There are tons of odd-shaped surfboard tails out there, but do they have any particular purpose instead of just looking different? It turns out that the shape of a tail can improve the performance of a surfboard depending on the wave and what you want the board to do.
There are a number of different surfboard tails as can be seen in this chart:
Surfboard Tail Type Chart
What They Do
It’s nice to look at a chart and visualize the different types of tails, but it’s important to understand the benefits of each and how they operate.
Asymmetrical
Asym tails’ purpose are to combine the best of both worlds with opposing tail types for toe surfing and heel surfing. The key is to have one type of tail on your frontside and another on your backside.On a surfer’s toe side (front side), the tail will typically be a touch longer and created specifically to generate speed, while the tail on the heel side is shorter and stubbier to allow the surfer to pivot the board quickly for tighter, more powerful turns.
Commonly seen on: Shortboards, mid lengths
Bat Tail
Invented by Mike Stewart in the 90s, the bat tail was created originally to be used in tandem with a 4-fin board. It’s similar to a swallow tail, and the straighter rail lines and deviations in volume in the tail allow for turn projection but also hold in the wave where the dips pull in.
Commonly seen on: 4-fin setups (quads), shortboards
Diamond Tail
A diamond tail acts as a hybrid between a square tail and a pin tail. It has surface area to turn better but offers more pivot points than a square tail. With more edges from which to pivot, turning capabilities are slightly increased when comparing a diamond tail to a pin tail.
Commonly seen on: shortboards, longboards
Moon tail
A moon tail is a based off of the classic swallow, usually a bit more pulled in with an arc connecting the rails. This reduces area in the tail of the board for maneuverability and hold, also extending the rail line into a “pin like” tail along each rail.
Commonly seen on: the occasional shortboard or longboard
Pin Tail
A pin tail tends to form fit the curvature of the wave, adding speed and keeping the board from sliding out. You’ll never see a gun made for big waves with a square tail, and that’s because of the added stability and speed that nests into the lip of the wave instead of being projected outward. But in turn, with a pintail, sacrificing volume in the tail means stiffer, more difficult turns.
Commonly seen on: Guns
Rounded Pin Tail
A rounded pin offers slightly more projection that a pin tail but gives the rider an edge in sticking to a big, fast wave and driving into smooth, drawn-out turns.
Commonly seen on: Shortboards, longboards
Square tail
A square tail keeps the main rail shape extended, leaving more width and volume further back for rail-to-rail pivot turns. Square tails are often seen on longboards, where the extra volume in the tail helps create lift in the nose and the edges help the rider whip around a heavier board.
Commonly seen on: traditional longboards
Squash Tail
A squash tail is a traditional favorite for high performance shortboards. They vary in width, and wider ones are marketed as summer boards in that they give the rider more speed and the board is skatier. Narrower ones allow for smoother turning capabilites and tend to hold really well in big, powerful surf.
Commonly seen on: shortboards, high-performance longboards
Swallow Tail
The origins of the swallow tail began with Tom Blake’s innovative design in the 1950s where he coined the first double-pinned swallow tail surfboard by tinkering with a Simmons board. Swallow tails, or fish tails, are seen on what’s now referred to as a “fish.” The wider tails and a pair of pin tails separated by air make for a board that performs well in smaller surf but holds well in strong, hollow waves.
Commonly seen on: fish, shortboards, mid lengths
