surfresearch.com.au  farrelly : pintails 1968

DID you ever see a gull coasting over the surface of the ocean, then accelerating swiftly over a swell?
It would seem the gull maintains an exact height from the water, varying its speed to rise and fall in unison with the heaving ocean.

This is how I think of a pintail.
More in tune with the waves, the pin seems fixed to the heart of the wave, the low eye of the curl. Acceleration comes easily as if from some sudden source, just like the gulls.
The first time you see a pin being ridden in fast water, the rider seems responsible for the perfect position this board enjoys.
However, riding in the shadow of the curl is just one of the characteristics of the pin.

It's not a new design- its origins ...

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... can be traced back to Makaha point surf days, several decades past.

The form it exists in today is quite revolutionary.
A good pin is rather pointed at either end, reminiscent of a big wave board.
The fine extremities will shake up a few old principles, like nose- riding and tail stalls, which are generally associated with a full wide nose and tail.
A better surfer feels at home on a pin, working from the centre out to the ends, this being governed by the rise and fall of wave speed and vertical face.
A more challenging wave is the supreme test for a pin, as gentle tiny beach breaks don't bring the best qualities out.
Angourie seems made for bold, precise surfing, allowing for few mistakes if the curl is to be ridden.

Here the pin will hide deep behind the white water, or high in the thick revolving tube.
The speed leaves you breathless and wondering what took place between the time you dropped in and finally kicked out.

Speed seems the real asset of the pin, but it is the sustained flow between manoeuvres that blends them together as one, a thing so simple that is constantly sought after by surfers at their best.
This flow can be had on a pin with bump-free outline.
To turn on a wide tail short board, the board must be coaxed off its tail block, up, over and on to the rail, which appears as a short jerky turn often resulting in the whole rail being buried up to the nose, and followed by a loss of speed.
The pin is all rail, having no block, so when the surfer puts his weight back, and then on to the rail, the two appear as one, and have instant effect on the board's direction.
Shorter, more critical turns can be had by moving on to the tail and dominating the fin.
The pin does not stall easily, so a re-entry often turns into a roller-coaster unless checked.

Noseriding is performed in the wave, not on the shoulder.
The nose outline fits the face or wall without throwing the tail free.
Noseriding is not a separate manoeuvre but merely the most forward trim position.
In general trim the surfer's feet are one behind the other, so you can imagine the difficulties a beginner would experience.
The ...

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... whole body is brought into play constantly, though the knees and ankles appear to dominate like a snow skier's.
The fin has a greater wave range since it has no hip or tail rocker to drag at high speeds.
Rocker is confined to the nose while the tail rises in a slow curve.
The best fins are very light, and since there is very little area in the extremities a few inches may be added in length.
The additional inches help to explain the board's versatility.
The area between the fin and the rail is so small that tail spin outs are rare, and split second changes in direction can be had even the middle of the board, no matter how steep or fast the wave is.
Wide- tails are notorious for avoiding the higher vertical wall in front of a curl and forcing the rider to the shoulder.
There the fin is unattached.
It fits easily into higher spots and will correct with side steps when a descent is necessary.

Joey Cabell is surfing better than he ever has before.
In Hawaii this past Christmas, he put into motion what many surfers, including myself, have wished they might one day.
He demonstrated a kind of surfing so fast, bordering (or whatever) can be called ideal (I won't use perfect, for fear of criticism).
I felt I was facing the greatest challenge to improve my own surfing, to the point that I shall now completely overhaul any rigid ideas I had previously.
Hawaiian surfers have definitely not fallen behind in design and riding approach.
Sutherland, Strauch, Aipa and many others are proud of this.

I feel if Australians can accept the pintail and modify it to suit, they will ride an exciting board and increase their versatility both in small waves and perhaps on those big days at the Bower or maybe Bells at Easter.

The pin may sound like the perfect board- it isn't.
It doesn't like flat waves, or short walls, or any other wave that lacks the characteristics of the idealist's perfect wave.
It will never replace the wide square tail in Australia.
In Hawaii the situation is the reverse, because there are real waves in Hawaii.
Real standup, suck out, throw over and drag you down waves.

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