Surfing Waves

Hi ya,

I found a used board for the right price that I fell in love with. I've only rented or borrowed boards before, so this will be my first owned.

But, its a rounded pintail, and I know that squashtails have the best speed to handling compromise. Do you think I am really going to notice the difference on small waves between a squash and a rounded pintail? I suspect the rounded pintail would be better on bigger waves, but I haven't advanced to those yet. I like the idea of a little smoother turning board as the rounded pintail should provide, but I also might need the speed for small waves.

It's a 9'8" * 23" * 3 1/4 singlefin, and I'm 190lbs. 6'2".

Thanks for any opinions,
Quiggly.

Pin tail will do you fine. They work well on small waves as well as large waves. If you need to speed, just move forward on your board. Learning to walk the longboard is one of the most neglected aspects of longboarding. By moving forward and backward on your board, you can rip as well as any of the shortboarders. Be prepared to do some pearl diving while learning this technique, but maybe not. Depends entirely on your skill level.

I might beg to differ here...Square tail is best especially in smaller surf...the pin or rounded pin works better in bigger surf...you are a bigger person on a medium size board, 9'8, so you will need all help you can get. More mass in the back allows for better turning especially in small surf. The square tail is the "go to" tail in my opinion.

I tend to agree with San Diego on this one. If you cant get enough speed on a 9'8" board there's something wrong. And as he said by learning to trim and walk the board you will improve your skills no end.

I've got a squash tail at the moment that i use for both big and small waves and it really doesn't perform as well in bigger surf whereas the pin will even in smaller stuff and I'm now looking at getting a pin myself to replace the squash. In my opinion they are the best all rounder you can get. If you can afford it get both!

Cheers
Ghost

I had a short board made by Wade Tokoro, he shapes for Andy Irons.... he likes the square or squash tail better for all kinds of surf in general..that's IF you cannot afford a quiver..if you had a quiver you could have one or two of each, even add a diamond tail or swallow to boot...but since you say you don't ride big waves yet, a square tail will give you better maneuverability, and as your skill improves you will naturally pick up speed...I don't think you have to TRY for speed, it just happens as you start to read the wave better and know where to be on your board....I've always strayed away from pintails, don't like um much...to me, they were made for big wave riding in the old days and some of that still sticks... just a quirk I have...

Hey GWS..do you think a square may perform better than your squash? There IS a difference you know...the squash is a bit smaller and rounded...the square generally has real square edges and is wider... just a thought..

To be honest I hadn't considered a square on a long board. I know they work on short boards and seem to fit in nicely with the overall plan shape but don't look right on a long board. Too abrupt an ending for my tastes.

No doubt when I get my next board I'll be doing some research and picking my shapers brains and you have got me thinking now LLG curse you!

When I was surfing shortboards I always had area pins and loved 'em as well as swallow tails and as a result the learning curve when it comes to longboards has and will continue to be steep when it comes to design. Thanks for getting me to step outside my circle.

Sorry GWSurfs... ya got me LOL here... the cursed one I am....or YOU are.... hee hee.. yea, don't get TOO caught up in it. I do feel however, it is important to research the design cuz it DOES make a difference..I researched for a few months before I bought my 9'4 Takayama and am glad I did. Good luck on getting a stoker board!

wel it doesn treally matter wich board u use for wich waves both boards will do great in big and small waves just that pintails hav a bit of advantage on big waves and sqash tails have an bit of an advantage on smaller waves but i personally would go wif a sqash tail. It depends on wich waves u wil ride the most and wether u wan to advance

Pin for BIG stuff, it keeps the rear of the board in the water. I surf pins on Bombs only. Anything under over-head conditions gets my squash, especially if it's sloppy.