Hi, I'm thinking about getting a fish but not sure how what dimensions I should shoot for. I'm 5'11" and about 135 lbs.....any thoughts I what would be a good sized fish for me? How about the range of sizes (max and min)? Many thanks, John
Tall and skinny... What do you normally ride, and what's your skill level? Off the top of my head, I'd say in the 5'8 range for a full on retro fish.
I would go even smaller than 5'8 I think a 5'2 to 5'5 would be perfect for your weight. LBCrew is right though, it depends on your ability level. I am 6'1' and 196 pounds and I have a 6'1' fish that is way too much for me. At 6'1 I need a full outline fish of no more than 5'8 . Fish are meant to be ridden small to get the full benifit from them.
I'm 6'1'' and 160, i like my fish to be 5'10'' ... I had a 5'6'' for a while, and it was doable, just kindof awkward poping up because it was 7 inches shorter than me.
what kind of fish? I think it greatly depends on what type of fish your looking for honestly. You looking for a retro style fish or a more performance type fish like a lost round nose fish? I'm 5'-8" weigh 155lbs and im 36 years old so not a spring chicken but still paddle pretty well. I ride a Tommy Moore Round Nose Fish 5'-5" x 19 1/4" x 2-3/8 thick (Poly Construction) . With you asking what size board you should order Im thinking you are of average to beginner in skil level, most advanced surfers have a real good idea of what they need size wise in a board. Not to say you are not a good surfer, i too wonder about certain board model types. IF you are young and still growing in heigth and inevitably going to gain muscle and weight then I would recommend for you, if your still in the intermidte to beginner levels, a Round Nose Fish (more performcae type fish) at 5-10 x 19 3/4 x 2 3-/8 with a flat deck and full rails to carry plenty of volucme. If your still growing you dont want the board to eventually not have enough volume next year.
I actually had a similar question. I have been riding a 9'2' TK performance board for some time. I picked up an off the rack fun shape 7'6" 2 summers ago, just to try something smaller, and I' m really interested in getting a quality local retro fish. I thought I would need a 6'6"-6'8'. I'm 6 foot 200lbs. I'm a moderately ok surfer. But maybe I should go smaller.
I thought I would need a 6'6"-6'8'. I'm 6 foot 200lbs. I'm a moderately ok surfer. But maybe I should go smaller.[/QUOTE] If you a decent surfer you can pddle pretty well, read the peak well, and get into the right postion, then once up and riding your able to drive down the line working the wave face top to bottom able to cut back and stay close to the pocket (guess that was my definiton of moderate ability) then in a retro fish i would easily think you cold go 6-2. Granted a retro fish would feel huge to me, but being as your smallest board ridden is a 7'-6 then 6'-2" would seem super short. Still i think a retro fioled fish, super thick, something like 2- 3/4" thick" X like 21" wide and 6'-2 would float you fine. My freind is roughly your size and he has a performance style round nose fish thats like 20" wide 2-1/4" thick and 6-0 that floats him. Personally in a retro fish if your a capable paddler and surfer i wouldnt go over 6-4" it defeats the purpose of a fish. A fish is suppose to be a great paddleing very short board, something easy to manuever but still a great paddler!
I've always wished that boards would post their displacement on the bottom like windsurfers do. It's all about the Liters there, and nobody cares too much about length. I've actually been considering trying to measure the displacement of a couple of my favorite boards for a while now, might be interesting to compare them... It would help alot with these sorts of questions
Keep in mind your height.... particularly if your legs are long. Longer legs mean wider stance, which means you need to go longer. So unless you want to surf with your feet together, think carefully about a 5'4.
John, Been a while - good to see you're trying to experiment with different shapes. I don't have any retro shapes, but I do have a round nose fish that's really fun. I'm a little taller and heavier (6'1, 185) so it might be a bit large for you at 6'0, but if you PM me here or on the ASC site, I'll let you try it out sometime.
With the Fish, thickness is just as important as length. I agree with most of the posters who say that "short" is the order of the day with a Fish. At 6', you may be a bit tall for a 5'5" retro fish. My personal opinion is a 5'8", 2 1/2" thick, 20 1/2" wide for someone of your stature (and weight). For a quad fish, go a couple inches longer.
Lots of helpful info here. For reference, I'm 6ft 165lb and my fish is 5'10"x22"x3" and I looove it. My height is about 60% legs and my front foot is usually where my chest would be when paddling. It is like skateboarding the waves which is exactly what I wanted.
...Lost started doing this. They've included volume numbers on most of there 2011 models. I think that's so much more useful.
