Many longboards and cruisers nowadays have a kicktail. So what does the term “kicktail longboard” mean?
Kicktail longboards often refer to pintail-style boards with the pin-shaped tail replaced with a true kicktail! These boards have the advantages of a pintail but without the main drawback – the lack of proper kick for kick turns and curb hops.
In this post, I’ll discuss these “augmented” pintails, then I’ll go over the different styles of longboards and the type of kicks typically found on them.
Kicktail longboards: pintails on steroids
The term kicktail longboard is often use for a pintail WITHOUT a “pin” tail but with a kicktail instead. Here’s what a true pintail looks like:
And here’s a kicktail longboard:
As you can see from the above, these two longboards have a very similar shape except for the tail. The outline has a narrow aspect, widest around 1/3 from the nose and tapering down toward the tail.
The pintail board has a flat and really narrow, pointed tail, while the kicktail board has a wider (diamond shaped here) angled kick:
Likewise, Landyachtz has both pintail and kicktail longboards in its lineup, for example:
Besides augmented pintail types, other shapes with kicks are also often included in the kicktail longboard category e.g. the 42.2″ Landyachtz Big Dipper:
This longboard has a different outline compared to pintails, and the kicktail is relatively flat albeit functional.
Features of kicktail longboards
Like pintails, kicktail lonboards generally have a long wheelbase, resulting in a smooth and stable ride. Their narrow width and aspect ratio makes for a playful, surfy ride with lots of flow, and also provide good control over the rails for more aggressive riding.
These boards are designed primarily for lower speed carving and allow you to lean deep into your carves. Like pintails, their topmount design and flowy RKP trucks give you a tight turning, agile and responsive ride.
The kicktail makes these longboards more versatile than pintail e.g. for urban commuting and sidewalk hopping. The kick also allows you to do quick turns despite the longer wheelbase.
Kicktail longboards generally have a mellow concave and subtle rocker for subtle but helpful foot lock-in when riding.
Kicktail longboards are also sometimes referred to as single kick carvers.
Types of longboard with kicktails
So-called “kicktail longboards” are just one type of longboards with kicktails. Many other types of longboards also have one or more kicks. Let’s break down the types longboards based on their kick:
Mini-cruisers
Mini-cruisers are typically single-kick, surf-shaped boards with deck length under 30″ e.g. the Loaded Ballona.
Mini cruisers generally have a short but wide kick, with a decent angle to provide good leverage for ollies and obstacle hopping when doing urban riding.
Cruisers
Cruisers are also surfboard-shapes with lengths typically in the 30″ to 34″ range, with a functional kicktail. Cruisers often feature a significant kick for easy and nimble city navigation and fun trickery.
Some cruisers also have a small nose kick, adding to the board’s versatility, playfulness, “slashiness”, and ability to do kick and flip tricks.
There are also single-kick cruisers (no nose), sometimes with a wider or deeper tail kick.
Hybrid longboards
So-called hybrid longboards are a mix of traditional street skateboard and longboard features, namely the ability to run larger longboard trucks and wheels. These longboards generally come with double kicks to allow street-like tricks and skatepark riding.
Good examples include the Landyachtz ATV (32″) and the Arbor Axel Serrat Pro (34″ or 39″).
Learn more about hybrid skatebords/longboards here.
Symmetrical cutouts
Symmetrical cutout longboards most often (nut not always) have a drop-through design and are generally designed for easy cruising, distance pushing, and fast freeride. Some models, however, are also designed with freestyle in mind and come with small double kicks at the tips:
Directional cutouts
Directional (asymmetrical) cutout longboards also most often have a drop-through design. These boards are primarily meant for efficient carving and easy commuting. Some have a kicktail to facilitate quick turns when navigating the streets or carving down moderate hills.
The Sector 9 Striker is a great example of a directional carving longboard with a kicktail:
Dancing & freestyle longboards
Dancer/freestyle longboards are generally very large topmount platforms with large symmetrical kicktail and nose kick:
The large double kicks are relatively mellow angled to allow more room for board walking and cross-stepping, essentially increasing the size of the foot platform.
On the other hand, the kicks need to have a decent length and width to allow for kick and flip freestyle tricks often mixed-in for modern longboard dancing.
Read more about dancing longboards here.
Longboards without kicks
While most longboards have at least one kick, some have no kicks as their primary focus is either on mellow cruising or carving, or on high-speed downhill and racing.
These include:
- Pure pintails (see earlier): pintail list
- Some drop-through longboards: drop-through list
- Most drop-down (drop deck) longboards: drop down list
- Dedicated bullet-shaped downhill longboards: downhill board list
- Dedicated pumping setups: examples
For example, in contrast to Loaded’s Basalt Tesseract, a freeride longboard with large double kicks for freeride and sliding, the Truncated Tesseract is a pure downhill board with no kicks at all.
A longboard’s design in terms of kicks depends on its target riding styles and capabilities. Case in point, the Loaded Tesseract (review) comes in 3 versions that vary in size and number of kicks:
Tesseract
Tesseract
Tesseract
- The 39″ Basalt Tesseract is a dual-kick longboard for riding hills but also has freestyle and dancing abilities
- The 36″ single-kick Cantellated Tesseract is primarily designed for high speed but the wide kick allows for serious technical slides and kick tricks
- The 33″ kick-less Truncated Tesseract is a lightweight, compact, race-inspired board designed for riding big mountain road and cornering at very high speed.
Final thoughts
Kicktails are extremely useful for added control, quicker turns, curb and obstacle hopping, and freestyle tricks. Nose kicks also add to a boards versatility and trickability, and can help for a more secure foot lock-in. Kicktail longboards often refer to pintail shapes with an added kick.
The number, size, and angle of kicks vary a lot among types of longboards, depending on the board’s riding goals. Some longboards come with no kicks so as to emphasize other features e.g. drop-through design, flat foot platform, or high-speed racing capabilities.
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Cover photo: Tunnel Flip (A.G. Photographe) with permission from Loaded Boards