Another Tail Shape Question for Dale or Anyone Else

Dale, since you’re the “belly board,” man I thought you might have done your own research on something like this. Of course, anyone else please give input. Along the the line of the “Tail Shape for Fish…” thread: For this shortboard I’m shaping now (6’6") I’m considering/trying a body-board influenced tail shape. It’s almost like a swallow tail, but is more like the crescent-shaped tail of a body board, without the deep “V”. So it’s more of an arch with points at the corners. I think I saw this tail shape in a mag and I’ve never seen this on any board in a shop or in the water. I was just wondering if anyone can tell me what kind of performance I can expect from this tail shape. I figured it could hold in the pocket like a body board due to the resistance it might create with water flow, but the pointed corners might help it be very responsive in turns. This whole thing is an experiment for me, so any input is appreciated. Additionally, I’m already having trouble getting the “arch” shaped the way I want it. Any tips? For your reference, I’m using the 6’7" R blank and made a pretty full outline compared to what I’ve seen. Right now it’s 6’6"x20x2.25. Will this work? This is my first shortboard, so don’t laugh.[smile]

Lots of guys “dish out” the swallow tails deck side because it is difficult to get a nice convex trasitioning butt crack. So just dish out the deck side of the crescent tail you are shaping. Just as in all other aspects of shaping, start with an even and symmetrical area (this case the tail). Don’t even begin until you have a symmetrical outline (tail outline), it won’t come out later. Draw the crescent outline. Then draw the deckside crescent and make it a tighter ellipse that spans the tip to tip of the outline crecsent. Scoop the foam out with a small soft pad and grinder set-up(only if you trust yourself with power tools! Or you can widdle away at it with a slightly warped board and sandpaper set-up. Use a fine chisel at the stinger as it will keep surfacing as you dish the section. *****TIP. Bring down the string well bellow foam level and sand until you get to the stringer. Poor and starving over here Deeb, how about a Taco Bell taco for the tip. “Will work for food in S. Cali, Pally”

deeb-- i’ve seen some of xanadu’s more recent boards with this type of tail. i’m sure it will work. plus, it looks freakin’ cool. i’d say go for it. kirk

I forgot, it will work. It will “squirt” along good if you keep the tail kinda wide, but it may not really swuirt as much as a wide squash or a square, because the water is not harnessed as long–being that the water is release sooner in the crescent area. Try surfing it like a fish. Unlike what most people think, a fish does have to be quickly pumped like a twin fin too. Of course fishes tend to be wide so you have surface area to help glide speed. THe control cornes on a fish are deep and for a reason, they dig in for control and pivoting. How shallow crescent points will work with what you are trying to achieve is a bit of a mystery–the fun part about taking a board for it’s first run!!! That stoke from the first wave…I can almost guarantee it will be a fun maneuverable board. Drop in backside in a hollow wave and before you have time to get to the bottom the wave will say, "Grab the rail and do an allegator crouch hidden dragon crouching tige rail grab and tuck into the tube!!!Bsically, go for it Deeb. Crouch lower than Joey Burran has ever crouched, but you still won’t be knee-boarding. No offense to those that aren’t upright sapiens.

Dale, since you’re the “belly board,” man I thought you might > have done your own research on something like this. Of course, anyone else > please give input. Along the the line of the “Tail Shape for > Fish…” thread:>>> For this shortboard I’m shaping now (6’6") I’m considering/trying a > body-board influenced tail shape. It’s almost like a swallow tail, but is > more like the crescent-shaped tail of a body board, without the deep > “V”. So it’s more of an arch with points at the corners.>>> I think I saw this tail shape in a mag and I’ve never seen this on any > board in a shop or in the water. I was just wondering if anyone can tell > me what kind of performance I can expect from this tail shape. I figured > it could hold in the pocket like a body board due to the resistance it > might create with water flow, but the pointed corners might help it be > very responsive in turns. This whole thing is an experiment for me, so any > input is appreciated. Additionally, I’m already having trouble getting the > “arch” shaped the way I want it. Any tips?>>> For your reference, I’m using the 6’7" R blank and made a pretty full > outline compared to what I’ve seen. Right now it’s 6’6"x20x2.25. Will > this work? This is my first shortboard, so don’t laugh.[smile] Deeb, have you seen the Surftech 5’6 fish? I think this tail design may be similiar to what your talking about. It’s a swallow tail without the deep V, it’s more of a rounded V. I’ve seen guy’s surfing this board and it looks super fast as a twin setup. Another interesting tail design is what Will Jobson put’s on some of his twinzer’s; a bat tail. Similiar to the bat tailed bodyboards I’ve seen, obviously smaller. He incorporates some bottom concaves into the bat tail. He explained how it all worked to me but it went right over my head. These guy’s with the engineering backgrounds seem to come up with some great ideas, they seem to have a better understanding of water flow concepts. Greenough, Simmons, Solomonson, etc. See ya-ryan

My two cents. I’ve surfed a hand full of times at Point Arena from head high to quite large and every time the same old cat paddles out with the same old board – a 7’?" five fin with the tail cheg describes. It looks like a crescent shaped into the tail of the board (*bat wing?). Well for what it’s worth…this guy always rips and is always moving really fast. One early morning in December, two years ago, I was gauging the surf from the end of the pier (it was BURLY), and as aformetioned ripper was doing a presurf yoga routine I asked him what his board was called. He said “the hook – cause that’s where it keeps me!” Overall the outline was just like my 7’4" Lopez in the board archive, except on his board there was a crescent in the tail. It couldn’t have been any more than 7" point to point – and as I said it was a five fin, not quite a bonzer but a twinser with a stabilizing fin.