A contrarian take on a design that’s not as user-friendly as it seems.

Let’s Start With the Hot Take

Most surfers shouldn’t be riding twin fins.

I know that’s not the popular opinion. The twin fin revival has been strong, and the pitch is compelling: less resistance, more flow, easier surfing for the average rider. But in practice? I think twin fins are a poor fit for most surfers—especially on the East Coast.

The Promise vs. The Reality

The idea behind twin fins is that you don’t have to muscle around a center fin like you do with a thruster. That’s appealing if you’re a weekend warrior without the leg strength or power to drive a board through turns. And I’ve heard respected shapers—not just hype guys—say this outright.

But here’s the problem: if your feedback loop only includes pros and team riders, you miss the legitimate gripes of average surfers. Twin fins might be easier to move, but that doesn’t mean they’re easier to surf.

Why Twin Fins Can Be Tricky

Let’s break down some of the technical trade-offs:

Fin Geometry & Drive

  • Twin fins often have toe-in and cant built into the boxes.
  • A twin + trailer setup might have ¼” toe-in and ~4° cant, which makes the board loose—sometimes too loose.
  • At low angles of attack, the board lacks directionality. It wants to slide, not drive.
  • Without a center fin, there’s no anchor point to push against unless you’re fully on rail.

Surf Feel

  • Twin fins tend to go rail-to-rail, but lack finesse in setting a line.
  • Upright MR-style twins follow the “fall line”—the most down-the-line path the wave allows.
  • You can’t just stick the board sideways into a steep face and expect it to hold; you’ll feel the tail “tear” and slide down the wave.

Split-keel fish can sometimes cheat this, but most twin keels can’t.

East Coast vs. West Coast Design Bias

I mostly surf steep beach breaks—New Jersey, Outer Banks, stormy days with punchy surf. Twin fins aren’t the go-to design for that. There’s a massive California bias in shaping, and most shapers don’t live on the East Coast. Many who did have moved to Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, California—places with better waves and more consistent testing grounds.

If you’re shaping for clean, slow-breaking surf and you live on the East Coast, you’re fighting an uphill battle. You either travel (and lose local feedback) or struggle to refine your shapes with inconsistent swells.

Where Twin Fins Actually Work

I’ve surfed California a bunch, especially the Central Coast. Twin fins are fun there—especially rear-set twins like Greg Griffin’s placement, not the forward MR-style boxes (IMO). California waves are mushier, longer period (think 16 seconds), and push boards more effectively than our short-period wind swell (8 seconds).

East Coast Wave Mechanics:

  • Our waves are steep, not powerful.
  • Shallow sandbars turn weak swell into fast, shapely walls.
  • You need to generate your own speed—fins play an outsized role.
  • Thrusters still dominate when it comes to drive and control.
  • Quads can work great too, especially in grovelers or barrel boards.

Twin Fins on the East Coast: A Reality Check

On a mushy, head-high day with decent shape, a twin fin can be fun. But the best twin fin conditions—slow, large, rolling waves—don’t really exist here. Maybe Virginia Beach on a perfect day or a Northeast point, but most East Coast shortboarding happens in fast, steep surf.

Twin + Trailer vs. Pure Twin

Let’s separate the twin + trailer setup from pure twins. They’re similar, but the center fin in a twin + trailer isn’t big enough to generate thruster-style drive. It reduces drag, which is nice, but doesn’t give you that push-off-the-tail feeling.

I’ve only liked the twin + trailer setup on one board: a John Simon with parallel rails and tons of natural drive. It needed the looseness. But most shapers just recycle old thruster or quad designs, move the boxes, and call it a new model. That rarely works.

Short, wide, round outlines—typical of East Coast grovelers or California daily drivers—don’t have the parallel rail line needed for keel-style drive. And without a center fin, you’re stuck in limbo: no drive until you’re fully on rail.

What I’d Recommend Instead

Twin fins are a fun change of pace, but I wouldn’t include one in an East Coast quiver. Maybe a keel fish—though I sold mine.

My Ideal Quiver:

  • Weak surf: Split-keel style quad
  • Powerful surf: Thruster
  • Barrels/step-ups: Quad barrel board
  • Change of pace: Single fin (longer board, horizontal lines, easy entry)

There’s something satisfying about surfing without needing to generate speed. A longer single fin lets you flow, glide, and surf with minimal effort—especially on days when the ocean’s not offering much.