Lib Tech Puddle Fish Overview

Just in time for summer, Matt Biolos of ...LOST Surfboards and the mad scientists up at Mervin and have teamed up again to bring us the brand new Puddle Fish. First released last summer, the PU version of the Puddle Fish blew up almost overnight for its ability to make even the most sloppy and section-y waves fun. Now, for 2018 the Puddle Fish is available in Lib Tech's more eco-friendly and durable construction. Based mostly on the popular Puddle Jumper, which was hands-down our best selling shortboard of 2015, the Puddle Fish is the faster and generally more fun spin-off.

So what exactly is the difference between the Puddle Jumper and the Puddle Fish?

On paper, the dimensions of the boards are very similar but the Puddle Fish has a few key tweaks that make it a whole different animal. Starting with the overall outline, the Puddle Fish has the wide point of the board moved forward with more foam underneath the chest. This helps to make it an easy paddler and gets into waves earlier. The rail line has also been straightened out the back of the board, with less tail rocker and a wider tail than the Puddle Jumper.

The tail on the Puddle Fish is probably the most unique aspect of the board and what separates it the most from the Puddle Jumper. Shaped with a wide, inverted swallowtail and a pair of channels, this board's tail looks more like a piece of a spaceship than the normal groveler. Usually, a board with a tail so wide and flat is prone to having too much speed and not enough control. Ths is where the inverted swallow helps, as the two points let you easily pivot and really push out the back, while the channels actually focus water flow and give the board more drive. All these adjustments add up to make the Puddle Fish go faster than the Puddle Jumper and better suited for smaller weaker waves as a groveler.

More Fin Choices = More Fun Experimenting

Lib Tech is building all of these Puddle Fishes with 5 fin boxes allowing you to really experiment with the fin set up.

Even better, last year, Lib Tech switched all their boards over to a new fin box system that they’re calling FOC (Freedom of Choice) 2. These fin boxes at first glance look identical to the old one but they now are long enough to accommodate a set of FCS 2 fins giving you way more options. Even with an FCS 2 set in, there's still a little wiggle room if you want to move them forward for a looser feel or further back for drive. You could even get freaky with it and try some asymmetrical adjustments.

These boards look super fun and are being built in a pretty wide size run and we just received our first batch of these boards here at the shop.