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glossary : t

tail (or pod )
A description of the rear 12 inch section of a board’s template, examples include square, diamond, round, pin, fish, and swallow tails.

tail patch

tail block
wood, foam and/or fibreglass section added to the tail of a board for strength and/or décor.

tail hook
metal handle fixed to the rear of a hollow paddleboard.

tail kick
tail rocker.

tail width
Measured 12 inches from the rear extremity of a surfboard.
Distinct from the pod width, the measurement of the two points of extremity in the last 2 to 6 inches of the tail; for example a square, diamond, fish, or swallow tail.
Not applicable to round or pin tails, where the pod = 0".
See Specifications

Tandem board
very large board for two riders, post 1960.

Tank/Tanker
old and /or long board, derogatory, see plank,

T- Band
1. wide three part (hence T) stringer, usually comprised of a wide soft stringer (balsa, spruce, high density foam) laminated between two thin redwood stringers.

Also Reverse T Band, a thin central stringer laminated between two thicker stringers.
2. a wood stringer and matching wood tail block, thus forming a ‘T’ (Kelly, 1965).

Teardrop (Pig)
circa 1960, extreme version of the Pig design with the tail widened and the nose further narrowed

template / plan shape / outline / profile
1. The two external curves that proscribe the outer dimensions of a board when viewed in plan, either the deck or the bottom.

According to Leonardo da Vinci, there are three basic template shapes, essentially determined by the location of the widest point.
Adjustment of the wide point varies the ratio of nose area to tail area.

Double Ender.
The wide point (Wp) is located close to the middle of he board.
Most obvious in the Double Ender, but the nose and tail templates do not have to be, and often are not, similar.

Foil.
The wide point (Wp) is located towards to the nose of he board.
Also commonly called a Gun template, the template was classically associated with high speed on large waves.

Pig.
The wide point (Wp) is located towards to the tail of he board.
The template was classically associated with high manoureability on small waves.
The name first used commercially by Dale Velsey, circa 1956.

template (2) A timber pattern with one straight edge and one curved edge, used by a shaper to mark out the shape of a board by inverting along the centre line.

Textured deck
a nonslip surface incorporated into a layer of filler resin on the deck of a board.
Common alternatives are foam dust, sugar and a fine wire screen applied and removed at the gel point (the most difficult).
See sugar deck, Slipcheck

thickness
distance from bottom to the deck in cross section, usually measured at the wide point.

Thruster
1980 design by Simon Anderson fitted three similar fins on the current No-nose single fin design in a response to small wave domination of Mark Richards’ Twin fin.
Familiar with the Twin fin 1, Tri fin 1971, Flyers (Wings), Bonzer and the Twin fin 2, Simon was inspired by a rear stabilizing fin/box fitted to a twin fin.
Wins in the Coke, Bells and Pipeline contests in 1981 demonstrated the validity of the design and by 1986 it dominated the market.
*An Experiment : Any sub 8 ft board built 1968 to 1980 with the fin/s replaced by a suitable sized set of Thruster fins would surf as good as its original setup, if not better.

TinklerTail
a flexible tail section, ajusted by three sprung bolts and covered by a black plastic cowling.
Designed and patented (# 3.902207) by Tinkler Brothers, New Zealand, circa 1975 - 1976, and made available as Diamond, Swallow or Flyer Swallow tail add-on to manufacturers.
An extreme of George Greenough/Bob McTavish Flex theory, the appliance's weight negatated any other advantage.
Example at Surfworld Museum, Torquay, by Wayne Lynch, Swallow tail, circa 1978 - loaned by Russell Graham.
See Plans and Specifications...1976 TinklerTail

tint
colouring agent added to laminate resin resulting in a transparent finish, pre 1973.

toe-in
the angle of the base of a side fin relative to the centreline.

tow in
catching a wave using a mechanically powered craft, commonly an inflatable or jetski, and tow rope in the manner of water skiing.
First credited to Bob Simmons with a speedboat at Newport Beach in 1939.
Further use in ...

