The PuddleFish is an extreme little speed machine. A fast and fishy spin on the ever popular Puddle Jumper. Distinctly shaped with an inverted swallow, set inside a wide square tail, and a speed bleeding, afterburner, release channel exiting the tail. Designed for unadulterated lateral speed in small surf, the PuddleFish sprung forth from an extended flat spell this past summer, and the need for some thing fresh to inspire me to get out there regardless. Beginning with the Puddle Jumper, and retaining its performance defining rocker and spiral vee under the rear foot, I pushed the wide point slightly forward, widened and squared off the tail block and really pulled in/straightened out the hip area of the outline, between the feet. These changes, combined with reducing the depth of the concave through the center of the board (which straightens and flattens the rail rocker under the front foot) all work together to build a more linear speed down the line, across flats and though slop. The inverted swallow, and angular corners of the square tail, reduces surface area behind the rear foot, adding bite and control without sacrificing the extreme drive generated by the straight tail outline and rail rocker. The entire design is wrapped up with the (optional) speed bleeding, “afterburner”, release channel, which sits inside the double concave vee panels and is toed in slightly, to run parallel with the rear quad fin placement. The channel then exits at the apex of the inverted swallow. My goal was to design a board that matches the flat line speed of any alternative “fish” design, without the cumbersome, drifty feeling most of these boards possess, and allow full force, small wave, rail surfing with confidence.
