Just wondering...I''ve been considering buying a small, superwide/superfloaty retrofish someday, just so I have something to fool around on when the waves are too small/not powerful enough for my 7'2'' thin-custom funboard to catch easily. I really want to see if there was a way to take one out for a test drive first since I've never riden one and don't want to waste my money buying one if its not meant for me. I've tried out a few of my buddies longboards on a few occassions and really don't care for how they feel (although I like how easy they paddle). Any shops in OCMD or Deleware rent out retro-fishes? Only other option would be to shmooze up to someone in the water I see riding a retrofish and talk them into swapping boards with me for a while. Also, (sorry for my ignorance on the subject) just how small and mushy of a summer slop of a wave can your typical 2.5 inch thick/22 wide retrofish catch a wave on (considering I'm 5'9'' and 145 lbs)? Knee high? Ankle high bubbles? Thigh high minimum? Just wondering.
Paddling ability aside, you should be able to catch knee-high and up with that. It gets fun once you hit the waist-high range though.
They look so fun in smaller surf. I need to get one soon too. You might have trouble finding a place that rents out retros. If you can't shmooze up to somebody, i would try talking some local shop about buying the retro and selling it back if it's in the same condition. You might only get back a couple hundred, but you would get to try out the new board. Heck keep it if you like it.
instead of a retro fish why not try a roundnose fish like lost makes? I had both and the RNF surfs much more like a shortboard. i thought the retros were too floaty and didnt turn all that great
http://www.ebodyboarding.com/bodyboards/Soft-Surfboards/BZ-5-Fish-Surfboard the most fun you will ever have in small surf so light
I'm about your size and have 5-5 and 5-10 retro fishes. Both flat rockered and over 21" wide. in ocean city, MD type waves (steep) they will get up and go down to about knee-thigh high (2 foot faces). They are more fun on a really lined up waist - chest high day. Retro fishes really arent made for tiny weak summer slop...they dont turn as well in small surf as a board with more tail rocker and smaller fins - keel fins are more for fast lined up juice.
and as always make sure fins are not setup straight up and down and with an angle in if you buy a fish.
Thanks for the input to all. Great advice and glad to know about the knee-high forecasting since I live 200 miles from the shore and do alot of day-trips (I'd hate to drive 3 hrs. to do nothing more than paddle around when I have a farm pond behind my house I could walk to and do that). Usually I only make a daytrip if its waist to head high range (I'm not skilled enough to get in overhead yet...(I've tried 2x and I gettting caught inside over and over is not enjoyable at all). If I had a retro-fish it sounds like I could expand my surfing conditions/opportunities some on some smaller days in the summer where my thin 7'2'' doesn't quite work (although I love that board when its about chest high). I'm spending a week down in OC at the end of July so I'd like to get many sessions in that week (waves permitting). If the forecast is knee-thigh high for the whole week (likes its been the last several weeks) I may just go buy a fish...who knows.
Did you rule out longboarding? Something between 9'-10' will allow you to "ride" on all the smaller days. Lots of fun and when it gets bigger, you just pull the 7'2" out.
i had a 6'0 twin fin retro fish and did not care for it. way too loose but it did float and paddle great. recently got a 6'4" board called an oceanside spoiler (yeah its a machine pop-out) and it is a round-nose swallow tail shape and thick and it is awesome. also have a longboard for when it is crap.
Not to hijack the thread but has anybody tried either the Y-Quad or the Y-Twin boards from www.catchsurf.com ? They are a soft/hard board designed by Tom Morey. I was interested in getting a board for friends to use instead of letting them use my nice custom boards when they come to the beach and say I want to learn to surf.
I've tried longboarding 2-3 times. Once on an 8'6'' custom made mini-mal and once or twice on a 9ft. Walden. I guess I just don't really like feeling of not having total control over a board that size and how long they take to whip around and get them pointed where you want to go. When I'm on a smaller board I feel like I have total control over the board. I'm sure its a combination of lack of experience and also probably just a personal preference thing I guess. Aside from my 7'2'' I've tried a 6'2'' shortboard once. Loved the size and feel of a shortboard but man you've got to be in serious shape to paddle a shortboard around in strong currents...especially on the bigger days (when they work best). A small retro-fish just seems to be what might work for me but I'd like to try one out before plopping down $250+ on a hunch.
