Right, Who has surfed a twin fin longboard or glider, and how was it?
I've often thought about adding a twin fin to the quiver.
SurfAnimal has been recently extolling the virtues of the new 10'6" Lopez Glider in the Surftech lineup, particularly for those that are fans of the Munoz's (ie Me).
I see that there is now a 10' Lopez Twin Fin glider.
Being both 10' and a Twin Fin would make a lovely addition to my quiver.
And what is reported as the strengths of a Twin Fin would seem to align very well with the characteristics/use of a 'glider' (although, at 10', is it just more of a long, longboard?).
So, anyone had/surfed a twin fin longboard, and what did you think of it?
Cheers!
Due to old age & slow movement these days I hope to be making myself a glider 11' but only a single fin, I'm hoping that will keep me surfing for a while longer
Select to expand quoteMalo said..
Due to old age & slow movement these days I hope to be making myself a glider 11' but only a single fin, I'm hoping that will keep me surfing for a while longer
'Tis hard to beat a good 11' glider!
Select to expand quotedamned67 said..
Or many readers/posters left?
Everyone's out surfing.
Except for me.
I'm always checking in mate, but had nothing to offer on this thread but hello anyway 
Ray Gleave rips on his twin-fin gliders (this clip is on his 11'3 - despite what the thumbnail says -and there are others on a 12 footer -- courtesy of good old Gary McEvoy). Pretty sure everyone has seen this vid before, but what the heck. The twin-fin setup seems to work just fine. 
Probably stating the obvious: I suppose the twin fins make a very long board just that bit looser without sacrificing much glide. 
Select to expand quoteMalo said..
Due to old age & slow movement these days I hope to be making myself a glider 11' but only a single fin, I'm hoping that will keep me surfing for a while longer
Almost done.....
11' x 23 3/4" x 3.5"
Lovely looking board, Malo. You certainly have some skills. Love to see more pics when you are ready, please.
Interesting interview with Josh Hall here (and Damned67... he doesn't like twin fins in longer longboards) :
www.liquidsaltmag.com/josh-hall-the-glider
Here's an excerpt or two.
Why ride a Glider?
The length of lines that you can draw on a nice section that runs. And you if you go parallel stance, you can just stand there and literally do nothing at all. To me that is the ultimate in the trim and glide thing. It's my favorite feeling in surfing. It's just buttery, it's smooth, it's fast, and it's just effortless. That's why I put the phrase "Slide The Glide" on all of my boards ...
... it's the purest form of stoke that you could ever imagine.
What about fin setups?
My own research has shown that twins on anything above 8' (like the Geppy-style keel fins or the high aspect tins) don't really give the right feel. These days, most gliders I am making are single fins - I'm moving back towards single fins and less 2+1's. They just feel so good going through the water. I've got an 8" fin on a 10'10" I'm riding right now.
So happy with the new glider, surfed the last 3 days, fantastic!!!
I spent the last 2 years struggling, this thing is awesome, catching waves a little earlier, popping up easily. I really thought my surfing days were over, think again, I'm lovin' it
Select to expand quoteGreeney said..
Lovely looking board, Malo. You certainly have some skills. Love to see more pics when you are ready, please.
Interesting interview with Josh Hall here (and Damned67... he doesn't like twin fins in longer longboards) :
www.liquidsaltmag.com/josh-hall-the-glider
Here's an excerpt or two.
Why ride a Glider?
The length of lines that you can draw on a nice section that runs. And you if you go parallel stance, you can just stand there and literally do nothing at all. To me that is the ultimate in the trim and glide thing. It's my favorite feeling in surfing. It's just buttery, it's smooth, it's fast, and it's just effortless. That's why I put the phrase "Slide The Glide" on all of my boards ...
... it's the purest form of stoke that you could ever imagine.
What about fin setups?
My own research has shown that twins on anything above 8' (like the Geppy-style keel fins or the high aspect tins) don't really give the right feel. These days, most gliders I am making are single fins - I'm moving back towards single fins and less 2+1's. They just feel so good going through the water. I've got an 8" fin on a 10'10" I'm riding right now.
I have an 11'2" Josh Hall Super Swallow with the option of a 2+1 setup. I'll provide some feedback as best I can about the different fin setups i've used with it.
