Specifically tuberiding and noseriding. Does a squash or pintail make a major difference?
I have two 10’0" longboards that I’ve made, one with squared tail,super hard edge last 12" and one with a pin,softer rail last 12". The pin noserides better, but that may have to do with the softer rail. I turned around backwards one time to see what was happening and the softer rail was letting water wrap around, presumably holding the back end into the water. But then again, I ain’t no ex-spurt. An ex is a has been and a spurt is a drip under pressure. Ride on!!
methinks that tube riding is mainly a straight line activity for most of us, and the pin would be adequate, but …
How wide a pin, how long a board? No single parameter functions alone.
After being exclusively a pin-tail for tubes man, I’m finally formalizing my thoughts on this. In my opinion, pintails get back further back in the tube because the tail sits better on a steep face, and it’s not being pressured as much as a squash. I’ve been thinking of it resembling a watermelon seed being squeezed: a wider squash gets squeezed out more and seems to outrun a steep section and outrun the tube. That’s the surprising conclusion I have reached, that my beloved pintails sit back in the tube 'because they’re actually SLOWER. My squashes all outrun the tube, whereas the pins sit back there contently. On a fast hollow perfectly peeling wave I’ll happily go with the pintails. But now on a sectiony break I’ll go with the squashes to be able to accelerate through the sections and still post up in the tube for stretches.
In it’s raw basics, Pintails carry less volume being pulled in, and therefore let the tail to sink deeper into the wave face. On a steep hollow wave this is a critical element, but they don’t give as much release out the tail as a true Squash tails. Squash tails give you a hard corner to drive off of, but the extra volume in the tail makes a steep hollow wave feel like the rear wants to slip out. I think thats why you see so many baby squashes around, it’s kind of a compromise. You don’t see many guns with squashes, sometimes a dimond tail or a tiny baby squash. And inverse you don’t see many small wave 5’10" boards with pintails for mushy waves…As for nose riding, I don’t think it matters, Nose riding depends on the rider skill set. I was surfing Popotla 2 week ago picking up some of that south swell, and there was a guy nose riding (cheater 5) a 6’4" short board, needless to say he was a good surfer.
-Jay
Yeah what resinhead wrote is pretty much the jist of it. I used to be a hardcore squashtail guy and even had a baby squash on my semiguns. Surfing Laniakea alot you find the limitations of your equipment rather quickly when its overhead. Nursing turns when you want to power through i found myself switching to roundpins for the extra control in the pocket. Really holds in tight snaps and turns in the power sections of the wave. Tried my 6’8" Roundpin in weak town waves and it was horrible…the pulled in hip and reduced tail area sucked in weaker waves.
quick answer…
in steep critical conditions its all about control…tubing waves simply have more water moving faster up the face…pintails offer a bit (to significant) more control