My recently asked what I would like for Christmas and I said a new board. The only problem is I don't know what I want. I have bounced between a mini simmons shape, a small fish, a pier pony, a potatonator and many more. I want this board to be able to work in small conditions to around chest high. Do you have any ideas?
I've got a ci gravy that works for literally anything up to about chest high. Lots of volume, easy to paddle, wide nose with not a lot of rocker, just an everyday board. http://www.cisurfboards.com/surfboards/gravy-by-rob-machado/
Ci average joe...just picked one up. Perfect for small waves. Surfed it in slightly overhead surf today and felt a little squirrelly on the bigger waves...mine is short...buts it's perfect for knee to chest.
you're in the northeast.he's in Wilmington.twin fin fish is fun.mini-simmons is a totally overrated novelty board for only a few days a year.if zip sees this i'll duck.already dug my hole and got my helmet way down and hugging the dirt.the twin fin fish is way underrated and overlooked by people trying too hard.they tweak the design too much instead of giving it a chance to flourish and show its' potential.
If you really want it to work in REALLY small conditions, like knee high, I would stay away from the fish. Swallow tails are not a tail shape made for soft 1-2 foot waves. If you want it to work in steeper waves in the waist-chest high range as well, I would stay away from a true mini simmons with the flat rocker and twin keel fins. I've had three mini simmons and whenever the waves have steep pockets, I inevitably wish I was riding a different board. The MS are great in soft small waves. A shape like the Pier Pony (or Average Joe like the guy above said) will probably be a great choice for most knee-chest high conditions. Quad fin setup.
The average Joe is good or honestly even a new flyer or weirdo ripper. Those are perfect all arounders and if you get them in the perfect sweet spot size, you can ride it in literally anything up to overhead
You're in the ILM? I just put a board order in with Jimmy Keith on a board with those general conditions in mind, and he was pretty good to work with. Good balance of receptiveness and advice for our conditions, and a super nice guy. I'd say you should go with him...or Eavey...or Allison...or SOD..or Endress...or... Anyway there are a bunch of good boardbuilders in the area--all of whom seem to have their own specialties-- but there's no reason you can't keep that $ local and still get a good product. Just give a few of em a call and go with whoever you feel most comfortable with
I don't think tail shape makes much of a difference.nor do I think it makes any difference what piece of crap you grovel around on when it's REALLY small soft 1-2 foot,but in those cases a mini-mal or longboard will do. maybe even a fish or mini-simmons,but for when it's that small you should have something different than for real waves of speed and power.it all depends;there's even a lot of different kinds of soft REALLY small 1-2 foot waves,too.I believe a twin fin fish is an incredibly fun,most underrated and so often overlooked and overly tweaked into non-fishness of all designs not truly and thoroughly looked at for its' great potential in many conditions.
we always seem to try to shortboardize the true fish instead of seeing how fast and fun they are,and everyone fell in love with the mini-simmons concept,though it is extremely limited and rarely ridden well.
Started riding fishes in the late '70s, and I'm still riding them today... and I mean the twin keel variety. My go-to board for most waves waist to chest high.
first, to each their own. different people with different surfing styles like different boards. second, as mentioned, talk to local shaper. they may even let you try before you buy. my experience with a mini simmons: they always intrigued me but i had a hard time buying as i never tried, luckily local shapers near me are super cool and one let me borrow one for a few weeks. i was sold after a few sessions. love my mini simmons for the right days. right days being thigh to waist, when you wanna switch it up from the longboard. plus some days i don't feel like strapping a log on the top of my jeep. simmons are small so easy to throw in your ride. i've taken it out in chest high and its still super fun, just set expectations though, its not going to perform like a thruster. the right simmons will be fast and fun to play around on. i will say though, it does take some getting used to. took me a bit to figure it out. i've tried keels fins on my 5"2 twin but not a fan, i like the bigger fins that give you a bit more drive. i've tried a bunch of fins and had the best luck with the True Ames 5.5" Twins i'm a fan of alternative boards and local shapers, so keep that in mind. if you like name brands off the rack, thats probably your best bet.
My buddy just bought a mini simmons 5'10"x22"x3". He and I have both ridden in 2-5 ft conditions and it's held up fine. For small waves I'd really recommend the Proctor Lil Rascal or Lil Rascal 2, they are both a fish shape. They are insane in anything from 1-4ft maybe even 5ft, but it might get a little squirrelly. Check out Jay Phillips rippin a Lil Rascal at Malibu, it's effing crazy.
