Jim Banks The Revolution 6'6 review: a beach break twin fin
Updated 2026-09-19
| Length | 6'6" |
|---|---|
| Width | 21 3/8 in |
| Thickness | 3 1/8 in |
| Volume | 44 L |
| Fin config | Twin |
| Top speed | 27.2 km/h |
| Wave range | 1 to 6 ft |
The Jim Banks Revolution is a 6'6 custom twin fin with a deep, full-length vee concave bottom. It turns hard enough to have beaten a much heavier, faster board for a permanent place in the rack.
What it is and why I bought it
I ordered the Revolution from Jim Banks in September 2022, a PU board 21 3/8 inches wide and a touch thicker than usual at 3 1/8, because the stringer sits lower than the rails. The bottom is a full-length vee concave, paired with a lighter glass job and a nose rocker that lifts over chop, aimed at a lively, responsive twin fin for everyday beach breaks.
How it surfed
The Revolution has been a strong performer, with its best wave at Tea Tree reaching a top speed of 27.2 km/h (about 16.9 mph) over a 192 metre ride. Hookers or S-Wings have both worked well on it. It turns tightly, paddles well and copes with a larger point wave when needed, though the log also notes it can get squirrelly outside its comfort zone. Head to head with a heavier, harder-glassed twin pin of the same length that clocked a genuinely fast top speed, the Revolution's lighter build and radical vee concave won out for everyday use, since the heavier board only shone in a narrow band of medium to powerful conditions that do not come around often enough locally.
Who it suits and who it does not
A lively, deep-vee twin fin like this suits someone who wants a responsive, everyday beach break board that can still take on a point wave when the swell allows. It manoeuvres well in small to medium conditions but gets squirrelly outside that window, so it is not the board for someone chasing stability above all else. The logged wave range is 1 to 6 ft, ideal at 4 ft.
What happened to it
It is still in the rack. It cost $1,050 to build and carries an asking price of $800, having already outlasted at least one heavier alternative in day-to-day rotation.
Questions people ask
What fins work on the Jim Banks Revolution?
Hookers or S-Wings are both logged as working setups on this board.
How does the Revolution compare to a heavier twin pin of the same length?
In direct comparison, the Revolution's lighter glass and deep vee concave made it the more useful everyday board, while the heavier alternative only stood out in a narrow window of medium to powerful waves that do not come around often locally.
What are the Revolution's limits?
The log notes it manoeuvres well in small to medium conditions but can get squirrelly outside that range, so it rewards being ridden within its 1 to 6 ft logged window, ideal at 4 ft.
For the full spec sheet, see the current quiver. For similar everyday twin fins, see the Surman Dark Void 7'2 and the Mitch Surman Dark Void 6'6. For how fins change a board's feel, see do fins make a difference.
