Twin fins

How do they ride?

here u go greeny;..............enjoy (from the gear reviews section...check out bj's reply)


The Twin Fin Insight by Marcilio Browne and Nik Baker

Why coming back to the twin wheareas other board brand tried it about ten
years ago already ?

The twin fins disappeared ten years ago because this concept was working only in side-off shore wind condition. At this time, Polakow came around with his radical style and followed the single-fin. His boards were more general-purpose to ride on every spot in all conditions. In the last ten years we have learned a huge amount with rockers, outlines and bottom shapes along with drastically improved CNC fins and higher performing sails which has allowed us to take advantage once again of the twin fin development direction.

In general the easiest difference we can notice, with a twin fin is you can carve easier and you stay closer to the more critical part of the wave all with less effort from the rider. But be aware that the shorter fins provide the board with less lift, which means it takes time to get the feeling for early planing. A single fin is more accessible, but a twinser is going better up-wind and is more stable.

But now lets have a closer look to the new Twin fin concept :

How are the two fins working ?
Where we placed one fin before, we now have two smaller fins spaced out by a controlled distance, this gives you more control of the board. The twinser needs smaller fins with a particular shape as the impact on the fins changed completely. In fact, the fins are much more important than on a single, a bad set of fins makes the board out of control and spins out.

What is the interest of the twinser ?
And in which conditions can we use it ?

The main advantages for a twinzer is to loosen up the board for wave riding and gibing. it allows the board to complete the turn in a much smaller radius also with less effort than a single fin. This is most welcomed in smaller less powerful waves. The twinser makes you more active on the wave, the space between the two fins offers a better control and a better carving. The rail and the fins stay better on the critical part of the wave. The smaller fins permit to be more radical and to give more power on the top turn and still keeping all the control. Even if you carve fully banked into a turn there is always at least one fin in the water at any time.


How does the shape differentiate from a normal wave board

Firstly the Twin Fins are shorter. between 7'4" and 7'7" they are also wider which helps increase planning on such a short board. We have a very low amount of tail kick but added vee which is different form all other wave style boards. This allows such a short board with the twin fins to get going quickly and have a good top speed for jumping and sailing in onshore conditions. The added vee in the board is what makes the board turn. It is also important to have a flatter rocker for planning and speed. When you put the board on the rail in turns the vee in the board acts as a rocker out on the rails and this is what provides the board with looseness. On most wave boards you get the turning ability from the rocker in the board along the centre line.

What should a customer consider when riding a Twin Fin :

The board should have 4-5 litres more volume as it has a lack of acceleration compared to a normal wave board. The general sailing characteristics compared to a normal board are that they feel like it takes longer to get going as the fins are shorter so it feels like there is less lift. You can ride a board with more volume and still have the control which is great for onshore or gusty conditions. The boards are very turny but what makes that also good is the little effort it takes to get them to turn.

What kind of fins should be used?

For example, we have designed 3 fin sizes for the 3 models (76 / 84 / 92) : 15.5cm, 16.5cm and 17.5cm.
These are of a similar design to our normal wave fins but for their size they are slightly stiffer. They are designed to have as little drag as possible as you have two of them so this will add to the speed of the board.

How do the fins differentiate to a normal wave board?
Well they are a little bit different: much shorter and a different outline. It is important to scale them down and to increase the stiffness as this improves the planing and control.

Which kind of positions is suited for the fins? How should the fins be placed…both next to each other, or when sailing starboard tack which fins needs to be placed more forward..
For most people they should have the fins positioned in the middle of the box's and both inline with each other. For more advanced sailor in side shore conditions you can move the fin which is used mostly on the bottom turn side further back to get a more drawn out turn if the wave is bumpy or really big for extra control. Also in small waves the more experienced riders can move both fins forwards to make the board even more loose.

For example, if there are 3 sizes existing, 76 / 84 / 92….up to which size of sail you can use the different sizes (consider the lack of volume / acceleration) ?

We would recommend to use the 76l Board up to 5,0qm, the 84 up to 5,7qm and the 92l Twin Fin Board up to 6,2qm. This can obviously differentiate depending on the riders skill level and conditions. As said it is very important to consider that it take a while to get the new planing feeling – once you are used to it you will enjoy a completely new wave riding sensation and from now on you can ride waves like Kauli, Marcilio, Jason or Nick

its not exactly the answer but it answers some elements of the ride, and how it works.

scrole down to "Quatro 2008 twinfin info." (about half to 3/4 of the way down)

quatrowindsurfing.com/videos/

this should explain shape.


v shape is, as it looks, a / on the bottom of the board,


double concave is also as is sound to concaves eitehr side of the center eg //

hope that helps

the other thought that crosses my mind, (no idea if it is correct) is that

V is closer to the nose with twinnies, and v is used for Slicing throught oncoming chop and the one rail is engaged most of the time, and with a twinnie the turn is inuitaited furtehr up on the rail.

and the double concave is for controle, both rail should be riding in the water with the water being fuller uner the board,( That is ofcoarse for the way out to the break)

oh and here is someone else does it.

that uses parabolic rocker lines etc...

http://www.witchcraft.nu/shapeseries.php

I think twin fins are nice

I think they are crap and yet another fad. You have less choice in replacement fins, and if you really overcook it in a turn you can suddenly end up with one fin in the water (where a single would still have all of it submerged).
All of the advantages can be realised by clever shaping.

i really like there design concepts. and their board look great graphically.