine cut. So I decide to have rear quad fins plugged into my current Rocket Fish.

I surf the board as a thruster for a while to get a good feel for its performance. On very small days it bogged and felt somewhat slow. However, when the waves picked up, it worked great, as would most performance boards in smaller crappier surf. We then had a run of small surf which I decided was the perfect time to test the quad out. I surfed it several sessions straight in less than idea conditions and was instantly hooked. This particular quad had its rear set of fins set slightly farther back than the standard quad Rocket Fish. This made it slightly less loose feeling but still required a bit of getting used to. On several occasions, I could feel the board slipping a little down the line and off the bottom, most likely due to my comfort with thrusters. However, once I got used to the board and it’s loose feeling, the board came alive with a lot more speed in smaller waves. I did a few snaps in waist high surf along with connecting round house cutbacks.

The end result? The quad is definitely faster in smaller surf and it responds faster on turns. In my opinion, as the waves get bigger, you’ll find that the thruster comes alive and performs just as well. When waves a bigger and faster, almost any surfboard will pick up speed. However, it’s in the small gutless waves where the quad shines and gives you an extra quick burst to make it around a section.

Got a chance to test drive another retro twin fin fish (Circa 70). I really like these retro boards! 5’9 x 20″ 1/2 x 2″ 3/8. The Circa featured beautiful wooden glass on keel fins and a top notch acid splash foamie and pigmented resin job. Visually, this board was easy on the eyes and looked like it would fly. For those that don’t know the North Shore’s Kent Senatore of TORE Surfboards, he produces each board himself from start to finish from shaping the raw blank to putting the final layer of resin and gloss polishing the board.

Kent’s one of the few shapers that still produce the entire board himself…most of the shapers today farm the glassing (and sometimes shaping!) out to glassers and ghost shapers. Who’d a thought…you decide to spend big bucks on a Merrick or Tokoro board and chances are they didn’t even shape the darn thing themselves. Anyway, you won’t have that problem with Kent.

I managed to ride this board a number of times this summer on Oahu’s South Shore and it was a good thing I had this twin fin fish because the surf has been pretty dismal the past few months. Even though the surf had been small for a long time, this board proved its worth in non-ideal conditions. The flat fish rocker combined with sufficient width and thickness gave me plenty of paddling power to get into the smallest waves and flat/mushy sections were no problem. Once this board gets on the wave you can pretty much go around all the dead spots and surf the wave like your longboard. Add a few pumps in there and you can throw some tail around on gutless days.

The Circa 70 leans on feeling a little more like a thruster than some of the other fishes I’ve tried in the past. While other twin fins are way too loose lack drive, this board gives you more than enough looseness to pump and hit lips with great drive and down the line speed. If you want a surfboard that can catch a ton of waves yet still perform maneuvers, the Circa 70 is the type of board you need to try. This board is definitely a winner in small/slow surf/crowded days but can also work well on overhead swells too.

I just tested out this brand spanking new Kimo Greene Quad Fin Fish. This board measures 5’10 x 20.5″ x 3″. Yes, this board is beefy, especially for someone of my size! The interesting aspect of this board (besides the cool marble swirl) is the quad fin setup on a retro design. I’m sure you can tell by the picture that this board features a super wide fish tail and very full outline. I’ve seen most quad fin setups used on high performance boards like shortboards and performance fishes but haven’t seen a whole number of them on retro boards.

Took this board out for a test drive at one of my local spots and on my first wave, I noticed this board was INSANELY loose! I’ve never been a fan a extremely loose boards and have always preferred a little more drive. Long story short, I ended up switching the quad fins out and replacing them with a Future set that included 5.5″ front fins and 3.5″ trailing fins. At first it seemed like a lot of fin but this board has a lot of foam.

The next day I took the quad fin fish out for a spin again and a huge difference! The board had all the drive in the world and more than enough turning ability. Stoked! I’ve found that this board works great as a longboard replacement. I have this notion that longboarding makes me lazy and fat which is why I always try to stick with small boards. The extra thickness and width provides enough paddling power to hog a fair share of waves though we recommend that you share with your fellow surfers! Longboarding is fun but there are times when you just want to throw your tail around a little faster. This Kimo Greene Quad Fish is the perfect match for those longboard days when you really want to shortboard.

Comments

This retro fish rides extremely different from the other quads I’ve ridden. While most quad fin setups on high performance boards feel extremely loose, the quad fins on a wide and thick retro board make it ride more like a thruster. I’m assuming the super wide tail has something to do with this but perhaps if it wasn’t for the quad set, this board wouldn’t turn as well? A good board for gutless waves.

Saw Chad from Walk Fantastic in the water with a sick looking longboard. He let me try the Walk Fantastic 9’2 Retro noserider he personally shaped for himself. The board measured 9’2 x 23″ 1/4 x 2″7/8, 50/50 rails, reverse vee in the nose, wood block in the tail, and beautiful paint job. This single fin noserider reminded me of the noseriders you normally find in California and its super flat entry rocker made paddling and wave catching effortless. The board has an extremely blunt nose and wide square tail typical of the boards from the old days and the one aspect I liked about this board was its thinner nose which gave the board a sleek look offering better noseriding control.

I never had a chance to noseride thiseoard due to the short wave length on this day but I imagine you can easily hang ten on it. I’ll write more about this board the next time I bump into the Walk Fantastic guys. If you’re looking for a retro/Cali style longboard, this one is a sure thing.

The other day I was at the book store reading the current issue of Transword Surf magazine (I think it was Transworld) when I stumbled upon an intriguing article on the new trend of routing 5 boxes in your new board. The article wasn’t talking about some weird 5 fin bonzer or experimental surfboard. It was referring to a board with a thruster setup. And Quad fins. The recent popularity of quad fins surfboards has created a large movement of open eyed surfers who have added an extra fin and gotten rid of the one in the middle for way more speed and quicker turns and snaps. However, the majority of hardcore thruster setup enthusiasts are still somewhat apprehensive to fully embrace the four fin setup. A number of these ‘on the fence’ quad adopters have experimented with 5 fin boxes which allow you to ride your board both with a quad or thruster fin setup. For those that have been stubornly downplaying the advantages of four fins, the 5 fin box allows you to put the quad setup to the test. Go ahead and ride your thruster first and then switch them out with a quad fin set (Future quad fins seem to be the most popular here in Hawaii). And remember, give your quad setup several sessions for you to acclimate yourself to the increase in down the line speed and much more responsive turns. Like the not so old adage goes, “don’t knock it till you try it”.

Besides getting hardcore thruster believers to try quad setups, the 5 fin box is also providing new school surfers with a much versatile board. You can use your quad in quick beach break surf and go back to your trusty old thruster setup when you need a little more drive and not as much speed (what idiot doesn’t need more speed besides Mick Fanning). The aspect I really like about this versatility is that your board stays the same. Same rocker, outline, thickness, foil, rails, and every other minute detail. You don’t have to re-adjust to the actual board when switching between quad or thruster. In essence, you only need to get used to the different fin setup characteristics and feel. The only slight downside to having 5 boxes is that it may make your board slightly tail heavy (depending on the size of your board and glass job) but I personally don’t think most surfers will even feel the difference in weight. In my opinion, the extra weight is definitely worth the versatility and fun that you’ll achieve.