Lovelace FM 8'1 review: a twin fin that replaced a single fin

Updated 2026-09-19

The Lovelace FM is an 8'1 stock twin fin step-up, bought with an outline close enough to a favourite single fin that the two ended up compared side by side. The twin fin won.

What it is and why I bought it

I bought the FM stock in April 2024, a PU board with a rolled entry into a double vee, a low stringer running the full length and a pintail. At 21 5/8 inches wide and 58.29 litres over 8'1, it has refined rails that let it turn easily despite the size, described in the log as exactly that: refined rail, turns easily.

How it surfed

The FM's best wave came at Granite, at a top speed of 26.2 km/h (about 16.3 mph) over a 183 metre ride, using a Lovelace twinzer or S-Wings keel setup. Where it has really made its case is against a long-serving single fin of an almost identical outline and similar dimensions: laid side by side, the two boards share a rolled nose and fine rails, but the FM carries a bit more concave between the fins, and being a twin, it turns more easily than the single because its fins sit close together and further forward. It is more lively, paddles better and feels smoother, while covering the same conditions the single fin used to handle.

Who it suits and who it does not

A refined, easy-turning twin fin step-up like this suits someone who wants a longer board for bigger, faster waves without sacrificing turning, particularly someone already comparing it against a similar-outline single fin. It is not the board for someone who prefers a single fin's more locked-in, drawn-out feel through turns; that is a genuinely different sensation the FM does not try to replicate. The logged wave range is 2 to 7 ft, ideal at 6 ft.

What happened to it

It is still in the rack. It cost $1,700 to buy, with a replacement cost of $1,895 logged, and no asking price recorded, reflecting the job it is currently doing covering for a board it made largely redundant.

Questions people ask

What fins work on the Lovelace FM?

A Lovelace twinzer or S-Wings keel setup are both logged as working on this board.

How does the FM compare to a single fin of a similar outline?

Side by side, the two share a rolled nose and fine rails, but the FM's twin fin setup and slightly more concave between the fins let it turn more easily, and it has been described as more lively, paddling better and feeling smoother than the single fin it now covers for.

What conditions suit the Lovelace FM?

The logged range is 2 to 7 ft with 6 ft as the ideal, putting it in step-up territory rather than everyday small surf.

For the full spec sheet, see the current quiver. For the single fin it now overlaps with, see the Gato Heroi Acid Drop. For similar step-up twins, see the Surman Dark Void 7'2.