Pin tail problem

I would personnaly find that board extremely frustrating in 95% of the waves i ride...basically that is made for well overhead hollow surf. It probably has a lot of rocker, will paddle poorly in chest high and under, will bog down on any mushy sections, and will turn stiffly in small - medium sized waves.

 

the word 'hawaii' should give you pause.

 

If not that, then certainly the part about 8-20 ft faces.

 

I would definitely bring that board to Hawaiian 10ft pipeline

 

Pumpmaster and Mitchell nailed it. That's all your really need to know about that board. Yes... you made a mistake. But hold onto that board. Once you're skill level gets up there, you might be able to find it works well for you once the surf starts approaching DOH.

 

Right on. I am 5'9'' and 160 and had a BLAST surfing 3-4 ft overhead on my 7'2'' pintail last fall. Lots of barrels, holds in a steep takeoff. Yes, I did bring it home from my Hawaii days and would never have bought it back here (much less been able to find one like it or someone who would know how to make a good one). Looks to me like Cisco is going to order a brand new one. Bad idea...as I said before, contrary to the many posters who decided to stuff words in my mouth.

I stand by my opinion to stay away from a fish shape, unless by 'fish' you mean a thruster with a wider-than-normal nose, slightly wider tail, and a little extra thickness. That's not really a fish, by the way, though it would serve you well most days on the east coast. If you're going to buy one board and one board only, I'd stick with this, though even better (in my opinion, which is completely subjective, much like this whole discussion) would be a slightly more sleek quad-fin. I'm a huge quad fan and have ridden everything from waist high mush to head-high and hollow...works every time! When the waves start pushing overhead, I opt for my 6'4'' round pin. People seem to think riding a longer pintail means you can't surf well. From my experience, it means you'll make the takeoff damn near every time and have no problem riding deep in the pocket, which is where you really want to be when the waves get hollow 3-4x a year.

As for the fish, I'd ride one in most of SoCal, VA Beach, Assateague, places like that. The true fish, for those who don't know this, was invented by a guy named Steve Lis in Sunset Beach. He started shaping them for the exclusive purpose of ripping the crap out of slower (and usually smaller) waves. Can Rob Machado ride one at Pipe? Sure, but that doesn't mean you should. He could probably ride a trash can lid if need be. Perhaps some people here go for the twin fin boat in bigger waves, and more power to them.

The diversity of opinions here reflects the fact that much of board selection IS subjective. You ride the shape that (1) works and (2) gives the feel you want. Because different people have different opinions does not mean most of us inherently wrong. It means we have different tastes, surf different waves, have different styles, etc. You can dismiss my advice if you choose...I contribute to be helpful. You might want to consider, however, that I have over ten years of surfing experience on five continents. I guarantee lots of folks here can top that by A LOT. Thats why I love these types of threads. There's so much sharing of knowledge and opinion that would have never been possible otherwise.

 

Whoa...you just blew my mind.

 

Pretty sure you mean Sunset Cliffs...i'm not sure he would have invented 5'6" twinnies if he had lived in Sunset Beach...

I agree with you about the subjectivity tho.. i really only like riding my longboard and keel twin in fast lined up steep waves, and i know a lot of people like riding both of those kind of boards in 2 foot mush.

 

Ha! This thread is too funny.

I am 6'2" and 200lbs, and I agree that board isn't going to work well most east coast surf. BUT - my first board - the one that I learned on - was a 7'0" semi-gun, narrow and thin with lots of rocker, bought used and totally not made for most east coast surf. I like to say boards like that build character - [if you're like me] you will miss a bunch of waves paddling from too far outside, then adjust to start closer and closer to the break until your take-offs are so late you'll be pitched over the falls half the time... It will take some time to dial in and will be frustrating in small surf, but it will force you to paddle hard if you want to catch a wave, and on those rare overhead days you'll be glad you have something that can handle it.

TL;DR - ride it, paddle hard. then switch to something else.

 

i cant believe i am hearing so much negative about fish shapes! Man, get a retro fish, like 6'6 or so, 2.5 or 3" thick. You could fart in the bathtub and catch a wave on a board like that. As far as fish being frustrating on 95% of east coast waves is just silly. 95% of east coast waves are frustrating on their own. I have ridden my fish in everything from knee high shorebreak to DOH bombs, and I never, ever, felt like it was holding me back. I was actually really impressed with it on the big day. I broke my rhino chaser on my second wave and still had the fish in the car so I did what I had to.... and surfed it for like another 4 hours. Great times.

 

agreed,fish are fun in any size surf.

 

Not for the beginning, but for fish lovers:

As far as twin keel fishs working on DOH waves, i've had the fins not catch at all on macking bottom turns. It depends on the size and shape of the fins too. I'd go for a quad if you plan to take it out on big days.

 

FYI, there may be 1 or 2 days a year max when a shortboard is warrented at NJ.

 

Not to mention the skeeters. Did you get the West Nile?

Glad to hear the board is working. Those waves are perfect for you, I would imagine. Even when Assateague gets some size, it's usually still a slowish wave that really lends itself to a fatty squash tail. Try hitting it again with head-high hurricane swell, and I bet you'll really enjoy...the camping is far better in September as well: cooler days and nights, fewer RV's, just a better scene overall.

 

Hahahahaha!

On a more serious note, glad to see you took the leap and got a more suitable board. You're gonna have a lot of fun... keep us posted.

 

well you've got yourself a basic 3 board quiver now pretty much. funboard for small mush waves, gun for juicier swells, and a shortboard for everything in between.
oh and do you know what shaper/model the gun is? i'd like to see exactly what your talking about

 

what shop

allowed you to buy the board? if you explained your situation as u did on here, i would hope they didnt recommend that board. either way, its not the end of the world. next time if your friends or people in the lineup who your friendly with have a type of board your looking at buying, ask them to try it out for a few waves. live and learn