The Surfboard Tail Shapes of different boards has its own importance. It plays a vital role in the kind of surf one wants to experience. Though it might appear simply as designs to the inexperienced ones, each shape has its own purpose.
From controlling speed to cutting efficiently through water current, tail shapes have a lot to do. So, in this article, we are going to brief you on the various tail shapes of a surfboard and the role each plays. Here are the list of Surfboard Tail Shapes.
Contents
DIFFERENT SURFBOARD TAIL SHAPES
| Tail Shape | Significance |
| Square Tail | Smooth square turns with great stability |
| Squash Tail | Good grip & highly responsive |
| Round Tail | More turntable & more speed |
| Pin Tail | Decrease lift and best inside waves |
| Swallow Tail | High-performance boards from stability to speed |
| Fish Tail | Perform well in small wave conditions |
| Bat Tail | Same as fish tail but gives more stability |
SURFBOARD SQUARE TAIL
The square tail is known to be the father of all tail designs. It is also referred to as chop tail. It is a high-volume tail shape, and the pointed corners help in taking smooth square turns while conferring a great amount of stability.
For slow or mushy waves, this is the most suited tail shape. It has a swift reaction for short and tight turns. It is hardly used in modern-day surfboards.
SURFBOARD SQUASH TAIL
Also known as round, square tail, this shape is the most widely used surfboard tail shape in the world. It confers a great amount of stability by combining the advantages of both square and round tails.
This is a highly flexible tail shape that will provide you with a good grip over all kinds of waves, especially in small to overhead surf. The squash tail makes boards highly responsive.
SURFBOARD ROUND TAIL
The round tail is popular in shorts boards where manoeuvrability plays the key role. The surface area is increased at the rear end, contributing to make your board a more turnable one and provide more speed in slow-wave sections.
The round tails deliver more release off the top of a wave, compared to squash or square tails. Round tailed boards can easily direct water around the end of the board and confer good stability in fast, hollow surfs.
SURFBOARD PIN TAIL
These tails are reckoned for conferring maximum control and surface grip on waves. The pointed end reduces the surface area, thus decreasing the lift at the tails, allowing the points to dig into the wave’s face, aiding the board in tracking directions.
Pin tails are generally found on boards where control is the most desired element. Pin tails can be hard to turn and are not good performers in slow waves.
SURFBOARD SWALLOW TAIL
This tail shape is popular among both small and high-performance boards. The swallow tail is known to offer control, stability and hold while transitioning from rail to rail. This works great for smaller, gutless surf.
SURFBOARD FISH TAIL
This can be thought of as the wider version of the swallow tail. Known to excel in small wave conditions, the Fish tail gained a lot of popularity during the twin fin years. Fish tailed boards have decent performance in bigger waves too.
SURFBOARD BAT TAIL
The bat tail is also known as the star tail. It is quite similar to swallow tails and performs similarly in small wave scenarios. The central point of the bat tail is known to offer an extra amount of stability.
SURFBOARD TAIL SHAPES CONCLUSION
So there’s a lot of surf tail designs to choose from based on the type of surf you want, the speed, the kind of waves and the performance. Once you go through the features of each tail shape, you will be able to identify, which one suits your surf requirements and accordingly choose the correct surfboard for yourself.