Well I gave it a go. Been riding lots of what I call “Mini Fish's” that have a Mini Simmons type tail but more of a fish nose. My widths have been in the 22-5/8" to 22-3/4" range but sometimes when trying to turn these wide boards backside I’ve had a hard time getting them on a rail. So it’s seemed quite clear to me that an asymetrical tail is the perfect solution to my backside woes. My idea was NOT to make one side longer than the other and to also have both sides be a quad set-up. I didn’t want a longer and a shorter board peiced together, I wanted one board that turned better backside. In the past I’ve been using the Bruce McKee fin placments but after looking at the numbers on an old G&S quad fish I had I decided to move all 4 fins up. So both front fins are in the same spot at 12" F.T. and 1-1/4" F.R. (this is 1-1/16" farher forward than McKee) The rear fins are a bit different. The backside rear fin is at 6" from tail (15/16th farther up than McKee) and out on the rail like the front fins for a loser more twin fin like feel. The frontside back fin is at 5-1/2" from the tail (7/16 farther up than McKee) and 2-1/4" from the rail (1/2" farther out toward the rail than McKee), a bit farther in and back for a bit more hold under pressure on the toe side. I wanted a board with nothing so drasticlly different that there would be any large noticable differences in drag/direction etc. related to two drastically different fin set-up like a keel v/s a quad set up. I realize they are basicalll about the same area but prehaps even mentally I didn’t want to go too far “out there” yet, ha ha. I wanted the shape to deal with the problem more than the fins I guess. I also made a soft edge on the backside tail edge and a more contemporary sharp edge on the frontside tail edge. Shape is a simple bellied entry, flat middle with a deep single convave (as wide as the width between the back two fins) that bends out about mid board. I have been riding it with great sucsess and even took it out during the past huricain south swell in some solid double over head beach break with rides that were perdominatly backside and I was very happy with this sweet little rocketship of love!! A true speed racer. I call it “The What?”.
I love that. You had better report back with a ride report. Don’t make me come over there. ha
all the best
My fascination began with asymmetrical boards when I saw one come into the shop i work at. Unfortunately it was made for a regular footer. However, it did get me thinking. When I finally decided to shape my first board, I had hundreds of styles to choose from. I wanted to do something fun and something different. So I decided to make an asymmetric shortboard for a goofy footer.
- The first board I ever shaped. This 4'11" purple beast. Differs from Ekstrom's design theories---> Fin placement is backwards, asymmetrical nose also. Two Fins Toe side and Single fin Heel Side. However, i have found this board to be excellent as a TWIN Fin with Futures Sea Shephard Keel Fins (no 3rd Fin Needed). The rails are super boxy, making the "Purple Nurple" a small mush wave slaughter house. Cutbacks are electric on this board and snaps are super fun. When I am planing it feels like I am downhilling on a skateboard without the speed wobbles. It's a little tough to dig in the rails on faster-hollower pitching waves. I tend to get rocked on those. Also those days where rogue cleanup sets come through... don't get caught on the inside with this much foam. The Overall Dimensions is 4'11" x 20.5" x 2.75" (2.75 is all the way to the rails). It's a super strong board.
- Second Asymmetric board I shaped was this white 5'6" x 22.5 x 2.75"?- This monster was conceived to become a more manueverable version of a mini simmons. I tried with Keels and TT1 (MR TX Size Rail Fins) and found it to skate the best with the TT1's. Catch as many waves as a longboarder but still be able to carve sharply and skate like a shortboarder. Perfect for Fish style surfspots. I haven't ridden this board as much as the Purple one because it's just too much volume. More board then I care to control. It would be excellent for anybody weighing more than 200 lbs.
https://swaylocks7stage.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/PurpleNurple.jpeg
I agree. I feel like my boards perform better with more fin area for planing surface.
Two fins on longer side, and one fin on shorter (backside side). I like my asymmetrical most as a twin fin though.
I’m working on an asymm at the moment. The concept I’m going off is that you need a straighter longer rail on toeside and shorter curved rail on your heelside. I got the guts to do it when I tried a 5 fin with two fins in quad position on the toeside and only one in the thruster point on the heelside. The concept is similar for asymmetricals but the fins are swapped and the tail shapes are different so feeling is just more exaggerated. I would definitely recommend testing the fin setup on a 5-fin if you’re a bit on the fence.
For more info, try googling Ryan Burch
This was the concept described to my by Carl Ekstrom, in late 1962/63, before he actually built one. Called it a hook tail then, because of the way the two rail lines were joined at the tail. They were already being produced in Oz, and I saw one in 1963, on the North Shore. Basically a gun rail on toeside, and pig rail on the other.