disadvantages of swallow tail shortboard?

[Dong Dong]

i know swallow tail best suit for smaller waves, but what are their disadvantages? can they surf bigger waves?

[oldmansurfer]

When I was younger I had a 7 foot swallow tail (considered a shortboard back then) and rode waves that were double to triple overhead ok with it. It was my tube riding board because it was slower than my other board and it hung on a wall well. I think swallow tails get less push from the wave so they may be a little slower but they have more rail in the wave so they may power turn better and probably not as good for short quick turns but bottom design and fins make a lot of difference in that too. That particular board I had to work it to go faster and once I didn't it slowed down so that made it easier to adjust the speed when trying to get or stay tubed. If the waves were big and really fast I would use my other board because it was really fast but that board even sometimes when it was too fast for other surfers was ok for me even with backside tube riding but I was really good at generating speed. I think if you are a really good surfer then there are many things you will find about boards that you like and don't like. I get the impression that many beginner surfers are looking for some assistance in the form of a board that will help them surf better. However what makes a board perform well for an individual is such a complex issue. If you can rent or borrow one it might give you an idea what to expect from it but again there is so much more than tail design that makes a board work or not.

[drowningbitbybit]

My go-to shortboard has a swallow tail. Even though it's a swallow, it's quite narrow - we're not talking a 20" wide fish tail here.
I surf that in anything above 2ft to about 4–6ft (well overhead) without any dramas, and up to around 8ft if its a bit crumbly.

As well as the technicalities, it's all personal preference, but I really like (narrow) swallow tails and use them all the time in fairly big waves


...but if by 'swallow tail shortboard' you mean a fish-type board, then, no - they are not great in big surf but that's more to do with the width and lack of rocker rather than the shape of the tail.

[IB_Surfer]

Unless you are really good you will not notice a disadvatage. For me, I can't use my swallow tail when the waves are steep, I tend to slot up high on the wave then drop in, with the swallow the tail will give and I can't ride as high. However, it's not really the size of the wave but the shape. Steep and hollow I don't even use it.

That said, I sometimes use my fish in bigger waves when I don't want to end up inside, when the waves are walled and closed out and you want tor rush out to the shoulder ahead of the crush. You can ride any board under any conditions, but it depends what you want it to do. For me, thruster set up with a thumb tail (I prefer it to squash, just a preference thing) for any steel waves and my fish for anything mushy, even big mushy waves.

[waikikikichan]

1) What if you had someone fill in the area between the two points on a Swallow tail ? Filled with foam and glassed over, what would you get ? A Squash tail.

2) In reverse, could you take your squash tail and have someone cut a V-slot in it to make a Swallow tail ?

No, it does not work that way. Try looking at most Swallow tails. About a few inches up there usually is a Wing, Sting or Bump. Some boards are even called a Double-Bump Swallow. That is to keep the Hips wide, but steps down to have a normalish tail width.

You are only thinking about one part of the whole. You said nothing about rail, rocker, outline, fin placement, etc.

Question, what is Bigger waves ? Isn't that relative. Like what is Very Spicy ? Are you talking about taking your swallow tail out in 15-18 foot waves or 5-8 foot ?

[Dong Dong]

I assumed smaller waves to me are waist high..... so swallow tail can't generate much speed, but can do rapid turns right?

[benjl]

I thought swallow tails were supposed to be faster than squash etc because there was less foam and drag behind the back fin?

As the other guys were saying though, the tail width and shape help define what size waves it can handle. I had a 6'2 x 19 1/2 x 2 1/2 board that was quite flat but had a thin nose and Narrow swallow tail. It was custom made by a well known shaper and he said that it will work on anything and everything from waist to 1.5x overhead

[waikikikichan]

i know swallow tail best suit for smaller waves, but what are their disadvantages? can they surf bigger waves?

I assumed smaller waves to me are waist high

You still haven't told us what you feel "bigger waves" are. So you mean to say, bigger waves are bigger than waist high ?

I thought swallow tails were supposed to be faster than squash etc because there was less foam and drag behind the back fin?

So why isn't everyone riding Swallow tail shortboards if they're faster than Squashes? Even in bigger waves. Less Drag and More Speed is better right ? or is it ?

[Dong Dong]

Erm something like head height?

[waikikikichan]

Swallow tails will work fine in head high waves. Unless you head happens to be on King Kong ( not Dong Dong ). Swallow tails can perform well in over-head size surf. But Swallow tails surfboards can not perform by themselves.

[jaffa1949]

i like the classic swallow tails as my go to short board in bigger waves. Ca go as hollow and as faster as I am able.
A little less functional for longboards as I ride them.
Truly don't take a fish as a swallow tail ( they ain't)
Try riding boards before you for an opinion on what they can and can't do.
Love the swallowtail release from the top

[waikikikichan]

Board on the top is Bonga Perkins personal board that Carl Schaper shaped. It's my favorite contest board and has a swallow tail. The board below is a XTR ( XPS not EPS ) with a deep swallow tail. It's really wide but turns well yet stable. 3 of my short(er) boards have swallow tails. But I still don't recommend them to beginners.

brd1.jpg (52.71 KiB) Viewed 5102 times

[oldmansurfer]

I would call the middle board a fish.

[Dong Dong]

Thank you guys, i will learn more about surfboards in the future, thx for the replies

[oldmansurfer]

Great! When you do come back here and tell us what you learned.

[waikikikichan]

Thank you guys, i will learn more about surfboards in the future, thx for the replies

You should learn about what Duke Kahanamoku said " Ride the Wave, Not the board". If you learn the wave, the motion of the ocean, then you can ride mostly any board.

[jaffa1949]

Every type and shape of surfboard looks entirely out of place and lonely on the beach,they cannot do anything by themselves.
They need a wave rider to take them where they belong.
The whole hype of the surf industry is to sell you product, whether you can use it or not is not a concern for most .

Ride, body surf , body board, paipo , knee board, learn "The Way of The Wave".

It is a way of life, not a fashion fad.

[Jester]

Repetition for emphasis!!

[benjl]

To quote some material on this website directly, this sums up what I was saying about swallows having good drive but also the ability to handle large waves (if the tail is narrow) and not like a wide-fish swallow tail.

A lot of tow boards for massive waves are also narrow swallow tails so it goes back to: yes, a swallow can handle big waves (well overhead) but it's more to do with what the board was made for in conjunction with it

https://surfing-waves.com/board/tail_shape.htm

[jaffa1949]

Repetition for emphasis!!

Fixed but some waves are so good you say them twice Padang Padang