TWIN FIN: A CASUAL CONVERSATION ABOUT FINS IN MEXICO WITH HAYDEN.

 

IT’S A KNOWN FACT THAT FIN CHOICE CAN MAKE OR BREAK THE WAY A BOARD FEELS UNDER YOUR FEET – THE ROLE THEY PLAY CAN BE CRUCIAL ESPECIALLY IN A TWIN FIN. THE PLACEMENT OF THE FINS, TOE IN, SPLAY ANGLES REALLY AFFECT HOW LOOSE IT MIGHT FEEL, AND TO BALANCE THIS ALL OUT WITH THE SHAPE, THE FIN TEMPLATE REALLY COMES IN TO PLAY.

 

Bound for One & Only Palmilla, Los Cabos, Mexico, we thought we’d engage Hayden in a casual fin conversation and create a post focused on two board models – a Miscellaneous 5’6″ (a performance twin that is a blend of a thruster and a twin)  and a custom eco-twin 5’6″ (a performance keel fin twin for Dylan Graves) that he brought along with him on his trip.

 

 

 

Prior to the trip, Hayden stopped by the Futures Fins HQ in Huntington Beach and grabbed a set of T1, Rasta Twin +1 for the MISC and a set of the K2 Keel and Rasta Keel .

THE TRIP

 

Boards: A 5’6 Misc and a custom eco 5’6 twin fin. 

Where: Los Cabos, Mexico staying at One & Only Palmilla,

Wave Conditions: Over that particular week,  the waves were consistently slopey 3-6ft and fun – ideal for twinnys.

Getting around: In addition to a few solo exploration trips nearby via hire car, Hayden also linked up with the crew at Tropic Surf.

 

 

“Mexico is one my favourite places to visit but this was the first time I’d been to  Cabo so I decided to stay at One & Only Palmilla (I saw Taylor Knox, CJ Hobgood and Josh Kerr post about it) which is located right on the beach front. Cole Houshmand had told me a few stories of some fun waves at Zippers, which was really close and became my go to for morning surfs while I was there. That wave is best accessed by a quick boat ride which I arranged when I got there through Tropic Surf who are located at the resort.”

 

 

MISC

Board Dimensions: 5’6″ x 19 3/4″ x 2 3/8″

Literage: 28.46L

Construction: FutureFlex

Fin Setup: A twin + 1 (stabiliser). 8 ¾” up with 2 deg toe and 5 deg splay.

Key design features of board: The MISC. model is a performance twin fin that verges very close to a performance small wave board. The speed generated heading down the line is that of a twin fin, but the grip and projection off the bottom is like a performance board. You have to adapt and blend your performance surfing style with that of a twin fin, but it gives you really fun combo of styles. Speed is one of the most noticeable feelings in this board, even in the weakest of waves.

 

Ridden with Futures Fins T1’s

“These fins I have surfed in most of the twins I have shaped over the years as a good reference point on the shape. I find them to be a good balance fin giving enough hold through the size of the fin, along with enough pivot as they are a balanced template. The board was fast, and felt great in the Baja waves – nothing too different to how the board has felt in the beach breaks in Australia.”

 

Ridden with Futures Fins Rasta Twin + 1

“This template is very similar in size to the T1, hence why I choose to test it out, although the Rasta has an inside foil which I figured would be a great in the slopier waves of Baja. It felt amazing! the speed generation of the inside foil could be felt instantly. You would find you were up and moving at a faster pace from your first pump, giving you the freedom to draw more open and drawn out lines. The small trailer fin in the board gave it a good sense of stability and hold in the later parts of your turns.”

 

 

ECO TWIN FIN

Board Dimensions: 5’6″ x 19 1/8″ x 2 3/8″

Literage: 27.49L

Construction: The eco twin has been built using a Marko recycled EPS foam, 20% bio based carbon content epoxy resin, and our FutureFlex technology built using basalt and flax fibers with the carbon fiber frame. Flex pattern and and durability is on par with our existing FF construction.

Fin Setup: Twin keel setup, 8 ¾” box placement – but the base of the fin hangs back approx 1”, .5 deg toe in and 3 deg of splay.

Key design features of board: The eco-twin is a shape derived from the early design versions of the Hypto Krypto when it had a swallow tail. This version has a narrower nose planshape to the Hypto, which helps straighten out the outline giving you more length of rail to help balance the twin keel setup. Retaining the bottom contours and rail foil of the Hypto, this board is fast and flowing, carving really nicely on the open face. I chose to ride this 2″ longer than my 5’4″ Hypto as I prefer to have a longer rail on my twins, I find i’m able to have more control throughout a bottom turn and pushing through the carves.

Ridden with Futures Fins K2 Keel Fiberglass

“ I was pretty stiff  after the days session prior and from all of the flying – Sydney –LA -LA- New York – New York – LA – LA – Mexico so I tried the surfers massage at the resort which was actually game changing and definitely did the trick. I also chose to jump on my eco-twin first as it has a wider sweet spot to find your flow – I have always loved my Hypto for that reason. I choose to run the K2 keel fiberglass fins on the first session as these have a familiar and secure feeling when riding them. A clean and solid feeling and I quite like the balance of weight of a full fiberglass fin in an epoxy board. This fin could be ridden in any keel fish and you’d really enjoy the feel of it.

 

 

Ridden with Futures Fins Rasta Keel

“Once I got into rhythm after a few sessions, I wanted to feel out an inside foil keel fin, which I had never surfed before. Knowing that this is Rasta’s fin, you kinda channel a little bit of energy from that, and I really wanted feel how this fin would respond to pushing as hard as you could on the open face. As most inside foil’s feel, this fin got up and going off the mark, and I really noticed throughout the turns how well it would pick up speed. The inside foil widens up the angle of attack that the fin will create lift, and in the slopey waves of Baja I found this being a great fin to get the most out of the board and wave. As I rode this fin more, I was able to extend and stretch out my bottom turns and open face carves to utilise the entire wave.”

“So to wrap it up on the fin choices, I was a big fan of the inside foil twins in the slopey wave faces in Baja. The speed generation in these types of waves was great, especially after jumping off a few flights. I would still however most likely choose the T1 and K2 Keel in the waves back in Australia once it was around 4-6ft faces and breaking more top to bottom on the beach breaks.”

 

 

 

MORE ON THE MISC….

 

During the trip there were a load of questions sent in via our instagram about the Misc model… We’ve posted a few along with Hayden’s answers below.

 

Would the Misc. be a good step down from the Hypto?

“Yes. It generates plenty of speed in flatter faced waves”

 

How does the speed and hold of  the Misc compare to that of a Hypto? Especially through bottom turns?

“The wider tail and twin or 2+1 set up accelerates extremely fast through bottom turns, although has less hold than the Hypto.”

 

Thruster set up wouldn’t go so great with the Misc right? If the waves were decent and you wanted it to be more high performance?

“No, i it wouldn’t work that great as a thruster. The front fins are too far back.”

 

What would you get out of this board that the Holy Grail can’t give me right now?

“It’s a very different feel to the Holy Grail. It’s a twin fin feel – which is very free and fast – but a little tighter off the bottom.”

 

What range of waves does this board cover? 1-6 foot?

“The Misc can handle a good ft wave easily (8ft face). Above that, it will hold, but you will need to control all of that speed.”

 

Read more questions and answers on this model right here. Still needing answers? Leave a comment and we’ll jump on it for you.

 

A special thank you to the crew at One & Only, Tropic Surf and Agua by Larbi for the hospitality. Check those links for more info.