Surfboard Tail shapes

The shape of the tail of a surfboard is another factor that influences the way a board rides.   Major differences in tail shape create big differences in the feel and, turning, and riding characteristics of a board, while minor tail shape differences have a subtle and affect.  Some common tail shapes include pin, round, squash, swallow and bat.

Round tail, also known as thumb tail designs, curve smoothly around the end of the board and offer an ample amount of width under the surfers back foot.  This shape makes a smooth medium radius turn, and the lack of any sharp edges allows the tail of the board to slide out more easily than other designs, and is therefore considers “loose”.  The width of the round tail design creates good float on top of the water to help the board catch waves and keep moving, and is ideal for small and medium sized size waves like those on South Padre Island.

Pin tail designs taper to a narrow point at the end of the board.  The straighter outline and narrow width of the pin tail is best for holding speed when racing across big waves, and makes a long, draw out turn with good grip on the wave.  Pin tail designs are commonly found on big wave boards and are not recommended for average South Padre Island surf conditions.

Squash tail designs are very common.  The squash tail shape offers similar width and float to round tail designs, but with added maneuverability and grip when turning due to the sharper corners at the end of the board.

Swallow tail designs come to a point at the ends of each rail of the surfboard, and are cut out in the middle.  This design offers good grip and allows the surfboard to changing quickly from one edge to another.  This design also allows for great hold when surfing along the face of a wave.  The relatively straight outline of the swallow tail creates a medium to long radius turn, and is generally used to give more grip to boards with wide tails.  Swallow tail designs work excellent in most South Padre Island surf conditions as they create good grip and turning ability in wide tail designs that catch and ride small to medium sized waves well.

Bat tail designs are a variation of the squash tail shape, and typically offer similar performance.  The sharper pointed corners and subtle cutout on each side of the tail offer slightly better grip and quicker edge to edge turning of the surfboard.