I read a lot about concaves and other bottom contours and understood that it’s about generating lift and stuff. So far so good, but what about the bottom contour in the tail area.
Compare two designs:
a …lost RNF (kind of a modern fish) has a vee in the tail, which i understand.
BUT:
a …lost Rocket has a concave running from the middle all the way through the tail, although it has a quite wide tail and one could think that it should be necessary to put some vee in it to help it turn.
Both boards are fishy, wide, short board designs and obviously work great, but i don’t understand why they have contrary tail bottom contours.
would be great to hear some thoughts on this topic.
I find V in the tail definitely helps heavier guys/ wider tail areas give that more rail to rail feel through turns with grovel boards but this can kill speed as well, seems to run well with quads on such boards. Got a grovel board that runs a single all the way from under the chest to out the tail. Really fast but doesn’t have quite as nice on edge feel when leaning it through turns. Guess it’s horses for courses and need to really complement the tail shape and rider. There also seems something magic going on w a subtle double to vee out the back on a slightly bigger board than your performance shortboard, but I guess you do get that rail to rail buzz w a more pulled in tail.
What I’d like to know is when you shape your vee into the tail do you incorporate and blend the angles out into your rocker shape at the rails; so looking at the rocker it’s a nice even curve? Or do you shape the rocker and then the vee in tail which gives a little kick/hip to the rocker shape just behind the fin. Clear as mud? That little hip seems to release nicely in critical turns and tight cutties, but most boards I look at seem to have that vee blended in nicely to the rocker. Must be a bit of an art marrying that up, would like to see cats shape it in.
in small waves and shorter boards, i love full concave through the tail. the ‘rocket’ style board, is meant to be ridden really short and overpowered through turns. the fins being further apart helps too. with more length and narrower tails they still go fast but feel stiffer. vee (for me) is best in good/punchier waves where speed comes easy.