I currently ride a 5'6 Fishcuit when conditions are small and the wave is slower. I love the skatey feel to the board and the way I can fly down the face.. The problem is that I want something a little more high performance when it comes to tighter turns, cut backs and snapping off the lip. I feel that maybe the round rails or the quad fin wide tail might be to blame but I'm not quite sure? Does anyone know of a board that would be a little more high performance in what would normally be longboard only conditions, without sacrificing that speed and skatey feel?
a lost rocket maybe? probably a 5'8 x 19 3/4 x 2.5 would most likely work for what you want and the waves your trying to ride it in but i dunno, go local if you can
All board designs are a compromise... enhancing one performance feature necessarily compromises another... you never get something for nothing. But still... here are a few things to consider when trying to eek out a bit more performance from your small wave shortboard: Tail width - wider tails tend to stay flatter; narrower tails are easier to put on a rail. Consider bumps or wings to pull in the width and create a "pivot point" (really a "release point"). Fin placement - clustering the fins closer together, or pushing the cluster forward can help loosen it up. So depending on your fin system, you might want to try that first, if there's any adjustability options. Fin size - smaller fins will give you more slide, and let you push the tail around easier and tighten up your turns. Tail rocker - a bit of extra kick in the tail will help cutbacks and snaps Rail line - shorter rail lines, like diamond tails or battails with a longer center point, will also tighten up your turning radius. Fish tails lengthen the effective rail line. Bottom contours - adding vee out the back, or even going concave to flat behind the trailing fin adds some rail rocker and release out the back. Also... if your current board has a single to double concave, omitting the double might make the board less drivey and more responsive. All of these options come with costs, but have their advantages.
Amen to that! Now figureing out which of these options works best for you and your conditions is the fun part.....Literally. Nothing beats knowing your equiptment. I too have a 5'6 Fishcuit and put in some santa cruz 4wd fins,smaller rears, and this thing turns on a dime. And by the way you could ride that thing in a 5'2 with your weight.. I would also recommend the rocket,V2 . Definitely more performance minded. Good luck.
+1 Downsize. I ride 5'6 x 20x 2.5 in a fish and I got you by 20 lbs (or 30 depending on how the weekly beer to miles run ratio works out). +1 Rocket. Just got a local. lost a little in the ease of wave catching compared to full fish...gained a lot in the performance category. stoked. I think the rule is 4-6 shorter than your HPSB and 1.25 to 2 wider... but you might wanna look that factoid up.
I don't think I can downsize much more because of my height. I have disproportionality long legs and should probably be 6'2 but i have a short torso haha The 5'6 can be a pain to paddle because of this and I've considered actually going longer and finding a narrower tail.
You're right... I don't recommend going shorter. Think about foot placement. It's more critical on shorter boards. Some tall guys like riding shorter boards, but that's the exception, not the rule.
