Squire - MP Fangtail (Moonrocket)
Fangtail ( aka Moonrocket )
The Michael Peterson Fangtail is a special surfboard. MP was successful on it in the PaBendall competition but only ever made 6 of these apparently, so its quite a rare and almost mysterious design. A great example of how MP was always trying to be one step of his competitors in not only his surfing, but in his boards as well. He was a great designer /shaper and ahead of his time in many ways...The Fangtail is a real talking piece for any surfboard collection, or if you just want to ride something unique and with that special link to the great MP....
During 1974 and 1975, Peterson shaped a 6'6", six-channel triple-flyer pintail at his own factory, a surfboard that became known by several names: the 'Moonrocket', the 'Fangtail' or the 'Christmas Tree'. The fang-like flyers at the back of the board and the finger-deep channels also made it a glasser's nightmare, a role held at Peterson's factory by Peter Evans at the time.
The Moonrocket was Peterson's secret weapon for the Pa Bendall contest at the start of 1975, held at Caloundra on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, and Peterson's victory earned him an AUS$2000 prize, continuing his run of success from 1974.