Board recommendations

find a good loke shaper and support him. odds are he knows what goes and youll save money and get a solid board.

 

I agree Talk to a local shaper and get a board by someone who surfs the same waves you do

 

why? there's almost guaranteed to be a local shaper in your area who can make you a board similar to any of the above specifically tuned to the waves you surf day in & day out (not to mention it'll likely be cheaper).

 

glassed thin and not tested in our surf. oh and theyre over priced and spit out of a machine with little human contact[if that matters] then had a logo put on to make people think theyre made by the guru

 

we already did

 

If you're set it doesn't seem like you need/want our opinion

 

i have a 6'0" firewire quadfish im getting rid of. the board is in great condition. just bought a couple of boards and need to trim down the quiver. let me know if you are interested.
there are definitely some good shapers in the area like everyone else said. I just saw some of Dean Randazzo's boards in 7th street and was pretty impressed.

 

seems like you have money to burn; just buy all 4 of the foreign pop-outs. they might last as long as 1 properly made, locally shaped board.

 

LOL. I like this one.

 

Ha ha just looked at the poll results. Hate to be the one to screw up the hatefest on corpo boards but I did have a lost RNF ten+ years ago (5\'8 x don\'t remember). I was intermediate surfer who had recently got out of drugs and back into surfing but was LBing more than anything else. It worked fine for me (5\'9 & 165 lbs) from start to finish and even enjoyed it more once I got my game back. But the end came too soon. Snapped in half in Avon NC During \'02 hurricane Fabian?? Not worth fixing cuz it was already pretty much destroyed. Durability? OK. uh.. I rode it year round for 3 years, not exclusively, but as part of a quiver. Come to think of it I still have two of that same quiver today both local shapes and still around. Shred? Check. Think the RNFs today have been modified/ updated to perform even better. Cool factor? I thought I was cool (my wife says otherwise) but I was amping so hard on ...lost videos and to be honest they were alot less queer back then...you can\'t be against the establishment and sell your clothes at Macy\'s. Anyways RNF got my vote.\r\n\r\n\r\n

 

i ended up buying a lost RNF 5 fin off the rack a few years back. i only surf a 30 days a year and i've had to do a few minor ding repairs. i agree that the glassing on boards off the rack suck but with a little TLC and if you know how to do your own repairs you'll be fine

the board is a lot more fun than i anticipated and i ride it in everything unless its solid chest + and i go to a regular shortboard. its great as a twin (with the MR's) and as a quad - didn't care for it much with a thruster set-up though. Matt Biolos lived and surfed the east coast for a long time so if any of these boards is relevant on the east coast its definitely the RNF

 

If you have to choose from those boards go with the RNF, you can ride that thing in anything from ankle high to overhead. Watch ...Lost 5'5" x 19 1/4" and you'll see all the RNF footage to convince you. Like the rest of those big name brands though don't expect it to last as long or be as durable as a locally shaped board.

I don't see why you don't go to a local shaper and have them make you an exact RNF copy, it will be much cheaper and a much better board in the end...

 

RNF - I have a RNF shaped by TOmmy Moore who is a ghost shaper for ...Lost, who does most of the RNF you can buy in the shop off the rack for ...lost. Glassed by the same shop as ...lost. THese are not pop outs, in fact he shapes his own very much like the ones he does for ...lost. Which is the blank is cut using his dims from board CAD then he finihsees the board. Anyway I personally think the RNF is sick but the original style RNF , not the RNF quad/ newer version. OG RNF is a sick board but they go so much better in smaller dims that they arent a great grovel board. The RNF circa 1995 outline is sick, I ride mine with thruster side fins (fcs k.2 or larger al merrick sides, and a tiny trailing fin, i dont like the '95 style outline as a quad (mine is a 5 fin conversion set up, I never ride it as a quad). I am 36 years old 5'-8" 155lbs and I ride my RNF at 5'-5 x 19 1/4" x 2-3/8. Its got good float but it works best in thigh to head high surf.
FIshcut- would be a pure groveller, that board would hold your perfromance surfing back on decent sized waves. out of the htree this would be your worst choice!
CI Motorboat- This board is similar to a RNF with its bottom contours and rockers, but just uses a different outline really. The motorboat would be equal to the RNF depending on your ability.
....lost Black Sheep- This board may be your best bet as far as a one board quiver though, looks like it will grovel better than a RNF and handle bigger surf better than a motorboat.

