Gear We Take a look at: …Lost’s Puddle Fish in Lib Tech Substance Could Dent Your Quiver

There’s minimal argument more than the point that Matt Biolos appreciates significant-efficiency surfboards. For years he’s shaped sticks for pro’s pros, like Kolohe Andino and Carissa Moore, and served create burgeoning legends like Griffin Colapinto and Caroline Marks with his layout prowess (to fall 1 or 3 names). All while sculpting his art just throughout the San Clemente back alley from Timmy Patterson and other superior-performance gurus of his technology. But Biolos has always been one step ahead, building potato chip magic under the toes of some of the most effective surfers on the earth.  And they get to experience some of Earth’s ideal waves whilst vying for the takeoff spot with only 3 other people out.

But with all that notice paid to the elite, it’s great to know that Biolos thinks of the other 99 per cent of us, far too. Us schmucks just attempting to catch a few at our local as swarms gather all-around that one, teeny, little takeoff. Maybe we get lucky, stroke into a few and fly down the line with a great amount of money of speed we’re not fairly certain what to do with and do a little something form of alright (25 per cent of the time).

This describes my browsing in a nutshell: really all right. And which is why I’m happy Biolos made the Puddle Fish (and I’m quite sure 99 p.c of you will agree with me). I beat the hell out of this overall performance fish to make positive I had it dialed beneath my sprinkly tiny toes: I received classes at smaller, crumbly Trestles then at South LA County’s favored beach front crack, and a few more at a pier or two you have possibly been to as properly. Then, for kicks and a mere $50 bucks, I wrapped it up and delivered it by means of FedEx to Missoula, Montana, wherever I was going to my dentist brother-in-regulation to get function on my choppers. I beat it up on a pair of river waves in Montana and Idaho as the numbness in my mouth wore off (nothing checks content like river currents and sharp rocks). It was quite a great deal a one particular-board quiver: straightforward (I suggest truly straightforward) to paddle, zippy (it is pleasurable for fellas like me to switch) and sturdy.

If you know just about anything at all about Biolos’ operate, you’d know he’s regularly tinkering with his tried out and real designs. From the Driver sequence (which I have owned just one or two in my time) to the Rocket line–adding narrower tails, carbon wraps, volume in the noses, channels frequently finding points to produce new sensations. And you can convey to he commonly enjoys undertaking it: “Basically the new designs are inclined to be relatively spin-offs of one thing I’m riding (and) want additional out of.”

So the Puddle Fish is his hottest tweak of the wave-catching common, the Puddle Jumper–almost a longboard wrapped up in a shorter(ish) board outline. I have paddled the 5’5” Puddle Jumper a lot. It is good for mushy waves. But turns and additional intense maneuvers are accomplished in slow movement on the Jumper. Enter the Puddle Fish, practically a fish outline with a extensive, “inverted” swallowtail. At 6-foot, 190 lbs ., I employed the 5’6” Puddle Fish in comprehensive convenience. The board’s tweaks are rather apparent as opposed to the Jumper: the tail, as pointed out, and a transform in quantity/measurement configuration (the Puddle Jumper went 5’5” with 30.5 liters, the Puddle Fish goes 5’4”, 28.5 liters and comes in equivalent-size increments), and a total release channel in the tail.

The release channel, to me, furnished the most significant distinction. The board paddled like a desire (I could have in all probability employed the 5’4”) but the channels made the board really feel lengthier than its duration (see faster), and a small stiffer, which I appreciated due to the fact I could nonetheless sense flex on bottom turns and this sort of. MB also stated that he removed some of the drift involved with fishy styles but I come to feel like drift is a lot more a operate of a surfer’s aggression and fin placement, which, BTW, the Puddle Fish features a 5 box. So all over again, without boasting much too a great deal, this detail surfed genuinely perfectly for me, was straightforward to change thanks to a narrower define, and get top to base with on occasion. And it however paddled very well when the waves have been s***.

The fin box’s healthy FCS but they’re proprietary to Lib Tech. I hit up Lib’s Mike Olson about that individual function (not utilizing FCS2s) and he reported it was 3-fold: initially is bodyweight. FCS2s are 80 per cent heavier, according to Olson, next, Lib’s containers let for fore and aft adjustment of fins. It is not a whole lot of room to transfer fins (about a 50 %-inch) but you can further tweak your set up and third, the FCS2 containers just do not work with Lib’s manufacturing procedures. I essentially am not a huge enthusiast of the click on system with fins as they are so really hard to get out, I sense like I’m heading to ding the board every time I remove them (and have, on situation).

Yep, ran ‘er as a quad.

Which provides us to materials. Rely me as a screaming, little fanboy of Lib Tech. They’re just one of the number of providers producing the toys we adore in an environmentally-helpful way proper below in the ‘ol U.S. of A. (outside the house of Seattle). Biolos is longtime buddies with Olson and Lib’s Pete Saari and has manufactured his line of Mayhem snowboards by Lib Tech for a when now (which are super entertaining to trip, way too, BTW). “It helps me contend with the bulletproof sector,” Biolos instructed me late previous calendar year. “The bitchin’ thing—and I do not assume Lib Tech will get more than enough credit for this—is that they’re all built in The usa and are considerably a lot more eco-helpful than something out there.”

Accurate, if you have an ounce of enviro-consciousness in that noggin of yours, you can actually truly feel superior riding a Lib Tech board (see additional, listed here). In addition, you are likely to fork out excellent money to (ideally) cut down your quiver a bit, and this thing’ll previous a long time (your young children may well trip it). Despite shipping and delivery it across 50 % the place, beating it up on river rocks, smacking it from a pier on a mistimed backhand turn, it did not present a ton of dress in. There was the minimum glass-crack but seriously, not considerably.

I appreciate boards that simplify my selection and are bombproof. I now journey this fish, a pintail for scary (on celebration) beach front crack, and a longboard for pleasurable when it is six inches and reeling (ha!). So the Puddle Fish could quite a lot be an day to day board. And a damn great a person at that. Bravo Biolos!