6'10" Fish for a 235 lb "Big Guy" ??

[Surf Hound]

Talking with the guys at my local surf shop and discussing me getting a fish.... A guy I respect totally says I should get a 6'10" Fish with plenty of volume up front and that I should be able to catch plenty of waves on it. In fact, he was adament that I would catch waves easier than me being on my longboard? He explained to me the board planning quickly etc. I am just having a hard time believing it. The price for a custom board like he was talking about was only like $765 which i thought was totally fair so its not about money. I just cant see myself riding something so small. I am a fairly decent surfer with decent waves being that i live in Honolulu now (was living in Maui). Is this guy for real ?? I typically ride my longboard at 10' or my "short" as a 8'4" Ben Aipa Big Boy Stinger. I need some advice or atleast some people saying yeah dude, he's right I ride the same thing and I am 6' 235 lbs

[Supafly]

yea dude he is bang on about the fish. I am 6'3" and 200lbs and ride a 6'4" x 20 1/4 x 2 3/4 fish so a 6'10 would be more than enough for you.

I think there is a couple of "bigger" guys here that ride fishes and i think teach even rides a 6'2" and he is also around 200lbs

[Surf Hound]

what about paddling? I just see the board completely underwater while I am paddling away. Do you really think it will plane on just a few strokes like the guys at my shop told me?

[surfingwithsmile]

that thing will only be fully submerged if you are sitting on it (i doubt thats the case even if you were sitting on it)
otherwise the thing will float

the common misconception about fishes is that its a shortboard
in reality its a "short" surfboard
but as far as float ability its like a longboard with the nose of the board cut off
which is basically the same thing just requires a little more skill on balance and take off

[themathteacher]

I own a 6'10" monster fish, it's plenty big. I actually ride a 6'1" fish, I use the 6'10" as my longboard replacement for small days and for mushy big days. I have lent my fish out to my bigger friends and they all seem to do ok.

By the way, I mean a retro fish, wide and thick, if you are talking about a shortboard with a fish tail then no it's not big enough.

[SSSurfer]

Im 6'1 and about 225 right now. I was 235. I live in town too. I never ride anythign longer than 7'0. I cant paddle longboards. I haet em. i know, it doesnt make sense but I can paddle shorter boards faster. A 6'10 by 22x3 would be killer for you. I rode a 6'6x22x3 when I was 235 and it paddled better than my 9'0 JHodge. People have different strokes too. Some people have longer deeper smoother strokes and can get a log up to a pertty quick speed. Others have short efficient fast strokes and can get their shortboards up to speed quick too. Let's go surf thursday bro. A couple bug guys liek you and me, we'll go scare the little guys and push em way inside. lol. What shop by the way? Be careful. Some of em have erally good salespeople who only sell high margin stuff and dont care how it paddles for you. Then if you come back and say it doesnt work theyll tell you you have the wrong fins and you need better fins, and a leash with less drag etc..

[Surf Hound]

Yeah, retro type fish.... Thanks, I think I have convienced myself to go ahead and give it a try and order one. I was gonna get Kareem @ Aloha Board Works to have one built for me . I am acutally going tomorrow & Wednesday for sure the next couple days. I think it's gonna step down a bit Thurs. I am stoked about getting the board though, just the fact of not carrying larger boards with me everywhere thrills the sH%$ out of me. Rougly 2 more weeks & I moving into Ilikai Marina so I can start surfing everyday again befoe work like I was in Maui. Surely we can meet up and scare those little skinny guys down aways. lol

[SSSurfer]

Kareems the man! EVERYONE is moving into that damn ilikai. Hahaha. I sell beds and its like 1 person a day is buying a bed for their new place at the Ilikai. I may try and get out wed am super early. Publics or straight outs or something. But definitely on it thurs morning 8-12ish.

[naniekso]

im 6' and weigh 208lbs ride a 6'0 x 21 x 2 7/8 fish. i belive you dont need to go that short, you should keep it in the 6'2+ range. im trying to trade it for something bigger too. my bad