SINGLE FINS VS TWIN FINS

SINGLE FINS 

Rewinding back to when surfing started back in the mid 1700s, surfboards were created with a just one long fin, hence called single fin. Single fin is normally found on bigger, longer board. Traditionally all malibu/longboards would have a single fin set up. Reason being, it allows the board to gain a lot of drive and speed due to the minimal drag that it has with just one fin. Due to the nature of the longer, heavier boards, a single fin allows you to do a more stylish, smoother turns, resulting in a more elegant approach of surfing. It does feel stiffer than a lot of the fin set ups but it gives that stability when the waves are powerful. 

Above - Team rider Oka surfs his classic longboard, tailored towards nose riding 

Nowadays, you can see a lot of midlengths that comes in a single fin. Depending on the surfboard models, they can be ridden in soft mushy waves to hollow pointbreaks. Legendary surfers like the Fitzgerald’s family love surfing single fins in barrels and they do beautiful long arch on their turns as a result from surfing single fins. 

A couple of things that will benefits the intermediates for riding a single fin is that not only will it allow you to learn how to stay in the power source of the wave (as you can’t pump a single fin board to generate speed) but also teaches how to lean on your rail for turns.

Pros 

-Stable
-Drivey
-Allow for smooth turns
-Set your line nicely in a barrel
-Can be surfed on both small or bigger and powerful waves

Cons 

-Can feel a bit stiff

Above - One of latest midlengths, the Double Ender can be set up as either a Single Fin or Twin Fin to suit your preference

TWIN FINS 

In 1976, Australian surfer Mark Richards – inspired by Reno Abellira’s surfing on a fish and schooled by Shortboard Revolution forerunner Dick Brewer – began refining his own version of a twin-fin surfboard design. MR’s twin-fin had the potential to produce more speed and facilitate greater manoeuvrability compared to its single-fin predecessor.

Above - Team rider Jun and brand manager Dicky opting for unique and stylish lines on their Twin Fins

Twin fins are found on fish surfboards. The combination of that short, stubby and thick profile of the board, with having 2 big fins on the sides, allow you to have a lot of drive yet some sort of hold due to the big surface areas on the fins plus that bite from the swallow tail on the board. The lack of center fin makes the board loose and easy to do turns. Definitely an addictive board that should be in all surfer’s quiver!



Pros 

-Fast
-Easy to manoeuvre
-Allow surfers to experience to draw different lines on the wave

Cons 

-Generally only for small, and weaker waves
-Can be a bit too loose

Above - Our updated Twin Loves is a classic Fish designed for speed, speed and more speed

Conclusion 

In conclusion, there’s no comparison between the two fin set ups. They serve their own purposes and surf completely different to each other. It comes down to what you feel like doing on a wave and what feels good under your feet.