As a Single - I mainly use an 8.5" 4A as a single and wouldn't go any bigger on the fin. I have also used an 8" 4A. The 8.5" is the sweet spot for this board. Great drive on turns and speed down the line. In anything over head high i'd down-fin the board to an 8" or even a 7.5". The rail line makes up for the smaller fin anyway so don't over-fin these boards.
As a twin - This was interesting. The Super Swallow comes with dual FCS tabs for the side bites so it's very limited when it comes to fin options. I used a pair of pretty standard looking fins. In good waves the board gets up to speed very quickly and flies down the line. But, as happens with twins, they want to track. With so much rail in the water they tend to track even more. So tipping the board on rail with speed can be troublesome. Look at Ray Gleeve riding his twins - he really nurses the tail. It's more of a flat turn, than a rail turn - depending on the speed he has at the time. The faster he goes the flatter the turn and the more 'nursing' he does to turn it. Twins get a bit squirrely - even on a glider. I like the feel of the twin, it just takes some getting used to.
As a 2+1 - I enjoyed this. I used an 8.5" 4A again with tiny Fitz 2.44" single tab side bites. Good drive, especially when on rail. I would def use a 7" or 7.5" next time. The 8.5" in this combo felt over finned.
IMO gliders should probably be best ridden as a single for all-round pleasure. But the option of a twin is something I haven't dismissed altogether - it just needs some tinkering. Maybe a keel style with more flex (reduce the base, like a cut-out base). The 2+1 with a very small side-bite i've found to be a very good compromise.
Thanks Greeney - I had recently come across that interview with Josh Hall.
Even so, I have just ordered up the 10' Lopez Glider Twin.
I look at it this way (poorly, with a need for a visit to the optometrist) - it's going to be a fun project for me. There is so little info out there on fin choices for twin fin gliders, I get to play around with fins! And that's one of my favourite things to do with new boards.
The downside is that i don't have any twin fins to even start with (and the board doesn't come with any, not even a recommendation).
So, while it'll be a fun exercise in experimentation, its not going to be cheap.
But hey, where's the fun in simple and cheap? other than a fun surf on one of the boards I already enjoy........
And thanks for that insight, Fastfredo!
I decided to give the 10' Lopez Twin as shot, as I already have a number of other gliders.
Like you, I find either a single or a 2+1 with smaller sides works well. I have some set up as singles, some as 2+1.
I also agree with 'downsizing' the fins in a glider too! I tend to prefer 7.5" to 8" centers with small sides, and typically 8.5-9" (but more like 8.5") when running a single.
My only hesitation with the Lopez Twin (and it's too late, deposit is made), is that it seems to be the same outline as the other Lopez gliders. Could just be lazy images on the website? I'd be much more excited if it was 'designed' as a twin, as opposed to the glider with fin boxes for twins. That said, the I've ordered the 10' Lopez Twin. The Lopez Twins come in 8', 9' and 10', whereas the Lopez Gliders come as 8'6", 9'6" and 10'6" - so maybe they are a different design? If they were essentially dropping twin boxes in existing shapes, it doesn't make sense from a production efficiency standpoint to have them all at different lengths?
I haven't had a glider since I sold my Wegener (he has a model name,Crusader I think) .It was a 12/2 with a Dee fin...D for DOG!
Super heavy but very strong.I surfed it at point breaks only.
The idea of a twin glider is very good imo.They are BIG boards but Bob Simmons used twins back in the 1940s,so its not a new idea.just one thats been overlooked.
If I still had a glider, single or 2+1, I'd think it rather easy to just add some plugs to get the TwinFin sensation.
Nigel Beckam has been making Twin longboards for probably 30ish years.His fins are set 9 inches from tail.2 inches from rail(trail edge)...They have a 5.5 inch base and are 6.5 inches deep.
JimBanks Hookar fins/keels are surfed in big boards in big waves.They glide too.
Just to add, I surfed a Modern(GSI) longboard that I purchased off surfing Animals a long time ago.It was a quad with finBox, the model that had parabolic resin glue ups.I put MR glass flex twins in the trail quad plugs and it went great.Had to sell it to pay a bill or 2,bugga(a great board, wish I still had it)
Another additional thought, for any gliders with side bite plugs.These could easily become a TwinZer set up by adding the plugs just behind the original sides.The canard front fins in a twinzer break up the water flow before it hits the main twins taking the pressure off that fin ,increasing drive and decreasing the drift of a twin.
