Machado Firewire Gofish

[gsseirik]

What do you guys think of the Machado Gofish? What is the purpose of the channels on the bottom of it? I have never tried a twinfin before, but that board looks nice. I have a lot to learn with the boards that I already have.

[waikikikichan]

What is the purpose of the channels on the bottom of it?

The channels CHANNEL water in a certain direction as opposed to just flowing off the rail.

I have never tried a twinfin before, but that board looks nice. I have a lot to learn with the boards that I already have.

Nice in what way ? If you never ridden a twin before, it's the opposite of a single, while the thruster fall between those. From your photos and the break you surf at, I think it'll work good.

[jaffa1949]

The trouble with famous name boards is that the surfer that rode them is usually highly skilled, and are able,to make anything look good.
Even a nice looking board can seem like a possible great board BUT really it is about boards that help, and enhance the surfer at their current level.
Let’s face it most of us if we put aside our egos are somewhere in the average spectrum, . And the fancy fish and the the zip zappster names are gimmicks.

Now specifically twin fins with channel bottom are about directing laminae flow to increase squirt out of turns and the twin fins to provide rapid pivot around the fin in turn, thrusters, quads and five fin and others are bout this. The big but here is whether the surfer can apply what is needed to drive these high level turns, if not all the tweaks are meaningless.
Thrusters in all the time they have been out have enable a leap in ability for the average surfer, in other words the average surfer is able to do more than today than the average surfer twenty years ago.
They are also led by seeing pros go where once upon a time what they are doing was not conceivable, now for all of us those tracks are no longer unimaginable and we can strive for them.
But it all really comes to skills and progressing from an enhancing platform Think otherwise and you are wasting your hard earned money

[gsseirik]

Yeah..great points there guys! I think the real issue is that I can't surf as much as i would like;-) And buying a third board in the shorter range certainly won't help in that matter, haha! But I think the shape of it looks nice, and very different from the kind of surfboards you could find in surfshops around where I live. It looks very lively, but as you say it's the surfer that does the tricks All the fish's you could find here is more like the Torq Fish and 7S superfish. Its been flat here for weeks, and no incoming swells for a long period.

[RinkyDink]

This thread got me thinking about what a good entry level fish board would be. I'm talking about a fish that is suitable for an advanced beginner/inexperienced intermediate. What kind of fish works best for somebody who wants to try one out for the first time?

[RinkyDink]

What is the purpose of the channels on the bottom of it?

I suspect the main purpose of the channels are to help with getting more speed from the board when pumping it. I don't have experience riding fish boards, but from what I have gleaned from the internet, those channels help generate speed from pumping the board. I could go into how I think that works, but I'd just be speculating about it without having actually tested it on a board.

[gsseirik]

It would be great to know about a good entry level fish board! The fishs around here looks more like hybrid shortboards with a slight swallow-tail, and often with quad-fin setup.

[jaffa1949]

It would be great to know about a good entry level fish board! The fishs around here looks more like hybrid shortboards with a slight swallow-tail, and often with quad-fin setup.

That describes them pretty well. My question to you is, what do you think they will offer you in your surfing at your local spot?
Im going back to read through your posts nd see if a clear suggestion for you comes to mind!

[gsseirik]

Well there seems to be a certain local knowledge where I live of which boards are best suited for our conditions. But my thought is that it's a quite new sport here, compared to the knowledge that you guys in this forum have. So i was thinking since the traditional fish have been mentioned in some of my previous threads, maby it was a good choice for my level, and the conditions here. It's very rare that I see a real fish board in the water here.

I want to turn on a dime, with purpose, when an opportunity or a section of a wave allows it;-) But the biggest issue is probably my technique, and not the board under my feet. When I figured out the frontside pumping technique it was just like an epiphany, and now I do it correct more often than I fail. That has not yet happened with turning.

[gsseirik]

My plan for spring and summer swells is however to repair my 6'0 Hypto Krypto and attach some other fins, and see how it goes. And then to spend more time on a minimal or even rent a longer board. Maby sell the Hypto and look for a fish. All I want is to progress and learn more about the many aspects of this sport.