All depends on your ability really

I personally love my RNF, I have had a Tommy Moore RNF in my quiver for the last 12 years and I will always have one in my quiver. the board is super fun . I love riding boards with low entry rocker and flat exit rocker with a single to double concave with VEE out othe tail, I love this set up, I drive off of my front foot and the lift and speed from this set is sick. Honestly grab a motorboat hold it under your arm, do the same with the RNF, then pick one off of that.

-Now if you are trying to eventually build a quiver you should be developing a relationship with a shaper. He builds the first board then you go back next year to get another board and you can tell him what you love and what ya dont like about your current board and he can tweak what he did in your first board for the next one to improve it.
ANyway buy your CI motorboat or your RNF, once you are ready for your next board go to a shop order a custom, write nothing on the order sheet for dimensions, except call "call me to talk about the board" take your current board with you and a six pack of decent beer to share when you go talk to the shaper, sit look the man/woman in the eye offer them a beer and talk to the person, ; let them teach you why your board does what it does, get an understanding of rocker, concaves, outlines etc. I can call my guy right now tell him what my current boards are not doing and have a sled under my feet in 6-8 weeks that does everything my other boards don't , as along as my ability can get it there.

 

the only pop-out on that list is the firewire. ...lost is still hand-made (machine cut) in california, as is ci. in fact, both companies employ some of the industry's best craftsmen as ghost/finish shapers. it fills in the gaps for them when business at their own label is slow.

bushwood's advice is spot-on. still curious as to why the OP is so set on a big-name board.

 

i think, for what you're looking to do w/ it, the rnf or the motorboat are the 2 best option...you just have to sort out which you think you'd prefer. more "shortboardy" or more "fishy"?

the fishcuit is not trash. i have a 5'8" & love it, but it is not a 90% sort of board. i mostly ride it on days when i really should be on a log but want to ride a shortboard. it's actually the first quad that i've ever really connected w/. i've had a blast on the thing. but it's a groveller, not an every day board.

from looking at the outlines of the ...lost rnf & firewire quadfish, i'd have to say there is no comparison. sure, they both say "fish" in the model name, but the outline & rocker are completely different. the firewire has more of a retro style look to the outline & rocker...fairly flat & full, wide & deep swallow. the rnf is, by comparison, more pulled in & is something of an hp fish, if that makes any sense. the swallow is deep compared to your average swallow tailed hpsb, but not compared to your typical fish. there's more rocker at both ends of the rnf than you find on most fish type boards as well. i'm not sure about bottom contours, but i'm reasonably certain there's a difference there as well.
i would say that the firewire is more similar to the old ci "skinny fish" model, which had a retro style outline, but was more thinned out overall than your typical fish at the height of the fish craze (circa 2005/2006). the rnf is more typical of what might be termed a "rocket fish" or an "hp fish", although neither term, i think, is accurate.

 

Hey guys,
take it easy on atooky, he obviously doesn't want a custom board from a local shaper. That's OK.
It's a damn shame a vast majority of people need to own big-brand named goods to validate their 'coolness'.
Basic psychology 101: Subconsciously - "People will like and identify with me if I have that same logo as them. I am somebody."
You all know it's true. Doesn't make people better or worse, it just is what it is...
Sheep vs. Individuals
Lost, CI, Firewire consumers vs. Local Shaper supporters
I'll ALWAYS be like that.