LOST Pisces Surfboard: The Ultimate Performance Fish for Every Surfer

It grew straight out of the RNF 96, with a refined rocker, a deeper concave, a mellow wing, and a 5-fin box so you can ride it as a quad, twin, twin + 1 stabilizer, twin + 2, or thruster. It comes in two constructions, PU and BlackSheep, and each one feels different under your feet. Below we cover who it fits, who it does not, how to pick a construction and a size, and what riders say after time on it.

Key Takeaways

Is the Lost Pisces a Good Surfboard?

For the everyday surfer it is aimed at, yes. The Pisces solves a common problem: your normal shortboard feels slow and sticky on average days, but a full fish or a longer board gives up the sharp turning you want when a good one comes through. The Pisces sits right in the middle. You get the early paddle and easy wave count of a fish with turning that keeps an intermediate or advanced surfer engaged.

On The Surfing Show, reviewer Noel Salas put the Pisces through a wide range of conditions and rated it his top all-around pick among hybrid-outline boards, pointing to how versatile the five-fin box makes it. His episode also folds in several other riders' takes, not just his own. The light, springy, reactive feel he describes comes from the BlackSheep version's stringerless EPS core and single-layer carbon fiber deck wrap, so keep that in mind if you are weighing it against the PU version. What riders tell us on the floor is the same: it is the board they end up grabbing most days.

How Did This Board Evolve from the RNF 96?

The Pisces grew straight out of the Round Nose Fish '96, keeping what riders loved and sharpening the parts that matter when you want to turn harder. Lost Surfboards refined it over about three years into something quicker and more precise. Matt Biolos, the shaper behind Lost, put the thinking simply:

That work turned into the Pisces, a board that keeps what people love about the RNF 96 and sharpens the parts that matter when you want to turn harder.

What Design Features Set This Board Apart?

What the shape actually does

This is a deliberate design, and each change has a job. Here is what makes it different, and what you feel because of it:

1. Refined rocker profile: A more pulled-in nose with added rocker up front and a flatter section between the feet, for more speed and better control on the face.
2. Advanced concave design: A deeper concave through the mid-section and more curve in the rail-line rocker under the rear foot, for lift and quicker, tighter turns.
3. Innovative wing placement: A mellow wing lined up to work with the front fins, which tightens your turning arc without killing drive.
4. Optimized tail design: Extra vee into the swallow tips for better control on tighter turns.

Complete dimension chart

Here is the full range of sizes for the Pisces, so you can start narrowing down your match:

Not sure which line to read across? Height, your everyday waves, and how long you have been surfing all factor in, and it is not just about weight. Read a few rider reviews, then contact us and we will help you land on the right size.

What Fin Setup Works Best?

The Pisces comes with a 5-fin box, so one board covers several different rides. Here is where each setup shines:

Quad: The setup most riders start with. It gives you speed, drive, and quick direction changes. Good for:

• Punchy beach breaks
• Hollow reef waves
• Surfers who want speed and fast rail-to-rail changes

Twin + 1 stabilizer: The classic fish feel with a little more control. Good for:

• Smaller, weaker waves
• Surfers who want a looser, more playful ride

Thruster: For more control when the surf gets serious. Gives you:

• More hold in bigger surf
• More predictable turns in powerful waves

Twin: For maximum speed and flow. Best in:

• Small to medium, clean waves
• When you want to lean into the true fish heritage of the shape

Which fins to actually put in the box is a personal call. The point of the 5-fin box is that you do not have to decide once and live with it. Change the setup as your surfing and your local waves change.

What riders actually run in the box varies, which is the whole point of the five-box. Noel Salas rode the Pisces as a quad, as a twin-plus-one (a pivot twin with a premium carbon trailer), and as a pair of high-performance twins with no stabilizer. His read: the twin-plus-one is where most people should start, because the bigger side fin gives the board drive while the small trailer gives you something to pivot off and get up to the top of the wave. The quad, he said, releases at the top of a turn and carries exceptional speed, and the high-performance twins were a step up in fun, with the board only breaking loose in the tail when he wanted it to. Ian MacPherson compared a thruster with large Neutrals against a twin-plus-one and came away preferring the twin-plus-one, which he said gave the board a freedom the thruster lacked, especially on his forehand. The pattern is the same one the shape points to: match the setup to your waves and your style, and change it when either one changes.

Which Construction Should You Choose: PU or BlackSheep?

