Custom Fish For Big Guy

[Mohawk918]

So ive been surfing on my 9'10 Madden Longboard and im ready for a fish here in St Augustine, Florida. Ive been talking to Pat Madden to shape me a fish. Im wanting yalls advice on the dimensions I should get for this board. Im 6'4 235 lbs and am very athletic. Im still pretty new to surfing so I want something I can paddle like a longboard but will still be able to cut. I was thinking of it being at least 6'6 and 3in thick. Im also thinking retro fish. Help me with some advice. Thanks yall

[Big H]

Heck of a jump....nearly 10ft to 6'6"....and you're really big for a surfer.....if it were me I'd look at having a couple of boards between where you are now and 6 1/2'...a big 8' mini mal would be a start; you're big so don't compare with what others are riding....it isn't germaine.....there was a big 7'10" hot buttered fish for sale here in the secondhand boards ads a week ago; would think something like that would probably be what you should be looking at next.

Here are what a friend of mine is riding ATM....he's about 6'5" and in his 40s....these are swallowtails, not proper fish boards and have more rocker than a fish, esp. a retro fish which is a thick and flat thing....something like this would be a good size for a next steps...he went from a mal to the 8 ft then to the 7'8" and is now looking for a 7'2"....he can ride all of them and doesn't look to change until he's comfortable and feels like he wants more mobility.....pictured sizes are 8 x 22.75 x 3 and 7'8" x 23 x 2 7/8. You can see the different between the 8' and the 7'8" in overall size....it's notable to the naked eye and you can definitely feel the difference........don't be in a big hurry to go small.....take the steps going down.

[Big H]

BTW, these aren't off the rack....customs made by a popular local shaper here. 235lbs and 6'4" you're a candidate for customs as well since most boards aren't designed for a guy your size in mind, regardless of how good of shape you're in.....it's mass that matters and factors, whether taut or flab....

[Mohawk918]

well I borrowed a buddies 7'2 sting fish. I could paddle it and everything but when I went for a wave and caught it I sunk like a rock. Now I know if I could paddle a skimboard fast enough I could catch a wave with it but im saying this knowing I can jump the size down. I know a lot of people suggest going down at small steps but I got a lot of people also telling me im fine jumping down to a fish.

[Mohawk918]

however I do like what you are saying. I don't want to go to short and be pissed I got a board I cant surf. the 7'8 looks like a good size maybe even the 8'. maybe ill look into something like that in a 3inch thickness. I just want to have more mobility then my log.

[Big H]

I have a 7'8" x 21 X 3" single fin; much much quicker than my 9'6": Go down in smaller steps and you'll be stoked and will keep getting waves....those boards are considerably smaller than that log and should keep you busy for awhile.

[oldmansurfer]

It depends on what kind of waves you want to ride, if it's the type you rode on the 7'2" board then you need a longer board. But really we can't tell from 7'2" sting fish what that exactly means but if it was 3.75" thick and 24" wide then you need a longer board. I weigh 210 pounds and surf a 7"6" x 24" x 3.75" board and it doesn't paddle as well as a longboard but I am growing to like it (I am also 62 years old). Also what do you mean by cut? Because if it is making a carving cutback then I could do that with my 9"6" longboard that did paddle like a longboard If you have a good custom shaper they should be able to figure out the size for you

[Mohawk918]

Im sorry it was a 7'6 stingfish and was defenently not 3 inch thick more like less then 2. It was way to thing for where I am now. When I say cut I mean cutting back and carving. I can do some on my log but want to do it faster. So would yall think a 7'8 or 7'6 with at least 3inch thickness would be good? Obviously im going to discuss with my shaper what he would suggest also. I surf in small stuff usually 1 to 2 feet and my log is great for it but for knee to waist days I want something smaller.

