I've been thinking of tail design or boards and looking at yachts and wondering if SUP are more like boat design as apposed to surfboards.
For a Race/Tour style board. Is it best to have more volume at the tail or less, Is it about reducing the wave drag and therefor wouldn't a pin tail be better?
Looking at some designs they seem to almost narrow pintails, (Bark) and others are quite wide.
What are the advantages? in terms of paddling?
Like some yachts they seem to be really wide at the stern, (good for reaching and down wind) but maybe don't perform as well heading into the waves.
Anybody from a yachting background, hull design?
Thanks in advance
Hi Aquainc,
Just my 2c worth. The difference between SUP's and yachts is speed. Race yachts with wide transoms are designed to plane and heel. Cruising yachts you'll notice have generally been designed as displacement and therefore efficiency and least drag is more important. These boats generally don't plane or surf.
In SUP's a wide tail gives great stability but creates a fair amount of drag. A narrow tail is slippery through the water but is much less stable.
I have recently received my Fanatic Falcon 14' x 25" with the pin tail. I have been riding the Fanatic Falcon 14' x 27.5" which has a semi pin tail and have also been on the Fanatic Fly 14' x 27.5" Flat Water with the square tail and little to no rocker.
The new Falcons are much more closely aligned with cruising yachts because we just can't paddle them fast enough in flat water to get them up and properly planing so focus is on minimizing drag and wake. This is done with more rocker and a finer release in a narrow tail also minimizing wetted surface area.
The new boards with the semi and full pin tail are definitely less stable than the older model with the square tail. The most noticeable difference in the narrower boards comes in the sustained glide. They aren't that much quicker than the older one, but the amount of effort to keep it at top speed is greatly reduced which will be appreciated once everyone else starts to tire keeping less efficient hull shapes at top speed.
I hope this goes someway towards helping you out.
DM
Thanks DM, much appreciated
I've been looking into designs a bit and came across this video from Hoviesup
the no nose thing hasn't really worked that well. its not stable and you really can't get into your paddling. if you look at that first vid, while the board goes well he is on tender hooks the whole time- he doesn't look comfortable. chuck in some chop and he wouldn't be going that well
most of the newer designs are putting some sort of nose width up the front. even fanatic know for their sharp displacements at going for the bunter nose short displacement look. the 14 fanatic falcon, i think thats it, x 25 is quite stable, balanced and you feel like you can get stuck into it
ps the trick is keeping them fast too. the boards coming out at the moment with their narrow widths yet stable has been a break through imo
Thanks laceys lane
Where you say no nose, bunter short nose, do you mean not too pointed? More like the Starboard bubble nose look? or like this fanatic pic.
I think your'e right about the chop, the board does look a little tippy, not sure how the hoviesup commet design would go in even 10-15 know wind chop? cross wind etc?
Names very close to hobie? I think they do SUP now as well.
David
That looks like a really nice shape, chimes on the side, I presume are for stability
thx again
