Im 6'1'' 175 lbs is a 5'8 fish style surfboard to small?

Question

I have been surfing a 9'8 and am ready to get something a little more manunerable?

Answer 1

There's no rule with how big a board has to be. If you are 5'0 you can ride a 10'0 board, if you are 7'0 you could ride a 5'6 board. Kelly Slater can ride a ironing board (in the surf video 'Fair Bits').

Basically don't listen to "you have to ride a board this big" etc.

I ride a fish right now. I am 5'3 and ride a 5'6 fish. I could have gone smaller but I didn't want to lose paddling power.

A fish is different from a shortboard. No doubt it's going to be more manuverable than the long board, but not as manuverable as your standard thruster. If your main reason for going smaller is manuverability, I would recommend a thruster instead of a fish for the reason I just mentioned. But if you have your heart set on a fish, go for it.

A fish has a wider nose for better paddling and a lower rocker to excel in flat mushy surf.

There are a couple different kinds of fish. The modern fish and the retro fish. For the most part, the retro fish has the wider nose, lower rocker, twin fins, and the deep swallow tail. The modern fish is more performance oriented. It may have 2 fins, 3 fins, or it could be a quad fish with 4 fins. The modern fish looks and rides more like your standard shortboard.

As for your height and weight, I'd say that's the smallest you want to go. You don't want it to bog down on the waves and be hard to paddle. But don't go more than 6'0. Don't forget about the width and thickness too. Those are just as important as length. Go into your local surf shop and talk to the people that work there. Talk to a shaper and they can help you out a lot.

Have fun!

Answer 2

id say if u have to ask this question, then 5'8" is absolutely too small.  im 6 ft and have a 5'6" fish i use on small days.  however if u didnt know u can ride a shorter board than ur height, theres probably a lot of other things u dont know, like how to get up on such a short board.  the point of a fish is to be a loose, so yeah, small can be really cool.  before u buy a board, no matter what it is, dont answer ur questions on a forum like this... please borrow a board that is similar to what u have in mind.  have u ever ridden a 5'8" fish?  obviously not, cuz that would answer the question ur currently asking.  u wouldnt spend 15k on a car without testdrving it would u?  y spen 500 on a board that might not work right and become a wall decoration or resell?

Answer 3

No. Boards do not have to be taller than you. I personally prefer longboards but that is just my own preference. I don't like to hot dog but soul surf.

Answer 4

Yeah, your board should be taller than you