Fish and minisimmons

In my experience, my minisimmons (5'5) works best in surf in the waist high range. Knee to thigh high... not so much. And the smaller it gets, the more punch the wave has to have. Knee high gutless surf does not call me to grab the minisimmons. Waist high, fat, high tide waves... ok. Low tide knee high, hollow peelers... ok. What I'm saying is, the parameters that my minisim is the "best board choice" for is very narrow.

Your mileage may vary...

 

Just picked up brand new simmons yesterday and surfed it in chest high high tide with some push in ocnj. From the 2 hrs i surfed it, I can agree with LB. I heard it can catch waves like a longboard but I didn't get the feeling. I am starting to realize I need a longboard to round out my quiver for tiny days. It did go FAST AS H3LL though and got around sections I wouldn't be able to with my other boards. It wasn't best conditions for it but felt like I could take it out bc the waves were fat, the paddle was sort of long and I haven't surfed in a longtime.

 

I didn't use to think this way but I believe there is NO replacement for a LB. It's a different feel all together. I do believe there is a place in the quiver for a mini sim though, but I don't think it can "replace" a LB, nothing rides like a 9ft LB like a 9ft LB.

 

I'm not sure anything is ever really fantastic in knee high surf. I get bored longboarding in tiny waves, and I find the mini simmons is about the same. My experience is that anything in the thigh high range and a bit walled up and the mini simmons starts really getting fun and if its glassy the speed and flow is a real rush. It will carve a lot more than your log, and generate effortless speed in mushy 2-3 foot waves moreso than any fish i've ridden. If your worried about the mini simmons not being all that different than a fish, you shouldn't be concerned about that...its VERY different.

 

I like my mini simmons in fat thigh to waist high waves. Hollow and steep I'm screwed because of lack of rocker; I'm sure a better surfer would fend better.
My favorite thing about my mini is the ease of transporting it. It's nice to carry a 5'7" board as opposed to a 9 footer down a windy beach!

 

This may be semantics but a MS isn't supposed to be a board that carves. You can definitely make some hard turns but if you're expecting to load up a bottom turn and blow out the top of a thigh high wave you might want to invest in a ski. The way I understand a MS is an extended nose ride with trim and the possibility for some turns.

 

A lot of ugly hopping up and down, but here's what you can expect out of a mini sim in 1-2' surf.

https://vimeo.com/39021653

 

I find the MS shapes work fine in anything except maybe really quality overhead surf then they can be made to work if that is what you want to ride. S-turning (carving) soft faces (which can be shoulders on fun sized surf?) is where I have the most fun on 'em. A nicely sized one (short) works A-OK in about anything a long as you remember to step on the corners to set the rail hard from my experience. And every shapers version of one is different, seen them all over the map from postage stamps to some that look like shortboard grovelers w/ pointed noses. So what defines one? I would say a 12-14" tail block and at least 4-6" shorter than your height w/ skegs at the rear corners? But then I see SUPs that someone tags as a MS which I don't grok.

 

This looks like the definition of happiness.

 

My idea for the function of a mini-summons is an egg. Nice carving tool, but with lots of paddle power as well. And yes, longboards have a permanent place in my quiver as well. I own 2 presently, an August (8'10") and a GS Competition Round Tail (9'2"). The GS is even great in head high waves; very fast for a longbaord, and maneuverable as well.

 

IMO, you can't replace the longboard with a mini-simmons in waves as small as the one in your picture. You can (barely) ride a mini simmons in waves that small, but you will bog out of the wave trying to turn/cutback.

The mushy waves in that video posted earlier are a blast on a mini simmons.

 

That's kinda what I was thinking. Can take a LB down the line on that wave and cruise / trim but that's about it.

 

Good observation... My answer would be based on the fact that Bob Simmons did not invent the mini simmons. The mini simmons is a groveler based on the principles of hydrodynamics Bob Simmons studied and applied to planing hulls. So I guess the bottom line would be... it has to be a simmons longboard, but in miniature form... designed as a planing hull with a wide square tail, a wide round nose designed for maximum lift, and two keel fins on the corners, to be considered a mini simmons.

 

That's ankle or shin high in the pic. Not truly rideable on anything except a true tanker. In the vid I would call that knee or maybe thigh high and totally fishable or simmonsable.

 

you can ride a simmons in that small surf- but you will just be doing the same thing if you were on the LB. BUT when the slightly large sets come in you will be thankful you had the simmons to tear the wave up a little more than if you were on that log. I say get one shaped- there is a market for them if you dont like it you shouldn't have a problem selling it to someone.

 

'nother attempt at a mini simmons type board. I've got a 5'5" like this one for the spring/summer. This one is 5'8" x 22" x 2 1/2" The extra size is intended to make it a winter boards for small waves. relaxed rocker throughout. The big channel in the rear 18" is flat to vee inside the channel out the rear, and also outside of the channel. EPS/Epoxy....came out really light. used 2 layers of 4 oz on the deck and 1 layer of 4 oz. on the bottom. Tried to use as little resin as needed for hot coating. Don't ask my why i keep the lame airbrushing attempts....its a damn battle...that i keep losing.

 

love my fishcuit and its a lb replacement...its great in knee to thigh...now if your talking knee or less...forget it...lb is about it, but for me, not worth it when its ankle to knee, even with lb. I have tried riding my fish in head high and i was out of control...like I was skateboarding 50 mph with lose trucks...absolutely hated it...but waist and under, freakn love it! Still need to try a mini simmons.