fish dimensions

Quad 6'0" 20-21 2.5" low entry rocker, no swallow tails.
A little extra volume is way more fun than not enough volume.

 

Twin vs. quad depends completely on what you want to do with the fish. The shaper should be able to help you with volume. 5'10" x 21" x 2 1/2" would probably be a typical dimension for someone your size of average ability riding the typical sized waves fishes excel in.

I've been riding a bunch of quad fishes the past few years and for many years before that I had a 5'10" twin keel deep swallow fish of the dimension above that I just rode to death. I still regret selling it.

I like the quads in most of the typical conditions we get on the beaches around here (short rides with quick turns back into small pockets, but I gotta say...on those rare days where the waves line up stomach to chest high, clean, open faced and walled up just coming at you demanding speed and drawn out turns....man I miss that twinny.

But yeah...if your gonna have one fish, i'd probably talk to the shaper about quad setups.

 

^^^^word. Figure out what you want out of the board, your ability and talk to shape man. I had fun with 5'10"s for a few years ( I'm 6'2" 190lb). I recently picked up a v2 stub 6'0" 21" 2.5" quad. I went a bit big for ultimate groveling ability. I put my k2.1 side bites in and holy sh*t this board works insane in normal waves too. I figured the board may have been a little clunky or weird. I was way wrong! High performance all the way.
Swallow tails just weird me out and need a lot of repair in my experience. I can't visualize the benefit of a swallow, idk. Ironically my first board was a swallow though.

 

rode my first quad groveler this summer. The tail is so wide on it, it wouldn't even work as a twin/trailer...quad was the only way it would turn. Still think a narrower tail with twin/trailer turns more easily, but the quad is good for glide.

I'm 6'/180 and the volume on my best fishes is around 35 cL. Anything over 36 cL and the extra foam in a fish's nose makes duckdiving an effort, but still doable.

use the volume calculators to get an idea for your weight. I like Lost's Guild Factor, but ymmv

 

i am also 6'2 175 and i have a 5'10 21+ wide and 2 7/8" quad round nose fish and love it. its a groveling machine. ive ridden it in everything from ankle slappers to 6-8ft lighthouse (that was a sketchy day haha, still have the imprint of my ass in one of the pressure dings from falling off the top of the lip and onto the deck), its really fast and performs well. i just wish i had gotten it a little thinner. definitely recommend it.

 

if you want a classic (read: "retro") style fish, at your height & weight, & given what you're riding now, i'd say something in the 5'8"-5'10"x20 1/2"-21"x2 1/2" range; it depends on preference, ability, & inclination. i'm 15lbs heavier than you & just ordered up a retro style quad fish from brian wynn at 5'8"x21"x2 5/8"...i'm 2" shorter & 15lbs heavier than you. my go-to board on a day to day basis is a 5'10"x20 3/4"x2 9/16" campbell bros octafish.

whether quad to twin keel is a decision only you can make & it depends entirely on what you want from the board. if you want the true '70s feel, get glassed-on double-foiled keels. if you want a more modern twist, go quad. quad is definitely going to be more responsive & make tighter radius turns, so if you surf a lot of sectiony beach breaks, that might be the better option. if you've got access to good lined up front side point breaks, twin keel would be a fun choice (i say front side b/c, IMO & experience, twin keel fish kinda suck on the back hand).

 

my too cents...Shaper would know best but seems like most people ride 'em a tad on the big side (myself included until I experimented with dimensions)
Retro twin or retro quad...don't be afraid to go short or a hair thinner to go with the extra width... 5'10 175-195lbs (depending on my work out to beer drinking ratio) ride a full figured 5'6 20'' 2 1/2 (29.5 liter-ish) and that feels both too long and floaty when i'm in the 170's

RNF twin or quad... ride a 5'9 20'' 2 1/2 (28.5 liter) feels good in the 170's and works even better the fatter I get

 

Royal Incut Fish

http://royalsurfboards.com/shop/incut-fish

Glide like a retro, vert like a shorty.

 

Might I suggest this.....

Its for sale in classifieds, by me but it may be something you are interested in.

5'10 x 2 7/8 x 22 twin.

 

Type of wave you want to ride it in, your age and ability, and what you want your new board to do that your current board doesn't, are all important factors. Make sure you communicate that when you go to talk to your shaper.

 

GO 4-6 INCHES shorter than your traditional shortboard. I would say 5'8 x 20 1/2 x 2 3/4

Don't be afraid togo beefy with the thickness, if he a good shaper he can hide some foam in the rails.
I have a new fish coming tomorrow from Phil Taylor, I'm 5'10 and 160. the board will be 5'4x20x2 3/4. Round nose quad.

If you want to use it in any size, go quad! You can always, ride it twinnie, but having the quad option makes it VERY performance oriented.

 

What about thrusting this type of board if it's 5-slot?

 

the deep swallow tail of a traditional fish makes that impractical. the 2 front fins would have to be too far forward to make room for the center fin. that's why fish type boards that are designed to be ridden w/ a tri set up have shallower swallow tails than retro designs.

 

Swallow tails are definitely the way to go for a traditional or hybrid fish shape in weak waves. The offer much more drive and ability to stay on a rail.

 

Fish can be strange but wonderful beasts. There's lots of good info above but do your best to try one before you order. Beg, borrow, rent, steal. Maybe your shaper has a demo? Throw a couple bucks to someone selling on Craigslist? El Stupido will let you try his. Guys I know either love or hate the retro ones. And those who hate usually won't try something similar. I don't understand that because there are so many variations -- there's something for everyone. Quad vs twin? Both! But definitely quad. Or twin.

You can't possibly know what you want to do with the fish before you ride one. You've got to feel how it reacts and figure out what you like and what you'd want to change. The same could be said for any shape, but fish are different for me. I've seen people sell brand new boards because it wasn't what they expected or they were unwilling to adjust their style to the board.

Since you have contact info you should give him a heads-up that his domain name expired two days ago. His website is down.

 

swallow cuts make the tail sink in the wave and therefore turn on rail more responsively

anyway, aside from the deep swallow cut, many fish have tails too wide for a thruster. In my exp, really wide tails work better with a lot of fin(s) distributed throughout the rail. Big center fins or even shark tooth trailers make them even harder to turn. Tiny knubsters function, but I think putting a center slot on these really wide tail quads is more of a marketing gimmick than for performance...the waves most would ride on wide tail grovelers would never need extra stability.