Glenn Pang has forgotten more about surfboard design than most of us will ever know. Photo: YouTube//Screenshot
Surfboard design is an important thing. I’m of the belief that any surfer, with enough time, can learn to ride nearly any surfboard and learn to ride it well, but understanding the basics of how a surfboard is designed can help your surfing immensely. Here, Glenn Pang, a master shaper, breaks down one of the more important basics: the tail.
Pang is uniquely qualified to be a teacher of surfboard design. He’s been shaping for the iconic brand T&C Surf for nearly a half century, and during those years, he’s worked his way up to being one of the most respected surfboard builders ever. In this, he talks about some of the most common tail designs: the round tail (or thumb), the squash, the swallow, and the wing swallow.
A couple of real basics facts: a round tail has less area than something like a squash. That means it’ll sink more. Like most things in surfboard design, there are pros and cons of everything, and finding the happy medium is a personal thing and depends on wave quality.
“If you have a squash tail on the board, the board tends to give you more projection out,” Pang explains. “Whereas the thumbtail will sink quicker and be more top to bottom. Normally, that’s a little better for a little better wave, but everyone’s different. Some guys ride a round tail even when the waves are small, but the majority of you guys would want a squash tail when the waves are on the smaller side.”
Of course, the round tail can be adjusted into something like a pin tail, which you’ll often see when the waves are absolutely firing, which gives you a little more bite on a bigger wave. From there, Pang goes on to talk swallow tails. It’s a good watch for those who might have an expanding quiver, but still aren’t exactly sure why they’re expanding. A well-rounded quiver means a board for all conditions, and a board for all conditions means more fun… which is the whole point, right?