Toothpick
see Australian Racing 16, Hollow board (Tom Blake) term circa 1940’s.

tongue
fin tab,

Tracker (1)
1968 design by Bob McTavish (Keyo Surfboards)
a sub 8 ft Mini gun template with small squared tail and Greenough fin.
Commonly with a glue-line stringer or stringer-less blank and deck patches.
Also see Ski.

Tracker (2)
Model name for Bob McTavish at Morey-Pope Surfboards (USA) circa 1968.

Not the design above (1) , but a modified V-bottom design for the US market.

Morey-Pope Surfboards Tracker by Bob McTavish, 1968.

Tracker (3)
Surfwear and accessories comany, circa 1970-1976.

Note the Tracker Drag Shute, see Glossary D.

trailing edge
rearmost edge of a board or fin.

Transition boards
various board designs 1967 to 1970 that saw the evolution of plus 9 ft to sub 6 ft boards.
See Stubby, Vee-pin, Mini-gun, Tracker

Tri-fin
large central fin with two very small rail fins.
First use 1971, following experimentation with the Twin fin #1, credited to Sam Hawke, Owl Chapman, Corky Carroll, others.
Early reports of plastic side fins with adhesive backed base, marketed as an add-on to existing single fin boards.
Australian application by Bob McTavish (Bennett Surfboards), Terry Fitzgerald (Shane Surfboards), Paul and Rick Neilson (Neilson Bros. Surfboards).
Further application by Mike Eaton/ Campbell Bros. (USA) Bonzer design, 1973.
Common use on Peter Crawford Slab kneeboards, Crozier Surfboards1973 to 1986.
Influence on Simon Anderson’s Thruster design, Energy Surfboards 1981.
Revised by Terry Fitzgerald Drifta design, Hot Buttered Surfboards 1986.
Extensive use since 1990 on plus 8 ft longboards.
Not to be confused with Thruster fins.

trim section
area of a board where the rider achieves maximum straight line speed.
See sweet spot, longboard, short board.

tri-plane hull
double concave planing surface, consisting of a shallow concave on each side of the stringer from the centre to the tail of the board.
Possibly by Greorge Greenough/Michael Cundith, Sky Surfboards 1978.
Also Al Merrick, Channel Islands Surfboards (USA) 19xx.

tucked rail
a rounded rail that has a hard edge accentuated by a flat or concave bottom.
First credited to Joey Cabell (Hawaii) 1971.
Featured on Nat Young Pintail 1971 to 1980.

Tunnel fin
1. an elliptical blade, in cross section, with two bases set straddling the stringer.
2..central fin with tubular section half way up from the base.
See Turbo-fin

Turbo fin

a single fin with a hollow tubular section parallel to the stringer incorporated half way up from the base.

Twin Fin
a board with two similar fins placed near opposite rails at the tail.
First credited to Tom Blake circa 1943, Image right.
Several models by Bob Simmons (USA) circa 1950.
Around this time this fin setup became common on Paipos and bellyboards, and is still occasionally seen on Boogie boards today.
See A Brief History of the Twin Fin

Twin Fin #1
circa 1970 by Mike Eaton / Rolf Arness / Corky Carroll / David Nuuihwa (all USA)
Imported to Australia in 1970-1 by Tom Hoye (USA) where design had a strong following in Sydney, particularly at Narrabeen where McCoy was the dominant label.
Although the design quickly disappeared in Australia, a small following continued in the USA (Steve Lis) with the development of the Fish.
This was to influence the…

Twin Fin #2
1976 Mark Richards (via Reno Aberllo, Hawaii) which was the dominant small wave board design 1977 – 1981.
Also note Butterfly fin.

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Geoff Cater (1999-2020) : Appendix- Glossary T.
http://www.surfresearch.com.au/agt.html