PU (polyurethane) is the traditional build. It gives you:

• A familiar, predictable flex most surfers already know
• Solid durability for everyday use
• The easiest path to a repair if you ding it

BlackSheep is Lost's lighter, livelier build, an EPS core with a carbon fiber deck wrap. It gives you:

• A lighter board that is quicker to react, especially in smaller surf
• A springy, "alive" feel out of turns
• Strong resistance to heel dents and delamination

Matt Biolos, walked through the BlackSheep build over a video call — Matt in California, David at Hawaiian South Shore. The deck and rails are wrapped in a single layer of tri-directional carbon fiber: threads running nose to tail, plus two more sets angled at 45 degrees each way, so there are no right angles where a board tends to crease. The carbon stays on the deck only. Biolos said they stop it right at the rail edge on purpose, because wrapping it onto the bottom would create a stiff C-shape; keeping it to the deck lets the board flex and twist instead of feeling stiff, and keeps it forgiving underfoot. The carbon is a non-crimp weave, which means the fibers lay flat instead of bending over and under each other, so it holds less resin and lets them build a board that is both lighter and stronger. Underneath sits a 1.5-pound EPS core, with two layers of four-ounce fiberglass on the bottom and a fiberglass-carbon-fiberglass layup on the deck. He even offered a theory on why it feels planted: the 45-degree carbon angles carry the pressure from your heel and toes outward toward a wider stretch of rail, which he believes gives you more control of your rail line.

Surf coach Chase adds a different read. He found that BlackSheep has none of the negative traits people associate with epoxy boards: it has real flex and drives hard out of the bottom turn. Coaching at the Ala Moana contest, he noticed the kids riding BlackSheep boards were surfing more lively. That is a rare vantage point, a coach watching how a construction changes performance across a group of riders in a contest rather than one board on one day.

If you want the classic feel and the simplest repairs, go PU. If you want the lightest, most reactive version of the shape and a board that shrugs off heel dents, go BlackSheep. Neither is wrong. It comes down to the feel you like.

Who Is This Board Built For?

The strength of the Pisces is its range. It fits you if you are:

• An intermediate surfer ready to step up from a wider, more forgiving board
• An advanced surfer who wants a reliable daily driver for average days
• Someone who surfs a mix of conditions, from soft small waves up to head-high

The extra volume over a standard shortboard means easier paddling and more waves caught, and the performance shape keeps things fun when the waves get good. Because it turns like a shortboard, it is a board you grow into, not out of. Many owners keep it for years and just change the fins as their surfing changes.

Who This Board Is Not For

No board is right for everyone. The Pisces is not the call if:

• You are a beginner still learning to stand up. This is a performance shape. It rewards surfers who can already read waves and link turns. A wider, more stable board will serve you better while you build the basics, and you can move to the Pisces later.
• You mainly surf big, heavy reef waves. The outline and volume are tuned for small to medium waves. On solid, powerful days, a shortboard or step-up gives you better hold and control.
• You want an easier, more forgiving board. The Pisces is a performance fish built to turn hard. That does not mean it is experts-only — plenty of newer surfers want exactly this board and grow into it. But if you want something a little easier to ride, the RNF 96 is the easier of the two, and the Pisces is the next evolution of the shortboard from it. Not sure which fits you? Ask us.

The Lost difference

What stands behind this board is the depth of refinement in it. Lost Surfboards has shaped high-performance surfboards for decades, and the Pisces is the result of years of testing, rider feedback, and refining the RNF 96 platform.

Ready to Find Yours?

The Pisces earns its spot in the rack because it is the board you will actually grab most days. It paddles in early, carries speed through the flat spots, and turns with enough bite to keep an intermediate or advanced surfer engaged. If you have been after one board that covers your everyday sessions without giving up performance, this is a strong pick.

Come see us at 320 Ward Avenue in Honolulu, shop the Pisces online, or contact us and we will help you dial in the right size and construction.

What Do Riders Say About the Pisces?

The Pisces has been independently reviewed by professional surfers, surf coaches, and dedicated reviewers across multiple countries. Below are standout takes from riders who have tested the board in real conditions, from small summer beach breaks to hurricane swells.

What Do Verified Buyers Say?

Lost Pisces FAQ

Read more:

Black Sheep Carbon Fiber Construction from Lost

Lost Surfboards: The Legacy of Innovation

The History, Current State, and Future of Polyurethane/Polyester (PU) Surfboards