[oldmansurfer]

I think your shaper should have a better idea than me what you need but I quit surfing for a while and in my old age I decided to go with a 9'6" longboard for relearning. Then (after 3 years of 30 minutes a week) I dropped down to a custom made 8 foot fungun. It took me about 8 thirty minute surf sessions to get used to the board but now it is great. I haven't felt the weight of the nose of the board in any of my turns. I recently got a 7"6" board that is wider and thicker than my 8 foot board but even then it doesn't paddle as well but I am growing to love it. The 7'6" board has little rocker and a wide tail so it is really good at generating speed but it doesn't seem to have as much cruising speed as the 8 foot board. I don't need to move my feet much on the shorter board. You are a little heavier than me so I suspect you will need more flotation. I rely heavily on my shaper for size and somewhat for shape.

[Mohawk918]

ok well thanks for you awesome help. My surfing skill has passed my knowledge of it so I need all I can get. I know what I want to be able to do and where im at now but just don't know enough on what I need. Ill be talking to Pat Madden soon about everything. Now having a cool color on the board will make me better also right?

[oldmansurfer]

I have only worked with 2 shapers in my time surfing. For both of them I just told them where I was surfing both in fitness and skill and where I wanted to be and some ideas I had for design and then let them do their thing and they made me great boards. Something other than white so if you loose your board because your leash breaks then you can spot it easily. I have no idea what is considered cool in surfing but I hear red makes you go faster My first shaper made me around 8 boards and the second one made me 3 so far

[Mohawk918]

I like day glow colors (I loved the 90's) so I think hot pink, orange and green are cool. Don't know if they attract more sharks or what. I want it hot pink. Im a big guy so most people don't make fun of me for wearing or having things in that color.

[Mohawk918]

there was a big 7'10" hot buttered fish for sale here in the secondhand boards ads a week ago; would think something like that would probably be what you should be looking at next..

Where is this board in the ads? Im not seeing it there.

[oldgrom22]

Im about the same size as you and a 6'6 can definitely work(with enough foam), but I agree that's quite a drop in size and you can accomplish what you're after without having to drop that much foam. Thinking a board in the mid 7 foot range would be a good step down. I feel the most important thing when ordering a custom is to be honest and extra critical regarding your surf skills and the shaper will be able to tell you what you should be riding. It's best to not go in with any set dimensions, let his experience along with your input help get you the best board possible.

[Mohawk918]

so talked to my shaper. This board is gonna be 7'10, 16.50 nose, 22 1/4 wide, 16.50 tail, and 2 7/8 thick. It will be a full shape retro fish with 4 boxes.

[Mohawk918]

so I went and met with my shaper Saturday and its a little different then planned. Im getting a 7'6 board, round pin tail, and 3 inch thick, and 3 fin. he said at that length a fish would be to slow for me and would drag to much. I'm super pumped to get this board and ride. Going to go bigger then my log, he said it would be good for 2ft to 8 ft waves. ill post pics when I get her.

[Mohawk918]

Ok so here she is. My new 7'6 rounded pin tail. She is beautiful. I took her out Saturday and paddled around. I couldn't catch any waves cause they didn't have much to them so I got the log out and even then they weren't much. It will definitely take some getting used to cause it doesn't paddle like my long board of course. My daughter names my boards and named her Sarah. So what y'all think?

[dtc]

Not sure I would call it a 'fish', although semantics aside I would be very happy to have a board pretty much like that (maybe a tad shorter).

how wide is it? I like the foam under the chest, easy paddling. I reckon a wave catching and easy riding machine; not one for super snaps and airs but who wants those? Now the pros are doing them, totally passe

[oldmansurfer]

at 234 pounds I am sure you can snap slap whip flip that thing all over the place

[Mohawk918]

its not a fish at all. Its about 22.5 inches wide. its taking some time to get used to. I'm still trying to figure where to place myself on it while paddling since I'm so used to my 9'10 log. Its super light so I know when I get it down ill be able to snap it hard. I am wishing it had a little more float and paddle power cause I feel its heavy in the tail but I still call myself a newbie. I took it out last week and didn't catch any waves so I put it up and got my 9'10 out and still struggled to catch anything. I'm going to keep at it and not give up cause I know its a big jump down to this from the log. I cant complain about how it looks though cause it is gorgeous.