Hi Guys I havent been surfing for too long but would consider myself beeing at the brink of beeing intermediate surfer ;-) Im sick of pushing my 7.4 2 3/4 board through the water and want to get something smaller and faster. Im 1m93cm tall and just over 90 kg. Talking to the guys in the surfshop they advised me to just go a little shorter, so around 6'10 and a little less volume in the board. However, a couple of weeks ago i had the chance to try a custom made retro fish with 4 fins which was only 6' and over 3' wide. It was extremely fast, easy to ride and a lot of fun. Now I am definitely thinking of getting a fish but am worried it wont be any good in larger waves. I normally surf around the metro area in perth and the occasional trip down south every couple of weeks. Doing a bit of research on the net i came across Wilkes "pyg" which is a little longer than the average fish and seems like a great compromise?! What do you guys think? I am thankful for any advice as I am a little lost at the moment...
I'm sure the Perth based guys can give you a good recomendation.
I'm the 195 and 100kg and my short board is 6'10" - I only ride it if it's big and steep otherwise I ride a fish or predominatly my longboard.
My theory - if you going to ride smaller fuller waves I'd say a fish style board is the way to go, if you want something for bigger days go the thruster most companies have a short board model for the bigger guy - I really like the look of the JS Industries one - www.jsindustries.com/_webapp_320109/427KW (I have no affiliation with them)
Yea that sounds like the plan, foam is your friend cRaZy is right on all accounts and JS boards go allright, Ive got a 6,8 and its brilliant in the more powerfull stuff (I have no affiliation with them)
Heres a free tip....find a local shaper...tell him where you surf most, how good you are honestly, how much you wiegh...what you did and dind't like about you last board and what you expect out of a newie...from that they will shape you exactly what you want or need......custom is the only way forward if you wan't to progress your surfing....
yes custom would obviously be the best option ;-) but cant really spend too much money atm and getting a board with all the extras like fins, bag, leash etc will be cheaper in a package deal at a surfshop. i actually had a look at the 7S superfish today and looks like a great board doggie ;-) So im thinking that might be the way to go for now. Definitely a custom board though later down the line mate...
Depending on where you go you can get custom boards at a very comparable price to "pop outs" The other thing to check is Custom shapers websites as most of them have stock in some of their boards and it being end of year and all there might be some up for a bargin.
If you want to progress then save your coin cheap boards are hit n miss get a custom, Steve from clearwater surfboards does joy boards and is local so he knows the conditions, other wise any stocky from a good shaper will do the trick just make sure you ask heaps of questions cause most of the crew in the shops these days dont surf and dont care what they sell you.
G'day Swizzy. The Pyg surfboard is made by Darryl Wilkes and are hand made in Singelton WA. Darryl has been shaping since the mid 1970's when I first bought a Blaxell 5'10" twin fin. He has a web page www.wilkessurfboards.com or Ph (08)95372233. He is perhaps one of the last hand shapers in Perth with a enormous amount of knowledge about local conditions and boards to suit. He will spend a great deal of time discussing exactly what you are after in a surfboard. As for the Pyg the first version I saw was about 15 years ago and from what I can tell was a real goer and the newer version is just as good if not better but more refined. Definatly worth ringing him and having a chat about what you are after. Hope this helps..... Kev
Thanks for all the advice guys!! Im going to see Len Dibben today just because its kind of close. Steve del Rosso and Wilkes are just a bit far south but might have take a trip down there on the weekend and combine the two visits. Anyhow im super keen on getting a board now and talking about it on here is great fun. Only found seabreeze a couple of days ago but its a great spot to find helpfull surfboard knowledge and will be logging on regularly from now on ;)
Went to see Len Dibben today and think i learnt more about surfing in a short half hour chat than i would have ever imagined. It really made me want to get one of his boards and im sure he could custom make me a board perfect for my needs. However, quality has its price and wouldnt have gotten anything under 950-1000 just the board. At my level of surfing that does not really make a lot of sense so i am going to get a second hand board for the moment. Found a 7s superfish which should suit my needs perfectly and hopefully in time when my surfing improves and i know what im talking about ill get a custom board...
g day mate i recently picked up a wilkes pyg 68x 20x3 and im really happy with it . i was actually going to buy a super fish when i spoted it sitting in the second hand rack in like new condition. its way better glassed than the super fish and locally made to boot , goes great in my local smallish conditions, and i recon it would handle bigger surf fine! recommend it!
cRaZy is right on all accounts and JS boards go allright, Ive got a 6,8 and its brilliant in the more powerfull stuff 
(I have no affiliation with them) 
