Good afternoon!
I guess this subject was already discussed many times but I was wondering from expert/experienced riders what is the biggest difference between those 2 tails in regard to Longboard style SUP ? I mean just to take the example of 2 well known boards we see on this forum like the sunova style and the fanatic stylemaster , both 10' , both great boards for hang 5 or 10 but different tails..is it the style of the rider ? the wave conditions?
I had an 11 4 Nalu once with a rounded pin..a bit like the Style but more pulled in...I liked that lots. I also have a wide squash tail on my 9 5 Striker and that is great too.
I guess the pin would be better on larger faster waves...bit more bite and less skatety but to be honest my waves are pretty small so probably would noticed much.
both those boards would be great but the Stylemaster will turn more aggressively and ride/ carve shorter than it looks....looks like a more pulled in tail. The Style more a balanced longboard which noserider much easier IMHO.
so much more to it of course....rocker, rails, volume etc etc.
All I can add is, the very narrow rounded pin on the Style, coupled with a 10" fin, makes it nearly impossible to break the fin out when noseriding....and that's what I got it for.
mainly rider style & preference...which continues into predominant wave type.....dean
basically, when turning, the square tail corners will dig into the wave, providing more grip and drive, but requiring more force from the rider.
The round / round pin will transition more smoothly from rail to rail.
On these question of board design, I found that Rusty blog posts to be the most informative: lots on insights in a very short read:
www.surfline.com/blogs/talking-design-the-board-blog-with-rusty-preisendorfer_26649/
On the tails:
www.surfline.com/blogs/talking-design-the-board-blog-with-rusty-preisendorfer/rusty-breaks-down-the-lower-third-of-surfboards-from-squash_30118/
www.surfline.com/blogs/talking-design-the-board-blog-with-rusty-preisendorfer/history-of-tails-part-2--rusty-talks-greenough-shortboard-r_30849/
quoting the master:
Squash or rounded square: This is probably the most common small/medium wave tail shape. It offers a nice blend of area and curve. It became the go-to tail shape when three fins took over the world in the early 1980s. There were wide squash tails built early in the shortboard era. The problem with wide tails on single fins was that the wider the tail (block) the deeper the fin needed to be. The deeper the fin, the more the frontal drag. With three fins, it really enabled designers to go wider and shorter, moving area aft because of the hold and drive three fins brought to the game. The tail shape provides lift, support, and drive.
The balance of release and smoothness or continuity depends on how rounded the corners are.
Round tails: Uber-smooth turns. Make a clay model of a hollow wave, use a wire to slice it along the speed line in the barrel, and the cross section will probably look something like this. Or Google conic sections. This tail is a clean, natural curve that fits the pocket. It's a great tail for a performance shortboard, good in head-high to double-overhead waves. Also, a good option for next one-up type shapes.
