The surf industry was in a 20 year performance design rut when in '94 and '95 Matt Biolos experimented with multiple variations of fish for himself, Chris Ward and Cory Lopez that became the building blocks for a performance hybrid revolution. The RNF (Round Nose Fish) '96 designs that teenaged Chris and Cory took to the North Shore and made their indelible mark on the surfing universe were featured in the seminal '97 surf film 5’5” X 19 ¼.
The key component of Matt's fish is that they are performance minded inspired by MR’s competitive minded twins of the '70s and '80s with relatively pulled in tails designed to rip, not just small surf but in all sizes and shape of waves. Most fish have been predominantly influenced by wide tailed '70s kneeboards that create speed but have always fallen far short of the peak performance of modern short boards. In the name of great surfing and surfboards Matt has applied the past 25 years of board building to create a better surfboard faithfully based on but not exacting to the 96 RNF versions.
“I’d never before had so many surfers and shapers ask me what are you riding? With diligent testing being done by Kolohe, Coco, Ian Crane, Crosby Cola and other “guests” including myself in the last few months of 2020, we are very confident that the RNF ’96 will perform at and above expectations, as an all-around, rip-able fun machine, for a wide level of surfers.” —Matt Biolos
ⓘ SURFBOARD B-GRADE CONDITION
This board has visible cosmetic scuffs. This does not affect the dynamics or construction of the board at all. See photos for further detail.
Product Info
The surf industry was in a 20 year performance design rut when in '94 and '95 Matt Biolos experimented with multiple variations of fish for himself, Chris Ward and Cory Lopez that became the building blocks for a performance hybrid revolution. The RNF (Round Nose Fish) '96 designs that teenaged Chris and Cory took to the North Shore and made their indelible mark on the surfing universe were featured in the seminal '97 surf film 5’5” X 19 ¼.
The key component of Matt's fish is that they are performance minded inspired by MR’s competitive minded twins of the '70s and '80s with relatively pulled in tails designed to rip, not just small surf but in all sizes and shape of waves. Most fish have been predominantly influenced by wide tailed '70s kneeboards that create speed but have always fallen far short of the peak performance of modern short boards. In the name of great surfing and surfboards Matt has applied the past 25 years of board building to create a better surfboard faithfully based on but not exacting to the 96 RNF versions.
“I’d never before had so many surfers and shapers ask me what are you riding? With diligent testing being done by Kolohe, Coco, Ian Crane, Crosby Cola and other “guests” including myself in the last few months of 2020, we are very confident that the RNF ’96 will perform at and above expectations, as an all-around, rip-able fun machine, for a wide level of surfers.” —Matt Biolos
ⓘ SURFBOARD B-GRADE CONDITION
This board has visible cosmetic scuffs. This does not affect the dynamics or construction of the board at all. See photos for further detail.
Product Details
- Type: Fish
- Dimensions: 5'9" x 20 ⅘" x 2 ⅗"
- Construction: ecoIMPACTO
- Volume: 35.0L
- Tail: Swallow
- Fin Configuration: Thruster
- Fin Plug: Lib Tech FOC-II® compatible fin boxes
- Fits FCS-II®, FCS® Two Tab and Lib RRIPs® fins
- Optimized placement for FCS-II®
- RIPPs® compatible with 5/16 performance adjustability
- Light and tough
- *Fins NOT included
Product Construction
ecoIMPACTO
Mike Olson and Lib Tech's experiMENTAL division applied their 35+ years of hands on board building experience to the task of building a better surfboard. In the process they completely rewrote the book on surfboard construction. Every component they use in their ecoIMPACTO surf construction is completely new to the surf industry. Their Thermo fusion process radically minimizes resin exposure and sanding while creating amazingly durable, environmentally friendly, high performance surf structures that will free your mind and lift your surfing to new heights. Lib Tech knew there had to be a way...
- Nitrogen cell eco up-cycled foam
- Bio-matrix plant based resin
- Magnesium fiber
- G-Glass fiber
- Hexylon thermo-fusion honeycomb power panel
- Carbon power spine
- Lib-Tech leash plug
Additional Info
- Rocker curves: Remain engrained to the original proven curves.
- Outline curves: Both nose and tail were usually the same width at 12” and remain true, but with more precision, including added curve and width around 6” from the tail. One “secret” about the original’s success was that, unlike most all other “fish” the tail width on ours was closer to that of a typical HP Shortboard. This allows much more control off the tail than typical fish designs.
- Bottom Contours: The classic single concave to double concave, accelerating vee combination are defining design elements and hold true to adherence.
- The Thickness Flow, Deckline, Rails, and Tail Foil: They were all over the map in those rudimentary hand shape days. Each board was different, with most of them having noticeably different curves and thickness from one rail to the other.
- Environmentally friendly non ozone depleting Nitrogen blowing agent
- 25-40% Recycled content
- Won’t absorb water if you do get a ding (closed cell)
- Elliptical engineered columnar cells provide toughness top to bottom and elasticity in side impact
- 100% of offcuts and shavings recycled into more foam
- Plant based glycerin chemistry
- Low VOC (shop smells nice)
- Surfs smooth and responsive (High performance)
- Impact resistant and resilient (Lasts a long time)
- High impact and break strength fiber
- Great rebound and memory
- Made to Mike Olson specs, ideal to our process
- Lightweight
- Strong
- Craftsperson friendly
- Smooth riding vibration absorption layer
- Impact and ding resistant
- Tension spread tow carbon fiber
- Rebound energy return
- Perfect flex tuning
- 6061 T6 Aircraft aluminum pins
- Lightweight fiber composite cup
Lib Tech is dedicated to board riding and hands on high tech board building. They have spent a lifetime of surfing, shaping and working with alternative, high performance, environmentally friendly materials and constructions. Traditional surfboard construction has always felt too fragile and the build process is toxic and unhealthy for the planet and craftspeople. Lib Tech knew there had to be a way...
Strong, Light, Waterproof
Strong, Nice and Craftsperson Friendly
Tough & Resilient
Light Weight Strengthener
Strong & Smooth
Dynamic Energy & Long Lasting Flex
Better Basics!
Shipping Surfboards
Call us at 888-546-6176 or 503-738-7888 to learn more about our Surfboard shapes, our opinions on how they ride, or if you need any additional shipping information you can use our contact page.
US Shipping Rates for New & Used Surfboards
| Location | 5'9 and under | 5'10 to 6'10 | 6'11 to 8'0 | ~8'0 and up |
| Lower 48 States | $125 | $210 | $235 | Contact Us |
| Hawaii & Alaska | Contact Us | Contact Us | Contact Us | Contact Us |
Read more about our Shipping Policy.
Returns
If you are not 100% satisfied with your purchase you may return it for a refund, or exchange within 30 days of receiving your order.
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