SJS Custom Quad Fish 7'6 review: a hand-shaped step-up with low volume
Updated 2026-09-20
The SJS Custom Quad Fish is a 7'6 stock step-up, hand-shaped on the Gold Coast of Australia by the shaper behind the SJS label, and it is a board I pull out once the waves start getting good rather than ride every day.
What it is and why I bought it
This is a step-up quad fish, hand-shaped by the SJS shaper on the Gold Coast. It has a pulled-in tail, a pulled-in nose, a fair bit of rocker, and rails refined enough that they are beveled off to the side. SJS boards run low in volume for their size generally, and this one follows that pattern. I ordered it straight off the website, and it was well priced, in the range of about half what some of the better-known brands charge for something comparable. Even at that price, it is hand-shaped in Australia from quality materials, with a double concave running the full length of the board, from the nose right through to the tail.
How it surfed
That full-length double concave is what makes the board feel different from other boards of a similar length. It wants to accelerate and push through the water, and I was genuinely shocked by how refined and fast it felt the first time I rode it at my local point. Despite being low in volume for its size, it still paddles well because it carries enough waterline length to make up for that.
Who it suits and who it does not
A low-volume, hand-shaped step-up quad like this suits someone who wants a refined, fast-feeling board to pull out once conditions turn on, not an everyday paddler. It is not really a board for groveling; it probably can, but that is not what it is built for.
Questions people ask
Who shaped the SJS Custom Quad Fish?
It is hand-shaped by the SJS shaper on the Gold Coast of Australia.
Why does this board paddle well despite being low volume?
It carries enough waterline length to make up for the lower volume relative to its size.
What conditions suit this board?
It is built as a step-up, meant for when the waves start getting good rather than for groveling in small, weak surf.
This one has sold; more on the boards that came and went sits on the quiver hub. For other quad-fin step-ups, see the Vouch Gun and the Simon Shapes Quegg in the current rack. For more on bottom shape and channels, see do surfboard channels even work.