Board for HB?

[jonathanderick]

Hey all. I need a lil' advice on getting a new board, either a shortie or a fish.

I'm currently riding a 6'6"/19"/2.75 CI FLyer standing at 5'8" 145 lbs. I'm working on making tighter bottom turns at the moment and messing around with snaps off the lip and cutbacks. Still a kook, I guess.

I will be surfing mostly local this year along Newport to the Cliffs.

Some of my buddies suggested I go for a fish because it can hold up in all of the waves that we get in this OC part of the coast. They were saying that I should really consider that the OC gets plenty of 2-4ft days where a shortie wouldn't hold up as well. Does anyone have a counterargument to that, and if I should just get a shortie instead?

Lastly, I plan on getting my board locally shaped. It would be pretty cool to have my new stick riding her hometown waves. Do you guys have any suggestions of shapers in the Newport/HB area? Thanks.

[themathteacher]

I've only surfed Newport a handfull of times, it was a fast steep hollow beach break. For those conditions a fish won't do. Either a shortboard or, if you want to get into waves easier, a step up. It really depends on your home break. Last time I surfed 52nd st jetty it was overhead and pumping and a fish would have been the wrong board. If you surf slow reef or structured beaches where the waves peel rather than tube then by all means a fish is the way to go, plus if it gets small the fish is still the answer.

As to shapers in the O.C., my favorite and least expensive is Chas Wickwire, Chas Surfboards.

[jonathanderick]

I suppose I should stop expecting to get a multi-purpose board for every wave I surf (although I do find the Flyer to be extremely versatile in most surf around these parts). In this case, I'll probably go for a shortie before venturing with other board shapes.

Maybe I'll at least mess around with a bat or swallow tail instead of my current squash. Definitely going thinner and shorter.

I'm interested in getting a board shaped by Chas, but he seems a bit elusive here in the electronic world. His website could be more informative and interactive...

[themathteacher]

Sorry, you asked about a good shaper, not a good web designer. He's like most shapers, a master at his craft, and unlike Merrick not really a marketing genious. Once you meet the guy you'll know it, but then again I'm not his salesman.

As to multipurpose boards, I had that in mind and had one made, look up the Xanady Rocky, had my shaper make it to my specs and loved it. Now I ride a half moon tail, much like the CI Pod but with a half moon just to be different, and dig that even more. But, bottom line, I have a bunch of boards, all with a specific purpose, some just for when I feel or don't feel lazy for example.

You need a quiver, not a one board solution. Buy your fish, you'll wish you did later.

Lastly, If you get a shortboard try a thumbtail with hard rails, the design has replaced all my other boards.

Good luck...

[snolife]

i have to say that my 1978 remake zippy fish swallow tale, twin fin is the best thing for the all round HB summer surf. summer time it is expected to have everything from mush to shoulder high sets, this board can get you into it all, 3' thick and you float like a bee and sting like a....well you know. building your quiver is this goal and i found this board to be the "go to" board. mother ocean hands you a mix of waves the best thing you can do is be ready for them all. i come from a snowboarding background so my surfing style is a lil more front foot driven ... a fuller nose helps compensate for that with this style of board. i just bought a merrick POD. today in fact. .... it took me so long to chose what i wanted but the more i look at it i feel that it will hold a higher performance line down the face and turn on a dime, where my zippy fish is more or less a long board cut in half.... what i like to call hippy turns...

with my new deck i have been shopping for a fin set up that will still give me that retro hold in the back.. any insight would be a huge help.

dont get me wrong when the fall swell comes in it is all about a full performance board. i ride a 6'1 squash and keep on deck a 6'3 pin ...

thanks for any insight you have on my fin choice....

[turadek96]

well it depends if your going to be surfing Newport or HB? Like mathteacher said Newport is fast hollow shorebreak where HB is super slow rolling waves (in my opion).

[naniekso]

i hate hb