[jaffa1949]

Judging by your photos, really all you need to do is drive your turns more strongly and use the wave face to amplify your speed, at the moment most of your riding is in the lower third of the wave face following a fall line that gradually loses speed.
With the boards you have start making micro turns up and down on the wave. Feel those that add speed and those that put on the brakes!
Both are useful, do you ski or snowboard? Think about the moguls or side slops where you can turn and the comeback down gaining speed, if you look they can seen coming on a wave face. They are the secret to enhancing your speed into power forturns. Afish it will do it rail to rail for you but only when you can do it first.

Some of the photos show that with the skill there is room for skill improvement to gain that little bit more!

I’ve PMed you about your beach, so I can research for you!

[gsseirik]

I have done a lot of snowboarding, and in the few last years I have tried to think surfing while I snowboard. But i guess snowboarding has given me a couple of bad habits like too much backfoot pressure etc. When I snowboard I try to find a angled slope and pump up and down. And to do snap-like movements on certain formations in the snow. I go rail to rail (without braking) when I snowboard over a flat icy part, because unless you do this there is a possibility to hook the edge of the board in a bump in the ice, and that is the worst way to fall.

Yeah I can't really recognize trying this microturns in a wave. Or if I have I havent been aware of the effect.

Thanks!

[jaffa1949]

I have done a lot of snowboarding, and in the few last years I have tried to think surfing while I snowboard. But i guess snowboarding has given me a couple of bad habits like too much backfoot pressure etc. When I snowboard I try to find a angled slope and pump up and down. And to do snap-like movements on certain formations in the snow. I go rail to rail (without braking) when I snowboard over a flat icy part, because unless you do this there is a possibility to hook the edge of the board in a bump in the ice, and that is the worst way to fall.

Yeah I can't really recognize trying this microturns in a wave. Or if I have I havent been aware of the effect.

Thanks!

Yeah I felt that worst way to fall a week or so back when I caught my front edge in ice, my head is still ringing!
Surf is mostly softer than ice!

[gsseirik]

Always wear a helmet when snowbog'ing and maby bring a small bottle of Jägermeister in your innerpocket, in case of emergency

[Big H]

I reckon I’d get a lot of emergencies.......

[waikikikichan]

It would be great to know about a good entry level fish board!

There are none. True Fishes are not for entry level surfers.

[RinkyDink]

It would be great to know about a good entry level fish board!

There are none. True Fishes are not for entry level surfers.

I meant "entry level" as in first time fish rider and not first time surfer.

[waikikikichan]

I meant "entry level" as in first time fish rider and not first time surfer.

I understand you did not mean a “newbie” to surfing. But again, true Fishes are for riders that can get on rail ( and do fully wrapping cutbacks ) Thus if you can get on rail with your hybrid, groveller, egg etc., transitioning to a fish and riding it for the first time, shouldn’t be a problem. But a FISH is a fish. There’s not a “Beginner” fish ( well there’s the 5’8” sushi wave storm, odysea softs and tons of swallow tail hybrid/discs that aren’t true Fishes ). There’s not an “Advanced” fish. A Fish is a Fish. Now maybe by looking to the modern Retro Fishes, they’re are the entry level variants, those with a smaller swallow tail and three fins.
If you’re are in the market for a true fish, try get one with an Eagle Beak Nose.

[RinkyDink]

I meant "entry level" as in first time fish rider and not first time surfer.

I understand you did not mean a “newbie” to surfing. But again, true Fishes are for riders that can get on rail ( and do fully wrapping cutbacks ) Thus if you can get on rail with your hybrid, groveller, egg etc., transitioning to a fish and riding it for the first time, shouldn’t be a problem. But a FISH is a fish. There’s not a “Beginner” fish ( well there’s the 5’8” sushi wave storm, odysea softs and tons of swallow tail hybrid/discs that aren’t true Fishes ). There’s not an “Advanced” fish. A Fish is a Fish. Now maybe by looking to the modern Retro Fishes, they’re are the entry level variants, those with a smaller swallow tail and three fins.
If you’re are in the market for a true fish, try get one with an Eagle Beak Nose.

That makes sense. Right now when the surf is small I take out my longboard. I'd like to take out a FISH some day just for a little variety. It's not a huge priority for me because I have lots of different swells to choose from and my existing boards pretty much cover the whole range of waves I see. I'm just not sure what to look for when I browse the FISH boards on Craigslist.

[waikikikichan]

Like this. Deep swallow tail, wide point forward, eagle beak nose and most important.......... Twin Keels.