Going from funshape to fish

I think you want to go larger than 5'9 personally considering...

A You are surfing in Texas

B You haven't surfed anything even close to that short.




As far as tips.....have an open mind and be ready to eat it a lot. Don't get too frustrated and watch the take off line the best guys out are taking.


EDIT: Also be ready to paddle harder than you have ever paddled...you don't exactly ease into the waves like you would on a funshape. On a fish the takeoff is a bit more dramatic.

 

Experts will tell you that fishes are made to be ridden at smaller lengths, usually 5'4" to 5'10". At your size, a 5'6" to 5'8" is probably best. Width and rocker are what unlocks the fish...with a bit of thickness from 2 1/2 to 3".

 

illegitimi non carborundum
half these guys spend more time on the internet than in the water, and celebrate 1000 posts like it was an accomplishment.
I used to surf the Gulf of Mexico and you are absolutely right to get a good amount of volume. Fish are super fun.

 

Chill out you bastard.

 

You ride a fish like a skateboard, doing carves, not going straight for any length of time except downhill to gain speed, so you should have no problem once up and riding. Get lots of volume to make a smooth transition, and maybe max width a tad forward of center to make drops easier in small surf.

 

south padre island has more consistent surf than the east coast dont listen to him.

 

my first surf sessions were in the gulf. Winter had some acceptable swells, but summers were rarely even barely rideable. At 5'7 140 lbs, you're actually at the peak size a surfer wants to be in the gulf...don't get any heavier.

Don't go overkill on volume. Surface area is much more important, as this is what gets you up on a plane. Even with a good fish, don't expect it to do any of the work for you...you're still going to have to be in shape (alternating push-ups and sit-ups every other day, prior to your session, helps) and knowledge of what waves are going to be rideable.

Don't buy online. Online surfboard purchases are for the more experienced surfer (and, even then, it's not the best way). Go to all the brick & mortar shops, feel up the boards and talk to some people (although I would be extra wary of salesman BS at any gulf surf shop...the older and saltier the dude, the better).

 

if you can swing it, ordering a custom board is your best bet. You can tell the shaper all your info (you can do this over the phone) and, if he's any good/experienced, he'll make you the best board possible. Getting a shaper that actaully surfs (or used to surf alot) is preferable.

If you go the custom route, be honest about everything (your size, ability/experience)...then let him do his thing. Try not to get into a conversation about anything else, like requesting features you want (you might get them). For instance, about 10 years ago, I talked to a shaper about a custom and, somehow, got into a conversation about EPS foam (I was ordering a poly board). I casually mentioned how I thought the current EPS boards were too light...few weeks later, he hands me a 20 pound brick he assumed I wanted extra glassed.

 

^^^ The only thing I'd add is move the wide point more than "a tad" forward. I've ridden fishes with WP +4" and they've worked very well, as long as the rail line is straight from there back.

 

Good to know LBC, I'll be ordering a custom from Pete Dooley or Greg Geiselman one of these days soon. They do FL fishes for FL junk, and bro, they make me feel like a kid.

 

while I'm not denying that to be true, I still recommend, in this case, letting the shaper make that call based on your unique weight and experience. A good shaper will choose a board from his own models and tweak them as he sees fit (a not so good shaper might take everything you say and twist them into a brand new pos model).