Greetings to one and all from Gnaraloo.
Have had 3 days sailing on the twin fin in head high to logo waves.
I was a little skeptical regarding all the hype surrounding the twin fin but have to say the board has BLOWN MY MIND.
At 90 odd kilo the board is a sinker for me but with the wind we have been getting it has not been a problem.

The board allows you to drive really hard off the bottom while producing phenominal speed.
It feels tight and locked in through the rail BUT allows you to turn the board effortlessly.
This may sound like a contradiction but what I am trying to describe is how the board feels super maneuverable without feeling twitchy or skatey.
It allows you to carve tighter through the bottom turn without loosing speed or drive (rail hold) than I have experienced on a single fin.
Where the board really comes into its own is off the top.
You can push it so hard with your back foot that the sheet of spray it produces is amazing (even for a kook like me)
You just keep standing on the tail and driving through your hips until the board breaks free and slides - to recover you simply lift your toes on your back foot and the board pulls back beneath you.
Transition from rail to rail (bottom turn to off the top) is tight and controlled.
I am running the standard JP fins which I have found super grippy while still allowing a amazing amount of turn.
I expected the board to be super slidey (especially off the bottom) but this has definately not been the case.
It could also be the fact that I have a bit more weight to push through the board which allows the board to carve around. Some of the lighter guys mentioned that they thought the fins felt a little too stiff... but at 75 kilo's he is a whippet and the board is a full on light winder for him.

Wind range is pretty impressive. Have sailed it from a 5.4, 4.7 down to a 4.4 and it goes a treat.

Awesome board to jump as it feels a smaller than it's 84 liters in the air.
The short nose gives the impression of being stubby and flat (little rocker) but I think this is more to do with the graphics on the board as I have had no problems with the nose catching or submerging.
It tracks up wind as well as any wave board and also has a definite top speed... but this in my opinion is no differnt to a single or a thruster.

Hope to have some pictures up soon along with a more detailed report after a few more days in the waves.

In short, super impressed and can't wait to try pushing the limits on the board. It's definately a case of the rider holding back the performance and not the other way around
I am super stoked with it so far and cant keep the grin off my face !

Kev

Just adding to the post after a heap more waves on this board... and the grin is just getting bigger

I have been able to starting playing around with some of the settings on the board to feel the difference it makes.
Was out on a 5.4 the day before yesterday and was able to point as high as most people out on the water and was able to get the board planning quicker than most.
The number of waves you can catch on this board is ridiculious and with its snappy responsiveness even small little ones leave you grinning like a chessire cat.

For its size the board has an amassing amount of pop... by being able to turn super tightly without loosing speed means you can set yourself up to be behind the lip and then drive off the bottom allowing you to either outrun the section, float over it or if you are capable simply point at the lip, sheet in and hold on for the ride while the boards pops up and out and over the top of the lip to land back in front again.

For those of you unsure about the twin fin and all the alleged marketing hype, all I can suggest is try one and find out for yourself... I am super stoked with the performance and fun factor of this board.
So much so in fact that I will be posting in the for sale section as I have 3 wave boards I will now be selling after ridding the twin fin.

Kev

hey kev are you over there with gunter? make sure you hide the cupcakes

oh and your right, the twinnies rip.

any video footage of all this ripn it up? If so it better be good.

Doubt there will be any footage, Kev has never done a bottom turn let alone a cutback that throws a sheet of spray.

I wanna see some footage of a REAL cutback.

Here's me ripping a big bottom turn at Gnaraloo

Kev

hey fellas,

I have been over there with Kev for the last 2 1/2 weeks... great wave sailing btw.

There IS video footage as well as photos. I am still catching up on some work but will be uploading some pix soon.

RE the 84 twin fin, I actually managed to take it out for a spin the last day we were there. I sailed it with a 5.4 and 4.7 and had direct comparison to my own 82 '08 RWW.

I won't wax on philosophically like Kev about how I ripped on that board and threw lots of spray. If you are in the market for the 82 RWW wave or similar you should give the 84 JP twin fin come consideration.... especially if you are a heavier sailor like myself. It found the 84 planed a touch earlier than the 82 RWW, it seemed to be just as fast and obviously turned a lot better once you get on the wave.

Overall I am not entirely sure how much the twin fin concept contributed to the overall performance of the board. We compared the RWW and the twinny and found that the shapes were actually quite similar.

The only problem I now have is that I want one of those boards. Sam, in case you are reading this, I hope you still have one in the shop.

A quick note on durability, I actually got munched end over end by pretty solid wave using the twinny and a brand new 5.4 '09 Alpha. Luckily it wasn't my gear so the care factor was pretty low. Having seen people go down in similar fashion the previous days with all of them breaking masts and destroying their sails I really thought I was in for a big swim. To my surprise everything popped out with not even scratch.

Dan, as I told you before not all of us can fit into the anorexic chain smoker category. Sadly though no cup cakes in Gnaraloo... so had to go on a beer diet and to my surprise lost 5 kgs... and no it wasn't because I was s..ting my self due to the conditions.

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stehsegler said...



A quick note on durability, I actually got munched end over end by pretty solid wave using the twinny and a brand new 5.4 '09 Alpha. Luckily it wasn't my gear so the care factor was pretty low. Having seen people go down in similar fashion the previous days with all of them breaking masts and destroying their sails I really thought I was in for a big swim. To my surprise everything popped out with not even scratch.

It's amazing how hard most people are prepared to go on borrowed gear ... your end over forwards had me squirming from my vantage point on the beach.
The spray from the landings were as big as some of the splashes from the jumping whales !
Pressure point loading of 115kg must have been pretty extreme
No denying the boards construction after dealing with that type of abuse !

Kev

hey hey... I am only 110kg these days and on my way down... gearing up to get back to my normal weight and hopefully kick a.s again on smaller sails...

keep going gunther you doing well. We're all here to support you on your mission my podgy friend

oh forgot to ask. I saw the helmet mounted camera you found for sam, where could one obtain such a toy?

??? not me... but try GoProCamera.com . They should be able to point you at a dealer...

I think it may have been kev that got it. have you got any suggestions or advise about these types of cams?

yeah... don't wear them on your head around town cause they make you look like a dork...

But seriously, the goPro wide seems like an ok camera. As I said before to other people, don't expect a pro level quality camera...

check out this threat for more info: www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=42779

forgot to mention, also check gopro.com/en/au/ . They have a sample movie of what the camera looks like.

BTW, the photo part of the camera is only gimmick in my opinion. For that price you would be better off getting a little digital happy snap from Canon or Nikon. Much better quality pix! The only problem is they are not water proof....