Hello,
Recently I've been wondering whether or not the principle of a midlength twin would be good as a windsurf board...
Midlength are good and popular among Middle aged and averagely fit surfer (like most of us windsurfer are). They are good at carrying speed and drawing long carving turns (like windsurf board). They have pretty average to low rocker (like windsurf board). They are often in round pin (like the new trendy windsurf board like the pyramid and the dacurve). They work well as twin with fins far appart, like windsu... Well not really or could it be?
I guess a windsurf midlength would maybe be like 235 * 59ish * 85/90 L, with twin far appart...
What do you think of that? Would it work? Maybe that already exist...
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/Review/Starboard-Nuevo-Shaped-By-James-Hooper-NUDE?page=1
The Starboard/Severne Nuevos are worth looking at if you can find one and want to get a feel. I use my Pyros in twin fin mode regularly, not quite the surf shape you're after but can perform as you describe with right fins.
Quatro tempo 92 has basically the exact dimensions you describe. Fins aren't widely spaced though.
Search "wreck rock wavesailing" or "back loop frenzy" in YouTube for a look.
It's in my garage in QLD if you want one!
Almost all were improved by making them a quad . the insane looseness is great in a twin - until it's not. Mistral and RRD ones c.2009 are tops but I converted a few to quad to dial it down a bit or make them more alround
The Mistral Twinzer RD 84..sweeeet memories, too high a bone density now :)
Not so sure you have to mid-length, always felt twinsers do well in short shape.
For this kind of board it is good to go custom and create the specialist tool you want without compromise.
Or, indeed, Nuevo/J.Hooper legacy.
Thx for your answers.
I leave in Brittany, France, so no need for board proposal in Qld :D
Nuevo is actually pretty close to what I've in mind. Also my current board, the Patrik TWW 83. But I think outline of both could be "cleaned up" to be more "pure" with pointy nose and roundpin while keeping the relatively parallel rails and pretty flat deck.
What about wide spaced twin (like nuevo and trailer) versus close ones (like the mistral twinzer)? Surf board twin are very wide appart, why not in windsurf?
I should precise my idea is for lightwind board, mostly float n ride. Thus, I think reducing drag by removing front fins is interesting.
I actually also think that a fast rockered twin in a modern wave shape (mid) design has a lot to offer for wavesailing.
Personally, I believe that one thing that "killed" the twin fin view was that it was introduced on boards with too much rocker and fins that were small and/or not powerful enough. In many instances, twin fins were just put into single-fin designs, which might be almost the worst possible option from a performance perspective. So, a lot of people trying twin fins struggled to get going, experience bad upwind performance and the moments of "aha!" on the wave were to few and far between.
I can really miss the agility and ability to adapt on the wave from a good twin, and also the speed. I got along really well with the RRD Twin 82, which, to my knowledge, was one of few twin fins at the time with a faster rocker in a more twin specific shape. Unfortunately, the same thing cannot be said for many other twin fins at the time, that were under-finned or just to slow (from JP, Tabou and Fanatic to name the ones I borrowed, tested or owned).
It would be great to re-visit this in a 90 to 95 litre dedicated shape, maybe with a trailer fin option for a bit more stability....
I mean, Koester still rides the Pyro as a twin fin... "The loosest option. As a twin fin, the Pyro is super fun and maneuverable. When it's windy, and there's some waves to play around in, then this setup is Philip's everyday choice."
The Patrik TWW series is also something i kept an eye out for. Kudos to him for keeping that going for a relatively long time.Totally makes sense to add a small trailer if you want to tame a twin a bit in higher (period) swells like Brittany has to offer
It seemed the orthodoxy that +-12-14 cm was the ideal spacing of a twin fin.
For me getting a hold on a compact custom, wide spaced...with cant and toe and a fishtail (wouldn't go pintail) + trailer option was really a big step forward as it had the skittish agility of something like the Mistral with a lot of the drawbacks (in context) attuned.
Not everyone feels good on it/can keep it going, but for me it remains a timeless fun platform.
Flikka and/or Puls can definitely shape something excellent if you know what you want.
The Trailer Wave is the best fun I've ever had in crappy waves.
Twin looseness but the ability to really tune with moving the trailer fin back n forth
Also, in the years in between -before dedicated large volume waveboards became a portfolio offering of almost every brand/product line- the combi of a relatively flat center rocker, V and railrocker was a trailer powered way out of dull compromise (freewave) into wave performance for quite a few of us blessed with the more tall/portly/porky built (95-105kg...lean or not)
Just made a surfy style twin (plus 2 very small rears) with big MR type fins with cant and toe, and it really works well as a loose float and ride board. (for it's size (135 ish L)) It is very slow sailing out, heads upwind well, and catches waves easily.
An idea would be to get a quad made with toe on the front boxes, and none (or very little) on the rears, so it could either be used as a windsurf style quad (small front fins) or a surf style twin (big fins in front boxes).
Simmer wave boards with 5 boxes have 1,8? toe on the quad boxes and on 0,5? on the twin boxes.
We made some 140ish MR style front's which my buddy tried on his Fly 85 with the std front 105 fin as a trailer.
In shoulder high waves and under powered 4.7 cross on I saw his first turn from a distance and it was very obvious how much grip and drive that was generated.
He said that the carve and momentum from the bottom turn was really something else. but also harder to make a tight cut back.
I'm yet to try this combo but this discussion made me eager try it on my Quantex 92 for next light wind sesh. 
Perhaps as quad with two 105 as the twins to keep the overall fin surface area suitable for 5.3
Select to expand quoteJoF said..
Simmer wave boards with 5 boxes have 1,8? toe on the quad boxes and on 0,5? on the twin boxes.
We made some 140ish MR style front's which my buddy tried on his Fly 85 with the std front 105 fin as a trailer.
In shoulder high waves and under powered 4.7 cross on I saw his first turn from a distance and it was very obvious how much grip and drive that was generated.
He said that the carve and momentum from the bottom turn was really something else. but also harder to make a tight cut back.
I'm yet to try this combo but this discussion made me eager try it on my Quantex 92 for next light wind sesh.
Perhaps as quad with two 105 as the twins to keep the overall fin surface area suitable for 5.3
This is a setup I ride from time to time and I have designed a few boards particularly for this type of fin setup. The Quantex should work well with this setup. Place the MR fins with about 1.5 degrees extra toe and some splay, when moulding the fcs base into the slot box base. It is a bit harder to get the setup to work with quad rears, so I'd stay with a small center rear. Below: the setup and a turn on the board shown.
Select to expand quoteJoF said..
He said that the carve and momentum from the bottom turn was really something else. but also harder to make a tight cut back.
try a smaller one on the cut-back side .
