how thick is too thick in the tail

I am making mini simmons and wonder how thick is too thick in th back end.   the tail is 3" just cut out… Why not leave it thick?  

what do you think about making about step deck on tail with a router ?  

Thanks and Aloha

here is the latest… i routed out a step… going to shape lower rail down futher. my hands are kinda small for photo relativity

but my feet are big :) 

what will the thickk tail be like?

 

I am sure a lot of you guys made this kind stuff before, what do you think about fin placement ?

My first couple boards had extra thick tails by accident. They bogged. The tail wouldn’t sink enough while pumping so it made it hard to gain speed. Also if you got going on a wave & went for a hard turn the tail wouldn’t sink enough to really bite into the face. Bottom turns don’t feel solid for the same reason. I like a thicker tail then others cause I’m 6’2, 180lbs & I don’t want my boards to sink in flat spots. On a board 2 3/4" thick I like a tail to be 1 3/4"-2" thick at the 1ft mark. That supports my weight nicely

I’ve had a similar experience. Very floaty tails make it more difficult to control, pump and turn. Even if you’re not sinking the tail on a simmons like you would on a shortboard, it’s still nice to have some thinness to the tail. I have a very wide, short and stubby board with moderate tail volume and it’s fine, but any more tail volume would probably make it worse. The volume in the rest of the shape suffices to keep me moving, especially with the high surface area and flat rocker.

I once saw a guy surfing something like you have. The entire board had a chime rail like that, from nose to tail. It seemed to work fine. The whole board looked a bit thinner than yours but it was so long ago I don’t remember, and I never asked him about it.

well i took your advice…well kinda in a mad sciece kinda way. I thinned the tail when I put in tail rocker.  then i got crazy with the planner and did a kick tail … this should be different for me.  I love differrent. 


what fin set up do yo recomend for this?

Quads

 

Yes… that’s what I was thinking too.  Quad or maybe twinzer.  The two panels on either side of the channel make the 4 fin layout a natural.

with all that planning area in the tail of a mini simms, you can thin them out quite a bit. almost to HPSB thinness.

Newbee sharing some thoughts…  

Cool if you come up with a recipe to another demension of fun surfing.  Taking foam out from the center will help with flex, lift, and control.  I’ve seen a short fun softee mini-mal-ish (I think it was a Morey?) that had a slighty wider channel in the middle with a “V” along the lenght of the rail.  I think the  channel and “V” combo will help take the wide and thick design on rail.  And if it’s the case, then the four fins would complement the design.

The tail kick is definitely against the grain.  But with all the foam thick kick pads around, your design would have it built in.  Anyways, gutsy attempt.  Will have to sneak a surf on it when you’re done :stuck_out_tongue:

cheers!

T

I’ve done a few mini simmons with twin keels that had almost that same outline as yours. They worked great. Soo fast!! Here’s what worked for me. Fins w/ 9" base, 4 3/4" high, set 1 1/2" off rail & 3" up from tail. Single foiled w/ 4 degree cant & 1/8 toe Shaped kinda like a classic gephart fish fin just smaller & longer. Quad would prob work too but getting the right positioning is tough. 


sweet rides

those fins look fun,

how are they on a steep drop?

having no idea if it’ll work or be the worst ever, i think your skateboard-like, kicked tail is interesting and seems a good idea in my head. reality could be a different story, but stoked you’re trying things. eager for more updates and eventually ride report.

 

I’d imagine the point of a wider, floatier board is to avoid steep drops. On mine, which is twin and trailer setup, if it’s steep I just need to grab rail and pray when backside. Frontside seems to be more difficult to not slide out and fall. It usually slides down most of it then hooks up and flies. The wide tail, thick or not, tends to angle the board downwards very quickly as the wave rises up behind you. Easy to get in, but you gotta be quick. Much easier when you’re in early and don’t have to contend with that.

Love the kick tail. I’ve always wanted a board with that. I feel like you could get so much more leverage and control. Your foot has something to push back into, like on a skateboard, and there should be a nice comfy pocket now. I’m a longtime skateboarder so I feel like it’d be very familiar feeling for me. 

Mine’s not a simms, or similar to yours at this point, but it is short, wide and straightish. I run futures T1s at 11" up and the trailer at 3" up. I like it very loose, although they could stand to move back half an inch or so. I’d go with more fin area rather than less with wide tails, but I have no idea with that channel in there how it’ll work. Putting fin boxes in? Experiment. 

from a few years back

How did she go?

Went good but only rode it one time then somebody just had to have it so they bought it from me, so… thats all I know!

that’s sick, i didn’t realize you had a little kick in the tail too! i think about this board often haha.