I am going to have a 8 foot board made, something for bigger surf in the 8-12 foot face range, and maybe 15 foot if Swamis hits that mark next winter and I have the guts to paddle out. I want something that is fast and manueverable (sp?). I currently have a 6,7 squash, similar to a Rusty shape, that is perfect. It stays on a rail, sticks to a steep wall, and can turn on a dime. My 7,6 pintail, on the other hand, is very difficult to turn. It has a wider nose than most gunny shapes, so I know that is part of the problem, but I like the width in the nose because it helps me get into the wave early. But I think the pintail is making it very difficult to turn. It’s great down the line and in the barrel, but it needs a lot of wave to make the full cutback, and snaps are out of the question. The turning radius reminds me of a sixties Cadillac. Is that normal for a pin tail? What would be the difference between an eight foot squash and an eight foot pintail? Keep in mind I want it about 13.5 inches in the nose, about 21.5 wide, and a 13.5 inch tail, three inches thick. Tri-fin for sure. Oh, and the board will be almost excluseively for Swamis and Rincon in the winter, and then Cottons in the summer if the waves get big enough. Any suggestions?
How about a little V in the mid to back section of the board
MIKE- TRY A ROUND TAIL THAT IS SLIGHTLY PULLED IN- A DIAMOND TAIL WILL GIVE YOU SIMILAR RESULTS. THIS PAST WINTER I SHAPED MYSELF A 9 FT FULL PINTAIL GUN- GOT TO USE IT TOO, AND AFTER ALL THE SESSIONS I HAD ON IT, I RETHUNK AND MADE AN 8 FT SWALLOW TAIL. THE 8 FTR IS WAY EASIER TO TURN, BUT STILL REQUIRES A PRETTY GOOD SIZE WAVE. I LUV MY QUIVER[smile] GOOD LUCK! - SHAPER- OUT-
OH- A SLIGHTLY PULLED SQUASH WILL DEFINTELY BE EASIER TO MANUVER. MAYBE SEE YOU OUT THERE WINTER COMING. PRAY FOR SUMMER TO SPIN BY SO WE CAN START GETTIN SOME SOLID NW!
What about asymmetric? Normal pintail for down the line and a little shorter and/or more curve on the other side for turning. Don’t let symmetry cloud your mind. -Rob Olliges
IMHO, if your 7’6 pintail is hard to turn, it’s not just the tail shape, but probably problems with the rocker/fin setup. My favorite board is an 8 foot swallowtail, the thing just loves late drops, steep faces and big waves. If not that you can try a rounded pin, I have a 7’10 Hamilton that is just sweet. Just remember the tail shape is just one small element. There are great pintail boards and horrible ones, the same for any other tail shape. What matters is getting all of the elements to work together…
Hey Mike, I might be stepping out on a limb by saying this, but your tail shape shouldn’t affect the board’s performance to the degree you’re describing. It’s true that you might notice a slight difference in the way the board turns (i.e. turning radius), but the tail shape shouldn’t hinder performance at all. I would be more concerned with the board’s rocker, rails, and fin/fin position. With those elements in balance, the 7’6 pintail should be ripping.
Mike, One of my favorite San Diego Winter boards is a 9’0" x 21/1/2 x 2 7/8. 12 1/2 nose 13 tail. Shaped out of a 9’2"R its waist is a little pulled back from the middle and best of all it’s a baby squash tail. I set it up with a tri fin C5 not a 2+1. The C5 moves my sweet spot forward so the board rides shorter, but still has tons of drive in moderate to heavy surf while being frisky enough in sholder high stuff. I glassed it with 2x6, 1x6 with a 4oz stomp. Size really doesn’t matter, it’s all in the shape? or at least that’s what she said?
hello everyone, i’m new here but sometimes post on surfline’s community under this name. but basically i don’t think tail shape matters, everything else does. i have 2 rounded pins (6’ 9" hp hybrid and 7’ 10" egg) they both turn fine, my 7’ 4" gun has a diamond tail and it turns fine too. i would in particular expect the egg and gun to turn well as they are designed by legends Takayama and Wayne Lynch respectively. apologies if this is obvious to everyone but the longer the board the further up the fins should be, so thats just one thing that might have gone wrong, how about posting the fin positions on your 7’ 6" Mike for everyone to comment on? and now for a question, i’ve thought for a long time that a pintail likes its fins a little further up than say a squash or swallow board of the same length? my rounded pin egg does cut backs beyond my expectations and i’ve even been able to get it to do the climb up onto the whitewater and slide the tail a little type cutback on occassions, it has its fins set one inch further up than what might be considered normal (based on measurements quoted on surfline.com’s anatomy of a surfboard article)
Squash tails turn a little bit more abruptly. Round tails are a bit smoother turning. Pintails are smooth and tend to draw things out. Swallows are abrupt, even more than squashes, but tend to to hold well for their width because of the twin pin and the reduction of area directly behind the center fin. But what everyone seems to be saying is that the fins, tail width and rocker are more important. I’d have to agree.
I’m also wondering if my foot placement has much to do with it. Even though I don’t like traction pads, I’m thinking maybe it would help for foot placement. Whadayathink?
hello again, I’m surprised that no one has agreed or disagreed with my suggestion that pintails like their fins placed a little further up. I don’t have any opinions on which shape is smoother or more abrupt but would suggest that by placing the fins further up on a pin then turning radius would not be more drawn out as demonstrated by my egg.
Hello Mike, lets make a start with comparing boards, I’ve been lucky enough to use my 7’ 4" gun twice this week at a spot in California that has been focusing the SW swell rather well. nothing huge but some DOH on takeoff peak, although the wall was smaller. I can positively state that this board turns well and will hotdog. I’ve just measure the fins, the rear is 3 3/4" up from tail. the side fins are 12 1/2" up from tail. the fins are old fcs G-5. the nose is narrow however and so is the diamond tail, it is 18 1/2" wide. How do the fins compare with yours? regarding tail patches, IMHO the feet of a competent surfer (and you are competent if you are considering 15’ swamis) always searches for the best spot on the board. I took a little time out from just enjoying the waves some time ago and noticed that particularly on my retro hybrid that my feet would continuously shift around making little adjustments while surfing - but maybe i’ve got a fidgety style!) adding a deck patch, particularly the type with a kicktail or centre ridge just confuses things on a longer board. As a bit of background info I am a very ordinary surfer.
I think it’s the rider who decides where they like their fins placed. There’s more factors at work than just tail shape, so I don’t think that’s a true statement. Besides all the obvious board and fin design elements, the type of waves being surfed will also have a say as to where the sweet spot is for a fin.