Starting from the tail:
7/8".......@ the end........3/8" @ 12"........1/8" @ 24"
The rocker gradually curves from nose getting progressively straighter to tail without any dead flat spots.
The Lis "blueprint" linked earlier gives rocker as zero @ tail gradually increasing as move toward nose w/ max at nose.
Are these different ways of decribing/measuring identical rocker or are they distributed differently?
I'm trying to mentally reference this to boards I used to ride that I would describe as the Lis blueprint descrition i.e. like a French Curve with the straightest part at the tail (acutally went to totally flat for last 4-6 inches)
The Lis Fish rocker, as noted on those '77 "blueprints" is 0" to 3-1/4", tail to nose .... a good 2' of the tail forward is flat ...
The rocker gradually curves from nose getting progressively straighter to tail without any dead flat spots.
I'm thinking now. Maybe what Bud meant (Bud, you there?) was that you throw the board on the racks and put straight edge on it so that the straight edge is level and touching at midpoint of board and you should end up in that case with 7/8 inch from tail tip to straight edge and 4 inches from nose tip to straight edge? The bubble leveled straight edge at center of board gives you standard reference point and makes all measurments comparable. You could slide board around on racks so that the leveled straight touched at the tail and get total rocker measured the same and be able to visualize the way the curve lays out but it would be much harder to set up and hold the straight edge...
Somebody correct me if I am wrong about this French Curve (parabolic) rocker (most curvy in nose, least/flatest curve in tail) being the fastest vs having least curvature somewhere in the middle of the board and more curvy rocker both in nose and tail? Also requires quite a different use of body/weight shifts when ridden between these two ways of putting in rocker???
Note:
I measured the rocker of a 5' 8" Steve Lis board that was built in 1978.
If you extrapolate the curve of a 5'5" to a 5'8" then it figures to have more.
I'm sure there is some variation to many of these types of boards Steve shapes.
I haven't done tnis for my 5'5" but I bet it isn't exctly the same as the blue print.
I've went through several 5'5" Lis fish and none were identical.
One was better than the others.........wish I'd kept it.
REALLY wish I'd brought it along when I traveled through the South Pacific and Indo in 78.
There were lots of Lis Fish dimensional variations - some by choice, some by chance. For my typically local waves, a bit more nose rocker and keeping that rockerless tail would probably be a good compromise for late drops and speed in the flats to make the crumbling sections ... but even that's nitpicking, IMO. The symetrical keel fins should provide goodly amounts of drive. And it'll take experimenting with more than one Fish to come up with a set of dimensions that'll work best for a particular wave and surf venue. IMO.
I do remember a lot of the old days riding fish boards.
The first one I had was shaped by Steve Boehene of Infinity.
I had them make it with 50 / 50 rails in the nose. They were making them with hard down rails back then and I thought that would make them pearl easy. I was right.
The infinity was pretty good and could be surfed well in junk surf. It wasn't an attempt to copy a Lis fish. It had a shallower swallow tail, more curve in the outline, and the fins were smaller, asymetrical with fairly strong angles. 5'4" X 21".
I went through a few "Lis" type boards and only 2 of those boards worked well. One was shaped by Dave Hill of San Clementy a "majic" board for the time and places I surfed most...........73-77............Calif. border to Cayucos.
The Steve Boehene and the Dave Hill shapes were instrumental in my evolution as a surfer and shaper.
All but 1 of my real Lis fish were good boards.
That 1, a 5' 10" was an absolute DOG.
Shapers are only human.
I moved from Santa Cruz County to Santa Monica Canyon ('79-'84). I found that my 5'2" tri fins with 12" flex fin didn't fit many of the waves I found in SoCal. So I had John/Freeline cut me a 5'5" fish which absolutely ripped in the weaker, SoCal surf.
I rode that beauty in everything from daily Topanga to 8'-10' winter Rincon to 18+ Ship Wreaks at the tip of Baja. Although having to ride differently than my single fin likes dictated, the Fish was a valuable tool for a KBer who wanted to be able to handle all conditions.
I had them make it with 50 / 50 rails in the nose. They were making them with hard down rails back then and I thought that would make them pearl easy. I was right.
I've been thinking along the lines of that, more of a foiled blunt C with the edge tucked so far under it is non-existent and gradually the edge moves lateral until there is enough curve from the rail to make it show up and also to accentuate the under rail bevel a bit. Not any wider but a bit deeper. Maybe make the board a little easier to roll onto an edge at speed...?
My new 5ft 6 in quad Lis fish will be done in the next month or so( glassers in so cal backed up 6 weeks) . Steve said all he rides are quads for years. I will post it in photo's when it's done. I have been riding my dk blue one with the wood keel fin's lately and it's a magic board!!Wish I went a quad on it though it's a bit stiff .Hosey and Clyde Beatty were there this morning and were digging the board and the SURF!!!Another thing I wanted to say is everyone assumes(I think) that Lis is into a retro or old style fish and it isn't so at all. I got the impression he had little interest in making a 1975 fish like is the trend at the moment. Finally , I want to say the fish is a widely misunderstood and very few good fish have been made. Mostly because it's has always been an underground kneeboard design.
Last edited by W.G. Facenda on Wed Aug 18, 2004 7:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
john wrote:... I have been riding my dk blue one with the wood keel fin's lately and it's a magic board!!Wish I went a quad on it though it's a bit stiff...
yeah, they were made in 2002.The light blue one(5ft 8 inch )is made for really large surf.It has really beveled rails in the front third 1/8 inch deep single concave to flat at the fins back and not much curve in the rail in the back half.Also about 2 inches thick.
john,
I'm considering getting a fish made to add a bit of variety to the quiver.
how long would the dark blue one, pictured above, be? 5'6"?
I see from elsewhere here that we are the same age (49);
does it paddle OK for an 'old' bloke?
there's some great info in this thread!
cheers,
andy
Well, I am 6ft 180 lbs and It paddles ok for a 49 yr old! I use duckfeet and I have to stay in decent conditon to ride it.It duck dives real good( a little over 2inches thick). Steve Lis just made me a 5ft 6inch quad fish( at the glasser now) it is 2.5 inches thick i will post a pic when i get it. Once you catch the wave it is plenty of board with the straighter template .It hauls ass and will drive high speed long lines.Really comes into it's own in hollow quality surf.If I didn't have all these fishes from Rich Pavel and Steve Lis I would get some from Buddy his really are impressive! I use to say, " I kneeboard so i can ride a fish in hollow surf".I have been riding my Pavel quad fish alot lately and really liking it!
Are these different ways of decribing/measuring identical rocker or are they distributed differently?
