Knifey, Bladed, and Pinched

[Yosh]

Benefits? and/or disadvantage in general (not meant to ask strictly about hulls).

In my case, I have a 9'6" log (Arenal Palm Reader) with nickel blade rails, low rocker (no significant kick, just smooth and balanced), outline looks semi-pigged but actually not, super subtle concave that only goes maybe 24" and rolled all the way to the back. I can step to the nose but doesn't last long (board goes so fast it outruns the pocket a lot, or goes nimble when deep in the pocket, or sinks due to thinned out volume), and when I swapped boards with Tyler NR, and/or Davenport Cub & Stepdeck, going to the nose was so so easy and was able to lock myself at the tip and still manage to control.

Palm Reader turns with so much ease, paddles super fast, blast through steep faces, and the projection out of turns are extremely amazing. But always looking at the rails thinking if it was a bit more softer 50/50 -> not full soft but somewhat on the pinched side.

Local had the original 60s Weber performer and even that felt less pinched than mine (also felt like 60/40 rather than 50/50).

So question is, with no experience with say GeneCooper, why do super pinched rails on a log???

 

[Ricksurfin]

I’ve always had problems with the boards I’ve had with real pinched knifey rails. I prefer a fuller boxier rail. Board must have good rocker.

 

[Yosh]

I’ve always had problems with the boards I’ve had with real pinched knifey rails. I prefer a fuller boxier rail. Board must have good rocker.

Any pinched rails I tried, Unhinged or gato had rocker that I did not favor. Although, tried local bud’s Tyler Double Deuce and it is gold! But can never nose ride it…
Yes, Palm Reader has low rocker but hardly ever nosedive it’s trippy. Guessing the pinched rail helps holding on to the wave well??

 

[Outside]

I believe there could probably be a book written on the topic of how outline, rocker, rail design and nose to tail rail progression affects a boards ride. Maybe volumes! I would really be interested in Bruce Fowler's considered opinion on the topic. I have easily spent hours of post surf and in the water conversation on this and still don't feel that the surface has been scratched. I think that another variable is our individual style of surfing and the waves we are lucky to enjoy. Just this last Friday I was speaking with my friend and regular surf companion for years about a Stewart Pinline that he'd picked up and he was describing the nuances of it's ride and feedback versus his other boards. I had the opportunity to ride a Hank Byzack (might have misspelled that) longboard that he likes, and under my feet on a glassy shoulder high day it felt as natural as an extension of me. Where I looked at on the face is where I'd go, and while this was a perfect session for a NC beachbreak, both of us have other boards that require work to enjoy, or seamlessly translate thought into action. Many sessions we'll take 4 boards to the beach and periodically swap leashes, doing our best Consumer Reports evaluation of each ones attributes and shortcomings. Reminds me of a good board in a fast tube: a twitch of your ankles and you're where you want to be. I understand why so many of us loan, beg, borrow, and sell boards to each other in the quest for another "Magic" board. Again, just my $.02

 

[Skegg]

I like pinched rails on mid sized boards (6'6"ish to 8'6"ish). They feel more sensitive, faster, and really positive when carving. I also had a Christenson that was pretty pinched for a log and loved it (another I regret selling), but it needed a very particular wave to noseride well. Too soft and the board sunk, too much power and it out ran the section. It's hard for me to really say what feelings are attributable to the pinched rails versus overall design.

Edit: I was just looking at my boards and noticed that most of the pinched rail boards are stubbies with relatively low rocker.

 

[dingpatch]

Oh, I get it, , , , , I thought you wanted to talk about women.

 

[Veterano]

Outside wrote above; "I believe there could probably be a book written on the topic of how outline, rocker, rail design and nose to tail rail progression affects a boards ride." And that's so true. The shape of the rail has to correspond with a combination of rocker, foil, etc.
All have to be combined properly for the board to work really well. For example, if you asked a shaper to make you a 7' egg with pinched Frye San Diego rails and he did not know how to combine those with the right combo of rocker, foil, etc.,you'd come away with an egg that would turn you off to pinched rails for life. And then add plan shape into the equation ...

 

[Outside]

SURF TRIP WITH BETTY AND VERONICA: Once upon a time I bought a 9'6" longboard from a fellow I surfed with on the Outer Banks. He had a childhood friend who is a well known accomplished and respected shaper that would craft anything but longboards (insert Clint Eastwood line here " A man's got to know his limitations"). He pressed his buddy to create a masterpiece: glued up wing tip nose, glued up tail block, Hawaiian floral fabric inlay, opaque colored resin bottom, volan glass, tinted resin deck, opaque overlaid deck resin panels, teardrop nose concave, Fin patch, deck patch, multiple accent colored resin pinlines highlighting every area, matching fin. Just before he'd received it they had a falling out, name calling hissy-fit nonsense. He surfed the board once, proclaimed that it sucked, and offered it to me for 1/2 of what he'd just paid. Of course I bought it figuring that the conflict clouded his evaluation. Not wanting the shaper to be the only one to exercise bad judgment with this board, I packed it along with my regular 9'6" for a Carrib trip the next week. Yes I did that stupid thing. The surf was 12-15' faces. For my second lapse in thinking, I paddled for a bomb, raced down the face and planted the tail for a committed bottom turn. The board spun out sideways and I got my ass kicked. I missed the reef and went in for a bigger fin. Next wave, same result. one more, same result. Best Idea I'd had this trip was a fresh big wave leash. Proned in for my other board. When I returned home I sold it for far less than I'd paid but insisted that this board was purely decorative. I would have left in on the beach but didn't want to feel responsible for potentially harming someone. I guess that every detail was given consideration except functional ones.

 

[SD_TO zone]

I am a big fan of these types of rails - it all started with a Gary Hanel quad fish years ago that I rode into the ground. I'm on a gato playboy or space pig most of the time these days, with a few SD Frye style boards also in the mix.

A few things all of these boards have in common that I have noticed are

1) the sensitivity to controlling/directing the board with subtle ankle movements/sensitivity
2) feedback almost instantly (bogging etc.) if you get sloppy with your turns (wrong place on the wave, not enough speed, bad/sloppy foot or body placement)
3) they trim/glide FAST
4) they knife into steeper drops/later drops extremely well

The first thing I do when I am looking at or considering a board or just browsing in shops is to feel the rails looking for that bladed out feel

 

[strez]

I agree with the post above.

I learned on a very knify-railed vintage log and I still love the glidey trim on the highline you can get when all that rail is engaged in the face. My favorite hull ever also had super knify rails. Late angled drops were so fun!