surfresearch.com.au  the catalogue #40

FINS 6" x 5" base x 7'' span @ 10 1/2''  Brewer, inside flat/outside foiled,  toed and tipped/cambered Gold/white/red (3) laminate,

DECOR DECALS Deck 1.'Mark Richards' script and ribbon graphic, light blue/silver 2.'Shaped by  Bob Margetts' black, tail  Bottom 'Mark Richards' script and ribbon graphic, dark blue/white  MARKINGS Deck: RM ,  pencil  Bottom: COLOUR Deck Gold wing, nose to flyer + red winged foil, with black pinlines  Bottom: clear

Alternative later decal below

circa 1943, Tom Blake Twin fins,  Timber 4 x 12 b @ 2 inches  (Approximation) Hollow timber board.  Note fin camber. The feet are Tom Blake's. Uncredited photograph,  Australian Surfers Journal Vol 3 No 1 Summer 2000 page 10.

1948 Simmons' Twin Fin Wood and fibreglass 6 x 12 b @ 2 inches (approximation) Bob Simmons' Laminate Board, USA. Dick Metz Collection, Dana Point, California. Blackburn, page 73

1950's During the 1950's prone boards appeared in a plethora of designs and constuction methods.  See the Paipo catalogue for examples dating from the 1930's. A large proportion were finless, those that did attach a fin used a longbased keel type fin. Bellyboarders at some stage incorpated twin fins on their wide tailed boards, similar to the plywood example, right. With the introduction of foam blanks these design were reproduced in the new medium. See Barry Bennett example, below.

1955  Butterfly Fin  Laminated Timber  8 x 7 b @ 4 inches  (Approximation) Velsy-Jacobs Surfboards USA     Photograph : Bob Meistrell Longboard Magazine Vol 12 No 1 March -April 2004  page 33.

Fin experimentation on surfboards1950 to 1966 was extensive.
A variety of designs, some extreme, proliferated, however singularity and a standard 0'' to 6''placement remained a design constant.
1960
With the introduction of foam blanks, bellyboard riders had their plywood designs were reproduced in the new medium.
Generally the fins retained the long base keel profile and, consistant with surfboard fins of the era, foiling was minimal.
Placement was close to the tail with the fins vertical to the bottom and parrallel to the stringer.
1962 - 1964
In the US George Greenough built his first Velo Spoon in balsawood in 1962.
He reported that the board was originally ...

1964 Twin Keel Fins,  Pigmented chop strand mat 4 1/2 x 9 1/2 b @  1 inches # 50  Barry Bennett Surfboards Belly board  ,

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Surfboard La Jolla Twin-Pin, 1967
Length 8'9" - Nose 17"  Width 22"  Tail 17"
Shaped by La Jolla reef maven Bear Mirandon, the double-pin
tailed twin-fin was an update of a Bob Simmons concept.
This board led directly to the Fish kneeboard design
of Steve Lis, which is still very much in use today.
Photograph by Bjorn de Boer
Image and caption
Longboard Magazine, Volume 2 Number 2, August - September 1994 page 69

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Twin Fin I, see #71 and #106, a circa 1970 design by Mike Eaton / Rolf Arness / Corky Carroll / David Nuuihwa -all USA. Imported to Australia by Tom Hoye (USA) at Bennett Surfboards, the design had a strong following in Sydney, particularly at Narrabeen) by McCoy Surfboards. Image right: Tom Hoye and Twin Fin, Bennett Surfboards, 1970 Photograph Tracks Magazine. Nat-History, page 106.  Although the design quickly disappeared from mainstream production in Australia, a number of surfers found the design complimented their style or local conditions. Over the next six years a small number of Twin-fins were produced as custom boards.

 The use of twin fins on prone boards, common in the 1960's, continued into the 1970's, for example the mass produced Bellybogger, 1975.

The design was adopted by standup surfers, a longer version with with a more standard fin template, was designated The Rocket Fish, circa 1974, the name at least credited to Clyde Beatty.
There is much dispute amoungst US commentators as to the originators of the design.

This was to influence Reno Abellira, (Hawaii) who rode a 5 ft 3" x 20"  model in the 1976 Coke contest, Sydney.

Familiar with the Twin Fin I and inspired by Reo, Mark Richards  built his own version and subsequently refined it at a month long shaping seminar with Dick Brewer in Hawaii 1976-1977.

Mark Richards and  6ft 4'' Twin Off The Wall, 1977. Photograph : Lance Trout Surfing  Magazine February 1980. Volume 16 Number 2, page 90.

Mark Richards and  6ft 4'' Twin Off The Wall, 1977. Photograph : Lance Trout Surfing  Magazine June-July 1978. Volume 14 Number 3, page 47

Image right : Steve Brom and Rocket Fish, circa 1977. Photograph : Brian Gillogly Surfer Magazine, Volume 18 Number 2, page 57. July 1977. Note : Fins toed and tipped. Long base/short height profile. Estimated length 5 ft 10''. Twin pin nose on vertical board.

Mark Richards Twin fin, (est. 6 ft 3'') Gordon and Smith Surfboards (USA) Surfing  Magazine June 1981.Volume 17 Number 6, page 93.

Star Systems Twin fin, Mark Richards Model Gordon and Smith Surfboards (USA) Surfing  Magazine May 1979. Volume 15 Number 5, page 9.

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Photograph by Peter Boskovic
Printed in The Australian Surfers Journal Vol 1 #  3 Winter 1998 page 44
Note : Original Apia Surfboards 'Flame' Stinger,  Twin fins  with various decals.
All boards much photographed. 

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Other Twin Fins II (old Scale)

	Mark Richards' first Twin fin II, based on Reno Abelira's Fish, Coke Contest 1976 Photograph: Andrew Canning
	#39 Bryne Bros. Surfboards Twin Fin II 1978 Shaped by Laurie Byrne.
	#119 Hawaiian 1979 Hawaiian Pro Designs, Twin fin II.  6 ft 1" Larry Bertelmann Model
	#55 Pipedreams Flyer Roundtail Twin Fin II 1979 6 ft 2''

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