Hey Guys,
I am tying to figure out if a 70’s style singlefin pintail is the right board for me, and if so, what shapes and characteristics where absolutely necessary for the function of these boards, and which were simply eccentricities driven by the huge amount of experimentation of the 70’s? I have read a million posts with measurements and a few descriptions, but without photos, it difficult to envision the myriad boards during this time.
The surf films of the 70’s style-masters who were all riding these Lightning Bolt type pins hugely influence me, like many others. I am impressed most with the speed, glide, trimming, and footwork. Clearly, this period was at the crossroads of longboarding and shortboarding, which is why it appeals to me so much. I would characterize myself as an advanced longboarder, riding HP longboards ranging in size from 8’-10” to 9’-4”, in surf up to 1.5 x OH. I have a 6’-0” retro fish twin keel I play with on shoulder high days, but it starts to get a little squirmy on anything bigger. Contemporary shortboarding has never interested me; while shorties are hyper-maneuverable, they seem to have lost the soul connected with the glide. Without the speed that stems from the glide, in my opinion, a major sensation of surfing is lost. Below is an image of the surf conditions I encounter here in the Northeast. I also attached an image of the shape of pintail that really interests me. I guess I would like someone in the know, perhaps Bill Barnfield, to offer me a reality check. I’m looking for good rules of thumbs. Having been born in the 70’s, I feel I missed out on the decade that epitomizes the art of surfing.
1) [=1]Would this shape be versatile enough for these types of “non-Hawaiian” waves? Would a fatter sweet spot be better for cruising?
[=Blue][ 3]Aloha crookedfin
Sorry for my delayed response, this thread slipped past before I could respond and then I forgot about it.[/]
Yes, it could be made to accommodate you and your local conditions.
I am not sure what a “sweet spot” is. And therefore a “fatter sweet spot” is even more confusing. If you explain more clearly I will happily comment. Often there are regional ways to describe surfboard features and performance feelings so I don’t mean to sound cocky, I just never used the term sweet spot, nor know what it means when others do. Kind of like “mellow rails”, I don’t know what those are, but from time to time someone requests them. The boards in that era had much less rocker then today, so maybe “sweet spots” were flatter, but not “fatter”.
[/] 2) What was the optimal trim position when paddling back in the day? Was the board mostly submerged? I’m thinking a 7’-8” would be a blast, but how thick-were those pintails?
“Optimal trim position”, you kind of got me here again. Seems the optimal position for paddling would be whatever the volume distribution and rocker in each board would dictate. Your question makes it sound a little like it was more of a social consideration rather then a technical one. I don’t recall there being a 70’s standard for normal paddling. The 70s were pretty creative and things were continually evolving, often rapidly. Normal if it existed, never existed for long. Since the boards were wider and thicker forward they paddled with the rider more forward and the flatter rocker allowed this.
Surfing in the 70s was highly personal as was the equipment. So some rode thinner boards then their weight might have indicated was appropriate. Relative to the board in your photo, similar boards in that era were generally much thicker then boards are today and that thickness was more forward in the boards then today. And the rails were much fuller. Consequentially, most surfers back then used boards that floated higher in the water, but plenty still used thinner boards though rarely as thin as today.
You didn’t say what your height and weight is, so I can’t really comment on how appropriate a 7’8" board would be for you in your waves. Boards in the era you are referencing ranged, on average, from 2 3/4" to 3 1/4" thick, and 18 1/2" to 20" wide depending on the rider.
3) I know the answer is no, but is there a proportional equation/system for nose, sweet spot, and tail that defines these boards?
You are correct, the answer is NO. That would be way too sophisticated for that era and still is today. Not that it doesn’t exist. Just that it is more of a seat of the pants art, and not a mathematical formula that can easily be handed over to someone.
4) What type of rails and bottom contours worked the best back in those days? What worked well in bumpy conditions vs. clean?
I can only speak for myself here. Most of my boards started being flat at the nose growing to a slight vee in the front third increasing toward the tail, maxing in out in front of the front fin and fading out or lessening to the tails tip. The vee panels from the front foot back were usually concaved. If the edges were hard forward I often put a small release panel along the bottom at the rail. Mostly to accommodate the thickness of the lap so that the rail still had release. Choppy conditions usually got more vee, less concave, less flats, more roll.Many of my smaller boards also included a small concave in the front third that fed into the concave vees
5) Beak nose? Were some of these shapes driven by the use of longboard blanks?
Oh Yeah! Plenty of beaks! No, there was no influence from longboard blanks. The common blanks used early on were Brewer’s 8’4" and 7’4", they were super thick and badly twisted. JT (Jim Turner) made a blank later that was a vast improvement. Soon Lopez, Parrish and I all had blanks and things got way easier.
6) Type of nose kick?
Gradual curves with little to no flip in the tip. Hence the existence of the beak. Lopez often put a slight flip in the last couple of inches that allowed his boards to have thinner noses and less to zero beak.
7) Does anyone know a good shaper on the East Coast who has solid experience with these shapes? I have heard Tim Nolte tossed around, thoughts on this?
I am sure there are some. It just depends on how “Classic” you want yours to be.
8) Did anyone use or make these on the East Coast during that timeframe?
Good bad or otherwise, these types of boards were made all around the world.
Good luck!
Cheers,
J
