Tail

[Tex]

I just needed a topic to vent about how sick I am of twin fins and swallow tails. Seriously....who else is over that set up?
I am much more in to quads and pins myself. Anybody else just generally pissed about a particular board shape these days?

[pra_ggresion]

I hate five fin set up boards so you can ride either a quad or a thruster. Even and odd number fin boards work better with particular angles from the center and the deck. Mix mashing the two is a recipe for a half @ss board.

[pra_ggresion]

I like swallow tail twin fins. Swallow tail odd number fins don't make much sense to me though. Super fat shortboards work pretty well for the super fat and choppy waves we have in abundance. One of the best feelings is trimming a high line on a back lit wave cause you can't go for the lip like you can on a shorty.

[Tex]

Have to agree to disagree on that on Pra....I have boards with epic deck design that have not been diminished by multiple fin configuration options.

[Tex]

I should clarify my comments about twin fins and swallow tails. My being over them have nothing to do with performance. No question they work and can be fun. I see so much board porn on Insta and the majority seem to be twins and swallows. I am simply bored by the aesthetic.

[Spent]

Also disagree on the 5 box convertible. I get all my boards that way now. Some work better as thrusters than quads but when the shaper knows what they are doing it can work without being too much of a compromise. Worse quad I had was a dedicated quad and I wished it had had a fifth box to ride as a thruster.

The Fifth box is also great for super wide boards that you can add the little nub fin to. believe me or not but those little half moon buggers add a bit of control when you need it and drive.

As for swallows- I love 'em and round tails. Saving $s for a swallow tail twin keel right now... maybe too much instaporn...

[X-squid]

Yeah my fave board is a swallow tail that can go quad or twin - 6-2" hybrid fish thing (Shuler Wookiee). Usually ride it as a twin with big fat keels - thing is wave-catching machine.

[Major Lazer]

Been riding swallows for 20 something years post 80's squash tails. From mod to retro fishes to standard shortboards. Really like them better on most of my boards sans step ups. Swallows are like having 2 pin tails. Best combo of release and hold IMO.

Been riding one board, 95% of the time for the last year and have had very positive results. It’s a step down short board at my height, low rocker, wide tail, but pulled in with a double wing swallow. Riding the same board has been great because no loss trying to adjust and always have the sweet spot dialed in. I don’t surf as much as I’d like most of the time and it's nice not wasting waves adjusting to different shapes.

As for retro and stubby shapes, which sounds like what Tex is annoyed by. Been off those for a while too. I have a retro quad fish I shaped that I grovel on, but the low end shortboards on the market seem to be money these days. Mine surfs thigh to solid overhead. Mush to hollow and kills it in the typical OR beachie that will go from slopey to rampy on one wave.

[pra_ggresion]

Some work better as thrusters than quads but when the shaper knows what they are doing it can work without being too much of a compromise

Exactly, every board is going to work better as one over the other. It's up to the shaper to get it right. Having five fins means you don't trust the shaper to get it done right. Maybe a shaper could actually make this dubious compromise so a person could identify as a quad one sesh and something else for another. imo, just ride whatever you end up with until it busts or loses it's appeal and try something else the next time. On the other hand I can definitely see riding a setup for 5 fins if the board calls for it. Mollusk prolly has some sick ones.

Yeah my fave board is a swallow tail that can go quad or twin - 6-2" hybrid fish thing (Shuler Wookiee). Usually ride it as a twin with big fat keels - thing is wave-catching machine.

Definitely advocate for this set-up, or thruster to single, or single to 2+1.

[Spent]

There is some truth in that but I'm pretty stoked to have a couple of boards that work well both as thrusters and quads. I tend to favor thrusters when you want to stay in the pocket and the energy is directed towards the shore and favor quads when you want to fly down the line and the energy is directed that way... make sense? depending on the board thruster for more pivot surfing in weaker surf and quad for section beating... it adds versatility to a board for very little....

http://www.mckeesurf.com/?page_id=267

[pra_ggresion]

That's a good assessment for thruster vs quad. I tend to favor thrusters for short boards. Mainly I try to bring 2-3 boards to any given session. Mainly cause one of them is bound to have a leash or not have a surprise ding. Sometimes I find myself in a period of my life where the short board is a quad and the funboard and step-up is a thruster or some combination. Usually how many fins the board I ride has is a byproduct of which board happens to have the amount of foam I want. Very few swells per year that I feel like I need a precision type of board for the conditions. Usually it has to do with, what kind of person do I want to see when I look in the mirror.

[Tex]

Funky tail link: http://oakfoils.blogspot.com/2017/02/je ... tchet.html

[smithgrind]

I see so much board porn on Insta and the majority seem to be twins and swallows. I am simply bored by the aesthetic.

There's your problem right there. Thin that Insta account down.

[smithgrind]

I have a twin keel, swallow tail, SD-guru shaped fish that I been loving on for over a decade. It can be
a difficult ride in conditions that would be better served by other boards in my quiver. I have a
swallow tail fishy like board that has the 5 fin option that I would never paddle out as a thruster and I have a
dedicated quad that the shaper discouraged me from ordering as a 5iver. I'm glad he convinced me of his
original design of the board as a quad and I ordered it that way.
The 5 finner is a nice option but given my quiver to this point I have no doubts concerning which board works best
with which fin config. I might consider the option in a step up

[X-squid]

A dedicated step-up is the only thing missing from my quiver. Was at Lanny's shop a couple weeks back dropping off a repair and he offered up an array of new "overstock" boards for dirt cheap - nothing over 6'7" though. I'm thinking at this point in my weight... ur-uh-life I need at least 7'...