Features

Increased concave locks your feet in against g-forces, while the topmounted and cambered platform provides energetic performance in and out of each carve. The width of the deck has been redistributed while maintaining subtle tapering near the trucks to provide both ample leverage and awareness of foot position while powering through turns. The formerly vestigial tail has received the silicone treatment for improved functionality in both freestyle tricks and surf-style shredding. The Fattail is also equipped with a slight nose kick for manuals and shuvits. 

Design

Armed with more sophisticated modeling software and improved experience in conceptualization and testing methods, we were able to fine tune the Fattail's shape and contours to ensure more consistent flex characteristics throughout the entire length of the standing platform when using either wheelbase.  We kept the camber of the original Pintail, increased the concave and added a nominal nose kick and a full (if chunky) kick tail.

Construction

A vertically laminated bamboo core is sandwiched between fiberglass skins. The tail is reinforced with an additional layer of fiberglass (top) and carbon fiber (bottom) for added stiffness and abrasion resistance. The bottom is finished with a bamboo veneer with a die cut water droplet pattern, which is filled with transparent urethane and a “floating” graphic to give a sense of dimensionality. 

Carbonized Bamboo

Since 2006 we've been devoted to using primarily “natural” bamboo exclusively in all our boards because natural is cleaner, right?  Wrong.  In late December 2010 we discovered that the “natural” bamboo we've been using actually involves a low toxicity bleaching process. The Fattail is constructed with a carbonized bamboo core (a cleaner process overall) and marks the beginning of our transition to carbonized bamboo in general for our lineup.

Graphics

The Fattail graphic is an extension of the artistic concept explored in the two graphics used on the Pintail. The first graphic was designed by Jamie Engelman in 2004 as a meditation on change and growth.  It was re-imagined more abstractly by Jan Michael Bennett in 2006 when we switched the Pintail from oak to bamboo. The current graphic was designed by Nana Studio (based on drawings by Daisuke Okamoto) and references the previous designs while expanding on the underlying concepts.

History

The Pintail was released in June of 2004—two years after the release of the Vanguard and a year after the release of the now defunct Fish and Hammerhead. At that point (and for a number of years following), Loaded was an uphill battle and the future was not looking too bright. Our boards were criticized for being too strange looking and quirky. We felt that form should follow function, but if we were to survive we needed to compromise aesthetically and create something more “traditional” looking. We therefore designed the standing platform of the Pintail with performance as the only design intent (at the time we had just started re-exploring tapered platforms) but let our love of surf and surf culture inspire the design for the nose, rear cutaway and tail. As of today, we're stoked to be leaving this one foray into tradition-based aesthetics behind (and, in the process, creating a more functional and possibly more beautiful board in all regards). That said, one of the primary reasons we called this board the Fattail is as a reminder of what it has taken to get to where we are.

The Fattail will be available August 1st in select skate shops worldwide.