Twin Fin Surfboards
The twin fin surfboard originated among the hip groovers and pace setters of the California surf scene in the late 1960's while some surfers were still chopping feet off their longboards.. They had hit the shores of Australia around this time when Floyd Smith of Gordon & Smith fame brought one over on a trip to show and give his team riders to surf. I know because I ended up with that particular board as my very own first surfboard at twelve years of age after a well known Boris Perese had thrashed it to death. Hey! I was just given my first surfboard for FREE. I had no problem sorting the needed repairs to get it water tight and back in the waves. The year was 1972 and it looked just like the board to the right but with the famous G&S logo
Those particular twin fins later became known as Phase 1 twin fins and resembled a cross between the modern day mini simmons with wide tail section and a hybrid type fun board nose. They were shaped with "S" deck, wide tails, flat bottoms and often very low or pinched rails with the twin fins being set not far from the tail. Those boards were really ahead of their time, a prelude to what was to come later in the seventies as shapers kept experimenting. TWIN FINS IN THE 70's& 80's In 1978-79 I was working at Skipp surfboards in Wollongong when Terry Richardson was producing some very effective lightweight and super fast twins while he was on the pro tour but of course it was Mark Richards who really brought this design to fame and Martin Potter kept them living for a while afterward as well. All these guys along with Larry Bertleman really knew how to surf them to their best capacity. If you are old enough to remember these heady days you will certainly remember some of the moves that were captured both in still shots and in movies. The design and shape of these popular boards have changed a lot over the years but the principal remains the same and now a variety of them can be seen on just about any beach on any given day of the week. I was a big fan of the twinny but I loved them even more when I had a small stabilizer fin in the back. I have even resorted at times to surfing 8'ers as twinnies with a stabilizer and I reckon that's a really good way to loosen the bigger boards up. You wont see many guys doing this as most people simply follow what comes before them with out much personal experimentation. TWIN FIN DYNAMICS The ultimate dynamics of the twin fin surfboards was about rip tear and lacerate . These boards were really loose, extremely fast and very maneuverable but they did have one drawback... if you could call it a drawback. If you pushed hard enough with your back foot you could send them into reverse without any trouble (because of not having the trailing center fin) thus they were easy to perform the 360 with. For the cheaters, the helicopter 360 and for the carvers, the full arc 360. But these boards certainly needed to be nurtured with care in solid waves. Without the stabilizing affect of a trailing fin the board would simply pivot on the one fin being used through the turn making them extremely snappy and very quick through a tight arc. Some guys were able to overcome the spinning out or sliding effect by keeping their center of gravity low and getting the board on rail, this would provide enhanced styled to the individual but it certainly needed to be worked on if it didn't come easy. I say this because most surfers of the time stood close to bolt upright. Next time you get on a twinny work on keeping your knees bent and staying low and you will discover what I mean. Sadly, by the end of the 80's the twin fins which were highly esteemed for sloppy surf conditions and usually waves under 5 feet became obsolete as the thruster became part of every surfer's quiver and the favored old twin fin was relegated to the hall of fame or at least the racks in the back of the garage. MODERN DAY TWIN FINS Today the twin fin surfboard comes in a variety of plan shapes, widths and thicknesses. With the resurgence of all things old, the twinny has once again raised its head to be counted worthy of recognition as a board that will provide quick acceleration and some very loose turning in small junky wave conditions unless of course your twinny happens to be the retro style fish with keel fins, then the emphasis will be on groovin' and styling with speed of course. Check out our modern range of twin fins, we believe in keeping things simple that's why we only have 3 to choose from but they all provide the necessary ingredients for being able to get the best from your surf in small, clean or junky waves regardless of it's 1foot or 5foot. View information on the following boards | retro twin fin | 70's twin fin | modern twin fin | |
Twin fins are built for speed & looseness
Archival Photos of twin fin surfing in the late 70's
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