Mini Simmons: What's the verdict?

Extremely flat, extremely wide boards... especially in the tail... with fins all the way back and out on the rail become very stiff when you start to add length, when compared to what you're used to riding. That's how you can go really short... it's what keeps them loose. This theory applies to all short, flat, wide designs, including retro fish. The deep swallow gives some relief on the fish, but reduced planing area and short rail line is the basic, foundation concept behind these kinds of boards.

 

I've had three. All 5'7" x 22" x 2 3/8" The variations have been in the tail width and fin setup. The wide square tail and low rocker will give you speed in soft waves you never thought was possible. Faster through mushy waves than any longboard or fish I've ever ridden.

Boards that are 5.5 feet long, 18 inch noses, 22 inches wide, flat rockered with a 16" squared-off tail are at an extreme end of the board spectrum and surf like it. They catch anything resembling a wave, they fly down the line at the slightest hint of a walled up wave no matter how small, and they turn with a lot less control and precision, and with a wider radius than most other boards. They are a handful on a steep drop and in a wave with a critical pocket, which is exactly when you wont be riding one anyways. They also are a pain in choppy waves.

My verdict is I love them all summer long when we get day after day of knee-stomach high wind swell and calm glassy mornings. They eat that stuff up!

Fin setup - I had one with keel fins, and the second two are quads. I prefer the quads because I feel like the quad setup mitigates some of the poor turning qualities inherent in this shape of a board, while the keels sort of contribute to these boards tendency to not want to come around quickly in a turn.

I know a lot of people would just stay home or ride a longboard in tiny waves like this, but for me personally mini simmons make waves this fun when other boards don't, and we get a LOT of days like this in the summer:

 

Good news bro, go get you one!

 

http://pilgrimsurfsupply.com/richard-kenvin/

 

KK...
I know you..surf with you...time to get rid of that grande pesce
A mystic mini sim from jim dunlop is the right move..
I have a new one on the table as we speak
Any doubting thomases..check the footage from the above link of Richard kenvin
At blacks...

 

You pull the tail and then they lose the effect. Start making them "performancey" by pointing the keels at the center of the nose putting curve in the outline then they don't have the unbridled skim they should. Then it is more of a hybrid simmons, won't go as good in the softies. If you are a young and light shortboard shredder get a 4'10" X 21" + maybe but keep the tail block 13-14" wide. About as wide as where your backfoot is on a performance board actually. And make sure it only has .5" or less of tail rocker. Fin position should be about 3" from tail tip because that will be where you will stand and where the highest water pressure is. That is what the simmons thing is about, as much planing surface as you can cram under your feet then stop, all lines straight as possible. Hard to do with a US blank not glued minus rocker like Dunlop might use. Either way it will be better than a fish. Don't wanna be a spell check nazi but I think it is spelled queue though could be wrong. Could be helpful texting british girls or something like that.

 

I don't...but i do trust jim

 

A true minisimmons looks like a longboard cut in half with twin keels on the far back of the board. Plus, they are short, like super short in the 4'11" to 5'5" range. Anything longer than that with different fin configuration is a variation of a fish to me. Here you go:

http://www.minisimmonssurfboards.com/

What I have is a variation on the theme. It's a 5'8", by like 21" by 2-1/2", and a quad, full longboard nose. It's a wave catching machine, and I bought it second-hand. It paddles just as easily as either one of my longboards, and turns on a dime. I can also hit the lip backside. A true minisimmons isn't going to be as forgiving on your backhand just like a twin keel style fish. I use it in everything from knee to chest high. It gets really squirrely and too fast on bigger hollow days, but it can still be fun. My advice, look for one used, and give it a try. Then fine tune to your liking. That's what I'm gonna do.

 

Would the days where you tend to use the simmons be the same days to use a log assuming I use a HPSB for when it has juice. It seems like I would use less of one of the boards and more of the other, which I wouldn't want. Are there specific days where one is better than the other, or one would take the place of another

 

Salt- awesome link...thanx...one thing to note , which gets forgotten...is bob simmons shaped a 6'(possibly sub 6') version in the 50's...out of a big chunk of styro...rode in the beach breaks in sd..I think it was
Stringerless...until it got blasted into several pieces..

Surf1234- sure....sunday was a good day at poles...rode jim dunlop mini for almost 2 hrs..as then tide filled in...then switched my tim stamps pig..for another 1 1/2 hrs..
Fyi - i like using futures controllers for steeper bigger days, and keels for the smaller days on the mini

 

Those are really good questions, and I don't really know how to answer them...LOL. Bottom line is, I pack two boards with me whenever I go for a surf. Sometimes I pack three and a set of swim fins too if the water's warm. Excessive, maybe, but I am always prepared and it makes things so much more fun. I don't care if I get funny looks board swapping and getting in and out of the water.

If it's chest high and under, I'll pack my mini-simmons-like board and a single fin longboard. Either one of those boards are perfect for typical East Coast waves.

Chest high and above and clean, I'll pack any board except for the mini-simmons. I don't like the feel of it on a bigger wave. Some guys shred on them in all kinds of conditions....like Tyler Warren or Mason Ho and Chris Ward on those little Mayhem models shaped these days (basically the same thing). If you lay into a cutback hard, the risk of one side of the fins sliding out are high. It's super fast, and you make it in front of sections, but it's just too much planing area or something.

 

Just be real careful getting them over 5'10" because if you end up popping up ahead of the fins (which you will because they will catch a softie early on) you will have trouble setting a rail hard when it gets moving. You have to force yourself to get way back and you do that by getting the board shorter than you think is possible. They feel like a bodyboard paddling and corking for a wave because you will grab the nose like one to position yourself on it. If you are afraid of the shortness then add some displacement-you know, thicker. 200 lb on a 5'8" x 22.5" x 3.25" - 3.5" . No tail rocker, deep concave under feet, phoney nose flip (s-deck style) and it will catch waves like log. Soft waves with occasional pockets, clean or slightly bumpy. Bumpy faces with wind straight over the backs can be a handful but rewarding sometimes. It's tougher to find diamonds in the rough on any board though, is it not?

 

IMO the minisimmons does not completely take the place of a longboard but it does allow you to ride those two foot days where its too small for a board like the dumpster diver (or similar), but you dont want to just cruise on a longboard. i think it definitely fills a gap if you like riding shortboards a lot more than longboards, like i do. it still allows you to turn and do little snaps on small days. and if you get a nice lined up wave off a jetty or something it is an absolute gem.

i was out saturday on mine. was like 2'+ and i ended up getting a couple rides that were 100 yard rights. i would have never been able to keep the speed or do the turns i was able to on my waist to chest high board, or a longboard. 4 days later im still stoked about the rides i got on that thing... ON A 2' DAY.