Surfboard design has left me behind

https://www.swellinfo.com/surf-forecast/newport-rhode-island

 

Looks really fun!

 

That will be the time to pull out that Byrne!! Perfectly suited for that forecast!!

Hopefully the surf will have steep walls, not the usual mush. Same applies for up here.

 

I think you stayed in your comfort zone, and that board will feel like a Cadillac in OH surf. Great for carving, EZ to paddle in, and will make the drop and bottom turn and get you down the line. I am in the same mindset, I want to try something newfangled but time is at a premium, waves are here for a minute, then you blink and they are gone, so in good pumping surf I go with what I know. A trusty thruster. Preferably an Al Merrick shape with some beef if it's macking.

The rounded pin will make for some smooth carving, enjoy!

 

Its amazing how much difference a few square inches can make in the tail. I've found even those little pulled-in swallow tails like on that Byrne create stability over a squash or round tail.

 

I think the swallow tail gives you more lift than the squash, that's why I like them in most conditions, unless it get's heavy. They go top to bottom easier too. I like a squash tail at Reef Road on a big day.

I've been riding my rounded tail Natural Art 6'6" round nose a lot lately, in good chest to OH surf (yes, I finally figured out how to duck dive it LOL), and it is really smooth on the turns, but loses a bit of speed unless you get front footed. It took me a few sessions to figure out the sweet spot was a bit more forward than my swallow tailed boarts. Now it's like having a gas pedal, there is a flat spot with no rocker a few inches forward of the fins - a little shuffle and zoooom!

 

funny you mention a 6'6" Natural Art. I'm repairing a friend's 6'6" Natural Art, shaped by Rich Price....it's one of the most beautifully shaped boards I've seen in a very long time. A real step up, made for big barrels. Very impressed.

 

Absolutely... a few square inches is a LOT when you're talking about tail area.

But area isn't everything. I think planshape in the tail matters more than anywhere else on the board. There are guys that talk in generalities about tail shape... swallow, pin, square... that's it. I couldn't disagree more. I think there are dramatic differences between tail shapes and discernible differences between variations of tail shapes... true square vs. squash... round vs. rounded pin... mini swallow vs. swallow.

It all matters.

 

Mine is a Pete Dooley, one of the last ones he shaped. It's a gem. I've had a few RP shapes over the years, I loved his old thick squash tail thrusters. I had a 6'6" and 3" thick back in the late 80s, early 90's , it would paddle in at big Pumphouse when I was faster to my feet. Never caught a rail, not much chatter in big surf, it was smooth on the turns.