Figure
5. Swallow tail aft view. Perhaps the most
appreciated attributes of the fish platform involve early wave catching
abilities and ease of acceleration. Low overall rocker and a relatively
wide tail are the primary design contributors to the fish’s desirable
characteristics. Both of these design features are speed and release
oriented. Hohar advocates the relatively unoriginal thesis that effective
surf craft design balances both speed/release features with control
elements. The deep swallow tail, or twin pin tail, depicted above represents
a control feature introduced by Mr. Lis in the interest of expanding
the fish’s workable range of surf. The wide tail is effectively
split into two distinct narrow tails which afford speed control and
greater high line stability while still preserving the bulk of the wide
tail’s planing surface.