I've been riding a 6'4 hybrid shape (shortboard/fish hybrid - shortboard shape but wider through the middle), and a 6'2 epoxy fish.

What's yours?

As interesting as it might sound for a guy currently weighing in at 115kgs I'm on a 6'3" x 18.5" x 2 3/8" copy of an old Warner of mine. When there's swell I can still ride it fine but paddling probably looks like theres no board there at all.

Been looking into an Al Merrick Flyer I thinit was for summer, 6'5" x 19.75" x 2 3/8", I reckon all that extra foam and my current desire and fitness regime will see me back down around 100kgs which will be fine, kinda hard trying to adjust my head to all the extra foam though ha ha!

Other than those still got about 3 old 6'4" warners, a 6'9" indo board and 7'0" Lynch that I havent ridden for ages! Most of the above are running FCS, a couple with OAM but trying to swap all my boards to futures as I like them more than either of the other two!

Here's Michelle with the Fish.



I'll have to go digging for a photo of my shortboard...

I wish I bought a shorter shortboard. Due to snowboarding over the summers, I went almost five years without surfing much (till three years ago when I started surfing again). I used to ride a 6'0 and 6'2 back in the day. Anyway, when I bought this current board about three years ago, I thought I would have lost a lot of my surfing skill, so I opted for a slightly larger board. It was good for the first week while I was building up strength, but once I was back into surfing daily, I missed having a shorter, more agile board - that was the main reason I started playing around with fins in the first place. It's great in big surf though, and now I have the fish, so I have most conditions covered.

Is that a Dick Van Straalen fish Mizu?

My house's quiver! and this is just the standup boards...I ride a bodyboard more than anything else

Bf's 9'0 Longboard, My yellow 7'6", my housemates red 7'6", bf's shortboard, muck around soft top, bf's fish & bf's balsa wood fish that he made all by himself!


closer view of the shortboards


The two fish boards (right hand one same brand as your fish, rider!) & left-hand one the Balsa board Freddy made himself.

I gots a 5'11.5" Seahawk shoooooort board that I've had forever and is mad fun to ride and a 6'4" DHD that sees the most use of the two.

Only tried to surf once or twice but sucked balls. bought this off a mate at the start of the end of last year for $100. Was planning on getting into it over summer but ended up wakeboarding most of it and never took it out. See what happens this summer!
Dont know what it is besides whats writen on it which is Reno Surboards and its 7'3"

Wish me luck haha!

rider26 - 20 October 2010 05:22 PM

I wish I bought a shorter shortboard. Due to snowboarding over the summers, I went almost five years without surfing much (till three years ago when I started surfing again). I used to ride a 6'0 and 6'2 back in the day. Anyway, when I bought this current board about three years ago, I thought I would have lost a lot of my surfing skill, so I opted for a slightly larger board. It was good for the first week while I was building up strength, but once I was back into surfing daily, I missed having a shorter, more agile board - that was the main reason I started playing around with fins in the first place. It's great in big surf though, and now I have the fish, so I have most conditions covered.

I thought that board looked a bit big for you.

K2 I hop he threw in the leggy and a replacement fin.

Yeh he did and fix up any bangs n dings on it too

Maybe chuck it on Ebay as a Reno Abellira special and some idiot, I mean collector will pay more than what it was worth new.

I'll give surfing another go over summer and if it's not my thing I'll do exactly that haha if I get my $100 back I'll be happy

nthnbeachesguy - 22 October 2010 11:10 AM

Maybe chuck it on Ebay as a Reno Abellira special and some idiot, I mean collector will pay more than what it was worth new.

let's hope so lol

i only have the one and it's a Ben Shaw board 6'3 and i like it... when i don't get the shits when i can't get up rite lol

Hey K2, surfing takes way more than 2 goes, it's something you can't think about ie; you don't surf with your brain. It takes time to train your body to surf and it's a 4 dimensional sport.
The normal 3 dimensions of space and the other dimension of time.
And our brains don't operate in the same dimension of time as our bodies and the surf (it takes a second to process the information and to preempt the world around us - it's the reason you have to keep your eyes on a ball to hit or catch it - reaction time)

Once your muscles are trained to operate by themselves and you don't have to tell them how to surf, it becomes much easier. You also need to get in sync with the rhythm of the ocean and become familiar with different wave types, sizes and conditions.

Unlike snowboarding you only get a split second of time (when learning) on your feet to train the muscle. Even when you can stand a ride well, an 8 sec ride is a long one. It takes every day of summer surfing before you can begin to learn to surf. Practice on the floor - watch the scene in Point Break where she gets Johnny Utah to practice on the sand, but not on your board (well it wont matter on yours) just do it on the floor.

Your board is good for your first summer of getting out there to experience the ocean and get you "surf fit", you may catch a few waves with it but it wont allow you to progress to surfing, it's more likely to increase your frustration.

Your board used to be white. Now the colour is from the materials breaking down, the foam inside has been affected by years in the sun and being squished through the thin layer of fibreglass surfboards are made from. Looking at the photo I'm guessing it has had water seepage - most old boards do, that also helps breakdown the foam. For it's age she still looks in good nik but is in the retirement village waiting to die.

It is not shaped for a beginner surfer it looks like a 'gun' for big waves.

And,
it took me years to find out surfing was "my thing". Like rider said he may enjoy snowboarding better but....

Surfing IS a religion. Only a surfer knows.
Don't give up if you can't pick up surfing this summer, just enjoy the ocean, being out there and getting smashed. Because you'll spend way more time doing that than riding waves, every surfer does that's why only they know the feeling.