Surfboard Tail Shapes

If you have had a look around a surf shop, you'll already have seen that there is a wide range of different surfboard tail shapes to choose from. In this section, we take a quick look at some of the most common shapes and the surf conditions that they are best suited to. If you're thinking about getting a custom board shaped, you may not have considered the different choices of surfboard tail shape. Make sure you have a chat with your shaper about what suits your surfing best.

Squashtail

The squashtail is probably the most common tail shape on modern surfboards. There are no prizes for guessing why it got its name. The design offers a stable ride but enables the surfboard to still remain loose. The squashtail is a great tail shape for any standard of surfer and can be used in both small and overhead waves.

Squaretail

The squaretail's shape is, well, squared off at the end. It's really the pre-runner to the squashtail and is not so common on new boards these days. The rails meet the tail at sharp corners giving the surfboard good maneuverability. It's best used in small to head high waves.

Thumbtail

A more rounded version of the squashtail, the design of the thumbtail results in more stability for the board. This shape has no hard edge that you find in the squash and squaretail. A thumbnail is great for rail-to-rail surfing and big old turns! It's most effective in medium to very large surf.

Rounded Pintail

Very similar to the thumbtail, the rounded pintail is slightly more "pinched" toward the tail. This tail was very popular in the single-fin days and is the tightest-holding rail. Like the thumbtail and the regular pintail, there is no interruption in the flow from the rail directly through to the tail. The rounded pintail is a great tail for medium to large waves and ideal for powerful hollow surf.

Pintail

The pintail is the next step down from the rounded pintail. The pintail comes to much more of a point than the rounded tail and finishes in a sharper, thinner pin. This is the tail shape for surfing large, powerful, hollow waves. This is the tube rider special!

Baby Swallowtail

The baby swallowtail is the smaller of the swallowtail shapes. This tail combines the rail drive shape of the squaretail with the sensitivity of the pintail, making this a great tail shape for big wave surfers. The baby swallowtail can be used in small to large surf.

Swallowtail

The swallowtail, like the baby version, combines the rail drive of the squaretail and the sensitivity of the pintail. The swallowtail is an easy one to spot for the novice! This is the tail shape used on fish surfboards. The wider tail gives better paddling power and increased drive in smaller waves.

Battail

The battail performs like a swallowtail. Its two outer pivot points and the addition of the central point of the wing provide greater stability. The battail is good in smallish to overhead waves and is one of the more modern surfboard tail designs.

Wing

The wing is really not a tail shape but more of a rail shape. It can be seen as the bump in the rails just in front of the front fins. Don't be confused and think that this is a different tail shape. The tail shown on the left is still a swallowtail. Just remember that the board also has a wing.