Got to spend some time with the Ivan Van Vuuren & the Coreban crew at the Noosa Surf Festival and we did a trip to Double Island Point and these guys were riding there boards as twin fins moving the front set back to the rear boxes and they were ripping.When I got home I tried a set of Rastas "Sea Sheperds" in my 8-10.
My board is alot narrower in the tail so I put the "Sea Sheperds" in my front boxes......how did it go? I am a pronounced Quad freak these fins have a big concave on the inside and the base is very long almost overlapping my rear boxes this gives amazing grip not quiet as much drive as the quad but the board just hook turns on dime and pulls the board over on it's rail letting you really drive off the bottom turn and back around on the cut back. I surfed Straddie all Easter shoulder to shoulder with the short board riders getting full on stand up pits.
The board stuck like sh!t to blanket on the steepest drops and I got the best stand up shacks I ever had faaaaarking insane try the twin set up you'll be impressed.
Rob
I think Adam Snow tried this on his 7'8 a few months ago and loved it too.
The Sea Sheppard fins look radical we have be trialing MR TXs and they rock , almost the size of an old twinny side fin. Huge drive and stability but we combine them with a cutaway center. Maybe we should chuck out the center fin.
Something else to try.
Phill
Yeah Phill give it a go as just a twiny ...surprising results.
Mac we ended up calling that Ivan's forehand layback he normally follows that with a big cutback.
Rob
Riding my 8'11 as a twin fin at the moment due to a busted front fin box and in the bigger surf I absolutely love it. No probs sliding out on the face of a big one and it seems to have more speed getting around critical sections. However in small surf it doesn't turn as free as the quad set up.
So would riding a board with twin fins in small waves not work? Would the board not turn as well? Also is the drive with a twin set up better than a thruster set up?
I bought the Rasta keels a few months ago and tried them on my JL Mano 9.
Only had quick two surfs in small waves, picked up some slide, held in fine, but really missed the drive, to me the board felt very slow and vague, particularly off the first bottom turn, so took them out.
Would it be that they work better in place of a quad setup then thruster?
Will have to try them again if those who know more than me say they are fun.
Cheers
Hey Rob , Cool photo white coreban board,
Sounds like ya had a ripping good time on the island, what a great wave when its on,
where you nth or sth
On the fins I Have not tried the sea sheperds but have been experimenting with fin placements. The day i tried as a twin, fins in rear only, i near shat myself on the first wave. I Couldnot believe the looseness and the way the board bottom turned, just a quick snap and the thing just rocketed of the bottom, in a hollow headhigh shutting down beachbreak.
Was only making 50 % of waves and getting slammed or flicking out on the rest. Next day took the twinnie out in messy 3 ft beachbreak to see the difference. it just felt like a golfclub with a crap shaft in it, Tired. Came back in and put the other pair back in.
Mick
Kagey said..
What are the benefits of riding as a twin fin? does it just create looseness or does it do more than that?
The one big stand out feature for me is I'm now getting the board on it's rail which means I turn faster and harder. My rails are really pulled over on a thin tail so thats probably why it's making such a big difference to my board compared to other boards with softer rails.
Rob
This whole topic is super interesting to me.
As a previous employee of a fin company I have just a couple of fin sets. With every board I get I run through a whole process of dialling in what feels right for me to maximise my own kooky level of surfing.
I usually start with a familiar set of fins and then go up, down and sideways to get to the best feeling.
SAYING all of this though, Piros, you have inspired me to get off the beaten path and try some weird stuff. Thanks mate, FCS have some 3 plug fins similar in Nature to these Rasta fins. I might have to try this out.........
It would seem logical that in removing a rear centre fin on thrusters = less drag.. should be faster.
So paid my $160 for some Rasta keel fins as I had read on standupzone about a guy raving about them in JL Mano’s.
I found without the rear fin to pump and lever against definitely less drive & acceleration which creates the speed in the first place.
But intrigued again now so will try them again
maybe speed with regards to fins can be more for more fin area as it is "catching" the energy of the wave, no fin = no or little energy caught, big fin or fins "catch" more energy????/ does this sound right?
Piros good to see your charging stand up pits at Straddy with all the shorties very impressed keep up the good work bro.
I have often thought about trying the Naish 9 6" as a twinnie, stay tuned I will give it a run!
I have been riding my batwing setup as a twinnie with the rasta sea sheperds for a long while now including the noosa comp. As quoted in the feedback i gave the future fin guys 'In small waves it gives the board a controllable looseness with speed'
Anything over 4' I change back to a quad with FF controllers.