I’m interrested in building a hybrid shortboard with a deep swallow tail, inspirated in the Arc-Swallowtail Quad Fish from mandala.
I’ve readen things saying that a deep swallow will flex in tight turns, increasing rocker thus shortening the turning arc of the board, and even increasing release.
This effect will be desirable because my board will have a fairly wide tail, and I already have made a mini-simmons (my first craft) and its a blast, so much speed down the line, but don’t turn that easy… So I was searching for something that will be fast, but will turn better.
The board will be 5’8’’ x 20,5" x 2,5’’ with tail rocker 2 1/4" and nose rocker 4 1/2" .
The fin placement is not fully defined yet, but yes, I’m planning to put the trailing edge of my back fin a little closer to the back of the board than the swallow’s ending notch. The guy from mandala do it, maybe so the fin cluster dont get too foward due the deep swallow (and I think its looks nice…)
My doubt is if the board will work well, since I dont see those design elements out there very much
Tail flex requires different construction not just a template change. But you can improve turning other ways…fin size and shape, placement, cant and toe in to name a few just in the fin arena.
I do think they would, amount and how much snap back depending on glassing schedule and to some extent how much you thinned the foam and for how far forward. That’s what Pendervais does basically, takes a bunch of the foam out and then back fills with something more bendy that you can put your foot on.
And feeling unglassed, shaped blanks it is obvious that most of the stiffness and “snap back” comes from the glass. Plus (I think) doesn’t the shape of the rail have a fairly large effect, round or elliptical stiffer than square
Tim Bowler of Shapes and Hulls been doing flex tails for years. He has had some boards in Mollusk shops in recent times. Construction similar to a Greenough Kneelo.
