What kinda tail do you prefer? (future NSFW?)

[GheePup]

I am partial to round pins these days (well ever since I got on one 7 years ago). They seem to handle steep drops to bottom turn really well and hold tight in the pocket nicely. Hollow or big or both = pin to round pin. Not great for making it through mushy sections but that is what other parts of the board are for. Own 3 round to semi-round pins.

The squash seems to do everything. Its a good all around tail but does not stand out at any one thing. Stomach to foot or two overhead seem to be the most fun on my squashes. Own 2 squash and have riden a lot of squash tails.

Swallows...don't quite know what to make of the swallow tail. Seems like they come in two varieties. Wide tail fish swallow and narrow tail with a V cut out of it. I have a vintage twin fish that falls somewhere inbetween but it works great. Very skatey feel but I wouldn't want to take it out at a pumping hollow wave. I imagine a pulled in tight swallow tail would perform somewhere between a squash and a round pin?

Bats, Diamonds and Moons? What are the pros and cons of those types of tails? Never ridden them but I am interested to hear the general characteristics of each. I would think bats and diamonds are similar to squashes with the diamond riding more like a squash and the bat more like a narrow swallow? Moons???? WTF is a moon? Is it an inverted swallow?
Thinking......

Moon=tail surface area with a focal point...bat=same thing but centerfin placement....sorry just thinking.

I know there are a lot of dynamics that make a board ride the way it does. Its all about location and conditions. The tail is only one part of the equation.

Tails I haven't tried but would like to hear your feedback. The bat, diamond and moon.

[BS720]

[GheePup]

Well played and more or less what I was expecting. So I take it BS you like wide tails?

[BS720]

Makes it easier to ride, ya know? Plus, it kind of softens the blows.

[BS720]

I have a Stretch F4 semi-g 7'4" that has a moon tail. Sits in the pocket well, but not the greatest for turning. With it being a quad, however, it compensates. Makes a decent step up, but my first gun/next big wave board will definitely be a thruster pin. My standard shortboard is a quad bat, and it's amazing in just about any kind of surf. IMHO, it think both these tails are quad-specific.

Edit...Also just bought a Joel Tudor Diamond Tail Egg. I haven't surfed it whole lot yet, but it is super fast.

[GheePup]

I have a Stretch F4 semi-g 7'4" that has a moon tail. Sits in the pocket well, but not the greatest for turning. With it being a quad, however, it compensates. Makes a decent step up, but my first gun/next big wave board will definitely be a thruster pin. My standard shortboard is a quad bat, and it's amazing in just about any kind of surf. IMHO, it think both these tails are quad-specific.

How does the quad bat work? Pros/Cons? I will be shaping a 6'8" to 6'10" soon and am looking for ideas. Was thinking I would shrink my 7'5" round pin to a 6'9". Might make the pin a bat? It will be a 5 fin Bonzer so depending on how deep I make the concaves it might turn out to be a defacto bat?

Edit: Or it might be a Sting Ray. Long trailing stringer bat tail? Interesting.

Ideas, I need ideas.

[BS720]

Quad bat is money. My shortboards have mostly been quads, so when I get back on a thruster, the difference is glaring. SOOO much more drive off the back foot. The quad feels loose, but not unstable, like (I think) a twin feels. I love the long stringer/bat tail idea. Stretch says on his website that the moon is more for aesthetic affect, and performs more like a swallow. About the bat;

-Offers a more pivotal, snappy feel
-Loosens up the board by having the rail line end shorter
-Relative to other tails, the bat is wider at the block, allowing the rear foot to move further back in to the fin cluster.
-Combines the swallow tail feel but with more stability

Where you be? You can try out a board or two if you are near The Bay Area. Also, you might think of swinging by Stretch's shop and chewing the fat with him. He's pretty cool to tech-talk with.

[GheePup]

BS720 what are the dims of your bat? Nose, width, max width, width +/- of center, tail, thickness, length???? Thruster or other? need input. Might do a bat and am looking for dims/where bats feel good. Prolly still gonna do a round pin but...

[GheePup]

Where you be? You can try out a board or two if you are near The Bay Area. Also, you might think of swinging by Stretch's shop and chewing the fat with him. He's pretty cool to tech-talk with.

So Cal so chewing the fat is not an option unless you give me his cell #

[BS720]

Bat is a quad, 6'10", 3", 21 1/2". Don't have a tape measure nearby. I'm weighing in at about 235 lbs. I think the tail is about 15", and nose around 12 1/2". It has deck channels, single to double.

[GheePup]

I am not currently lookin at anything other than tail shape. Channels/concaves/flat/V/fin configs/...whatever. Just wondering ATM what certain tail shapes do and what people think about their tail shapes...

[BS720]

http://stretchboards.com/boards/surf...r-four-fin.php

http://www.surfing-waves.com/board/tail_shape.htm

http://www.surfline.com/community/wh...ws.cfm?id=1027

[happytimefunbox]

I'm partial to a swallow tail, especially on a fishy shape for the gutless EC crap I grew up on...