thinking out the box.Something different and gets ya thinking
http://www.shapeshiftersurf.com
Those guys have been at the Boardroom the past couple years.
Bear in mind that you still have the same rocker, rails, shape and foil, that you started with ! Just another kind of Kool Aid. Drink up boys.
I remember David Barr when he and Joey Buran were just a couple of groms
Playing in the sand at Tamarack. Both showed a lot of Promise when they were 12 or 13 years old.
The Idea is nothing new I worked with Clinton Surfboards in the 1970s He came out with something like this back then. Clinton closed his shop and went Chiropractor School. Dennis Murphy also worked for Clinton doing glass work before doing his own label. I’m Not sure if this is worthwhile or not But I will say that it looks well made and thought out. But does it really change all that much in a board? guess we would need to get some honest reviews from a few everyday type surfers see if they can feel any performance changes from one tail to the next.
no reason why they can’t make them flexy / longer / more rockered , too …
Hows Wavejet doing ?
interesting concept but you can change a boards performance mnore by changing the fins or moving them a little without having to change the whole tailblock, I would guess the different tail shapes shown make a marginal difference compared with moving fins… imagine the option paralysis:)
Maybe the lady has a replacable tail too.
Yes, marginal, if at all. Repositioning of a fin can, and does make a significant difference, in a boards performance. Your clear thinking, and logical reasoning, will most likely earn you a ‘‘down vote’’ from the ‘‘Kool Aid drinkers’’ that inhabit this forum. Welcome to the club.
I want to like the idea, but I can’t help thinking that its too much.
Either a board works for you or it doesn’t, plus its just more stuff to break /go wrong. Its a good idea, but im guessing that its much less practical in real life to make it worth while.
I understand the logic behind the skeptical reaction, but I would still enjoy hearing from those who have actually tried one.
Actually your wrong here the rocker in the tail is different depending on the tail shape selected, and just as changing fins or their position alters the boards riding characteristics so does changing the tail shape; I can’t say if its marketable but its legitimate, and so is its designer David Barr one of the best surfer/shapers ever. David is the real deal all the way, and his product is too. I can’t say enough good things about him so stop acting like if it wasn’t you it isn’t true. Love to see you in your prime in a heat against David guy has got rocks.
I really like this idea, but I’m a new surfer, so my perspective is much different. This board gives me the ability to test a bunch of tail shapes, in almost perfect isolation (no changes to rail, board length, fins or fin layout, nose, etc), and get a feel for exactly what each one does. Reading is one thing, but actually surfing the differences would be huge. From a learning perspective, I think this would be an awesome tool, especially since rentals around here are all soft tops (or so I’ve gathered), and all my friends surf soft tops as well, so I’m limited in what I can borrow.
It’s certainly a good way to experiment. If anything, you can change tail shape and only tail shape with this, with the wave being the only other variable of course. But surf at a consistent break and you’ll actually get to see if a swallow feels different than a squash.
Certainly it makes some difference. And when combined with a change in the fin setup could make a huge difference. The mindset on shortboards though is to just add another complete board to the quiver.
And yes David Barr always was (and probably is still) a very good surfer who no doubt knows a fair amount about surfboards and design. Yes this is their second year around.
I do like me some kool aide… though I would probably never purchase something like that. It seems a little gimicky, and I’m not a good enough surfer to need it (plus I’m cheap)…
but I wonder,does the shape of the tail not matter?
And by changing the tail shape and length doesn’t that by default change the placement of the fins in relation to it ?
If fin placement is important then can’t some parameters of fin placement be altered by a changable tail?
Add changeable fins to the equation and it becomes a multiplier…
Not your cup of tea ?? Don’t drink the tea…
but why hate on tea drinkers?, or kool aide for that matter…
I wonder what exactly they are sharing? Just the idea?
Nothing is standard from board to board.
Outline, rocker, rail profile, etc, etc,… all different.
David is adding an X2 plug in front of the std FCS plugs, and he’s making fins with forward tabs, in order to keep your fins the same distance from the tail. Didn’t ask him what he does for Futures.
it would be more useful if the tails disconnected in front of the fins, that way you could add flyers, bumps, keep a straight outline and have appropriate fin positions for each tail shape. it could almost even work for a step up & groveller travel board in one.
I love how you guys chalk this up to “kool aid” and how changing the tail shape alone has no effect on performance, and yet this forum has loads of threads dedicated to tail shape theory and what the different shapes do to the way the board releases the water.
http://www.swaylocks.com/groups/tail-shape-design
http://www.swaylocks.com/forums/polling-tail-shape
http://www.swaylocks.com/forums/moontails
http://www.swaylocks.com/groups/mccoy-wide-tails-do-they-work-bigger-waves
To claim that the shape of the boards tail wont effect how water holds, releases and pulls on the board while surfing, paddling and duck-diving is simply either ignorance or arrogance. Some folks are just simply too set in their oldschool ways where every board has to be a squash tail.
Something as simple as keeping the same tail shape, but changing whether or not the edges are sharp or rounded will absolutely have an effect on the ammount of drag the tail creates, which will in turn change the way the board accelerates, its top speed, its projection, its ability to hold speed through turns, its stall points - EVERYTHING