Small waves: Longboard or fish?

my experience is that the longboard will give you better mileage then a fish for small weak summer waves. Not everyone will agree with me but I find that the long board makes otherwise small unsurfable waves surfable more often than a fish will.
Also the longboard will offer you a very different surfing experience then the fish would compared to your regular surfboards. you can mess around walking the board and riding close to the nose, stuff like that that you're not going to do on a fish.

 

I think Fitz pretty much says it all right there. If you just want to keep the shortboard experience going in tiny waves, you could do that on a fish... or a Mini Sim... or a lot of the alternative type shapes out there now. If you want to use a different skills set, and a whole different approach to wave riding, a longboard will give you just that.

 

I usually dont opt for either my longboard or a traditional twin-keel fish for those small summer waves, even though i love both of those types of boards. If its 1-3 and soft and glassy, I'll usually be riding a mini simmon. If its small but more of an a-frame kind of wave, a round nose quad fish is what i'll grab.

This morning was just like a typical summer wave...soft, glassy and small but kind of a-framey with little pockets. The RNFQ was perfect.

 

I love Longboards cause they can catch even the no-see-um waves. I use a 7'7 fish hybrid for almost everything else. super versatile!

 

Mini Simmons!! Catches waves like a longboard and is still really maneuverable.

 

are you back or frontside to the majority of waves you frequent? I'm goofyfoot and on small days I love the fish for lefts, log for rights

 

agreed mini simmons. the thickest and widest you can find. bob had it all figured out in the mid 50's.

 

Mattybrews! Check your PM inbox.

 

I would go longboard if I were you. I usually ride a 5'6 scorcher but i love taking out the 9 foot walden on days that it is smaller because i catch every wave i want

 

I have rarely seen it so small that a longboard is the only answer. Maybe a longboard when it is essentially flat. There are some people that would consider the picture that Mitchell posted as flat but for me half of that picture would be small enough that a longboard might be the only answer if you were loosing your mind and had to surf. Anything around this mornings size would be a RNF or a Mini Simmons.

 

I would go with a longboard. Imo it is more useful to have in your quiver especially since you have a 610 which will probably do a half decent job getting into thigh peaks in case your really needed to get some turnage on. When it gets smaller that that your longboard will be a reliable friend.

 

best opinion yet

 

Bar O Soap

 

I"m going to jump the thread a bit, I hope that is ok, I have a very similar situation. I currently have 9'6" which I always ride but want to get something smaller both for travelling (9'6" does not go on airplanes) and for developing. I had the same things in mind an fish, mini simmons but was also thinking about something like the biscuit. I'm not sure which would be best for getting used to after mostly riding a log and would still work for waves knee and up. my apologies if this is a distraction from the op.

 

bar o soap looks rad, to you ride one? what size and in what type of waves?

 

What size mini simmons would be best for someone 5'10 185?

 

9 foot Walden Magic Model. You will catch waves like shooting fish in a barrel. I just caught a wave last week down in St Augustine borrowing my buddy's Magic Model; the wave I swear was less than one foot and I did not even have time to paddle once. I turned the board around and there was the pocket and forward momentum.... I just stood up and rode. For a nice long way, too. I have owned a lot of longboards and every time I ride a Walden I promise myself I will get a hold of one. BTW I also rode a 9-6 magic model with a thruster setup on it in 10 foot P-Land in Panama (I had busted two fins out of my short board that day so I grabbed it) and it was actually more fun!!

 

7'6" wayne lynch 1967 style single fin wide,thick and fun

 

When the waves are small and relatively gutless I always grab my old school twin fin. It paddles like a shortboard but catches waves like a longboard. It can also do well in overhead surf if you plan on owning just one board. They're usually pretty thick and wide so you don't have to go long either. I'm 5'10 175lbs and ride a 5'10, which believe it or not is one of the longer boards I own. I also have a 5'4 Firewire Sweet Potato that does great in anything from thigh to head high waves and it's probably the board I ride most.