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I would like to either build or buy a 176-180 swallow tail. how do the manufactured ones take the ice and crud snow if you get caught in poor conditions? I haven't ridden a swallow tail since my woody 145 and my 165 cruiser, forever.
Also, if I do a DIY swallow tail what is a good common shape? Are there a few standard dimensions that I can follow or get somewhat exotic on my own w/ the shape?
Thanks,
Ryon

Most of the production swallowtails have foam/or other dampning in the core. They are not ideal candidates for splitting, but I suppose it could be done. I just got a 181 Nitro Sabre and I believe it does have some rubber damping in the mix. I liked the Voile split swallowtail I was able to ride, and it is probably the best way to do a split swallowtail. As far as a DIY, find a bigger freeride board with a good sized nose. Nose shape and flex are as/more important as the tail cutout. For ideas on the shape for the tail, look at all the available factory boards (swallowtail) and decide. On a DIY, I'd use something along the shape of the Voile/Nitro, and maybe a mix of that and the O-sin 4807. The bigger European guns have a different tail than Voile/Nitro style. Those, like the Phenix, and the Rossi Big Gun, are designed for high speed riding. You could reinforce the tail after you are done with a fiberglass layup, seen it done on a K2 Eldo. Pics of it over on Bomberonline if you are interested. Happy modding!

Pretty sure there's no foam in these:



You'd have to be a brave and determined man to take a saw to one though!

Voile have a sale price on the SD78
http://www.voile-usa.com/Merchant2/merc ... de=1110-78
I'm waiting for one... )

/Gunnar

Ryon,
I have been thinking about selling my 172 Prior Split-swallow. I really like the board. Only reason to sell it would be to try someting else.
It is a few seasons old so it has the obligatory top sheet scratches and edge scrapes but the base is in really good shape. I would guess that is has about twenty days of riding on it...
Buzz me if you are interested. I can send you some photos that capture details so you can have a close look at it.
(Board would come with the Voile skins and hardware..naturally)
Cheers,
Jim

Well, if I had the money to buy one of those, I'd have the money to have them build me a split one! Go watch the build videos on the Phenix website, they take you through the whole layup on one. Very cool and educational, too.

That is a nice looking snowboard.
I have a 169 older, rock, splitboard that I want to cut a swallow into just to check it out. If it rips then I will either split my own or buy one. I enjoy building them, but it seems like they blow up after about two years w/DIY boards. I figured if it was somewhat of a special condition board it may last longer due to having less days on it. My biggest concern is breaking it, specifically the tail, if I got thrown into some junk snow and launched into the backseat somehow. I get to go 3-6 days a week and would love to have a deep snow sorta board and then the mtnmojo for all other. Do they seem to ride ice and crud fairly well?
Maunakea, after I do some hacking away I may be getting back to you, thanks.
Ryon

ryon, all swallowtails are fragile. No hockey stops on hardpack, you can kill one quick doing that. Guys air 'em out all the time, but if you land hard in the back seat, you will have a bigger chance of breakage. If you aren't a gorrilla, they will handle hardpack/garbage ok, but they are a special use tool.

not that special use. Guys and girls in La Grave ride them all year, whatever the conditions. They're pretty good in the crud, too. The big spatule at the front acts like suspension when you hammer into some nasty stuff. Not sure if it would be my ideal "quiver of one" though!

That one up up there is a Swell Panik Global. Apparently, it's much more of an all round board than his other shapes!

Well, the big euro swallowtails are a little different game than the Nitro/Voile stuff we get here. Phenix/Swellpanik/Pogo boards are another game, one I don't have the coin right now to buy into. Though the early Nitro swallows were fairly narrow in the waist, and would carve, as would the big Undertakers. Still, all in all, they are special use tools. A big Rad-Air Tanker is a better all-rounder, though, in my mind.

Ryon,
To split or not to split...it has always been difficult for me to imagine a DIY split standing up to a lot of use...That steel edge all the way around each half of the split and in particular in the tail section just seems...well...the right way to go...

So BTW...where are you located in ID?...I have a good pal that lives in Haley but he works in Ketchum....and I promised him I'd visit before the end of Feb for a couple of days of BC....perhaps the timing would work out to where I'd be in your area and you could check out the board and in a perfect world there might be a chance for you to ride the board....
I have it set up for "regular foot" with what I consider to be my "surfing angles" for the binding positions...34 degrees on the front and 24 degrees on the backfoot...

Hey and since this is an open discussion it might be fun to hear opinions on angles for bindings on powder boards...

maunakea,
I am about 3 hours from Hailey in Pocatello. If you are comming up I-15 to get to Hailey then you will drive right by. If you have time I'll check the board out or we could just get a good day in splitting. I head up past Hailey yurting for the next week and I'll be back the 6th.
As for the DIY's it seems to be hit or miss. I have one that has been great for about 5 years and the others generally make it two or three. They get pretty abused though with roughly 50 days in the bc a year, they should probably break. Most of my solids break each year length wise about 6 or 7 inches in front of my front foot about an inch off center to my heel. I'm not sure what thats about but the split halves that break are in similar spots, but just pop in half.
Stance angles have been the same for me over tha past 10 years at about f40 and r minus 15-20, I am ducked. I am not much of a jibber anymore but the stance stuck. I tried to go forward out of the duck but couldn't take it.
let me know when your comming through. Scrubfest is only about two hours from here on the 22 or so.
Ryon

Ryon,
Got it and Thanks for the update.

The last time I visited my friend and his wife I flew into Bosie and drove to Haley (Haily?) and then back to Boise...It was a cool drive for the middle of summer but in winter I'm guessing that flying right into the Ketchum area is easier. Plus they can pick me up and I don't have to deal with a car. BTW the mt. biking is epic in that area...that is why I'd like to try some BC there...huge open faces and now all the sage is under many feet of snow...yikes...

If I'm flying into to Sun Valley there won't be a chance for a drive by..however, I'll let you know when I'm headed up there in the event that you want to make the trek for some turns.

Keep working on your split project..If you need pics of my swallowtail let me know..we had a few hours of sun a few days ago and I took some photos...

My BC pal down here in Cal (I'm in Pleasanton) and I are headed up to Tahoe this weekend..If the weather permits we're going to try for Mt.Tallac otherwise it'll be Ralston or the East face of Stevens....