A Custom Twin Pin's First Ride: Less Volume Than It Looks

Updated 2026-09-19

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A first ride is where a spec chart meets the actual water, and this 6'8 custom twin pin, hand-shaped on the Gold Coast, came in with noticeably less volume than its own chart suggested. As at November 2023, here is what that first session showed, and what would change on a repeat order.

Checking the volume against the chart

At 20 1/2 x 2 5/8, this board's own published chart puts a 6'8 x 2 3/4 board at roughly 43 1/2 liters. This board is thinner than that reference at 2 5/8, and it felt like less volume again once in the water: sitting on it in a lumpy 3 to 4 foot beach break put the water above the elbows, at 91 kilograms and 6'2, which points to something closer to 40 liters rather than 43 1/2. For a board this length, that is on the low side of what would usually count as a step-up or semi step-up volume for that build.

First paddle, first impressions

Rough, lumpy conditions and a struggle to find the right spot in the beach break made the paddle out harder than the board alone deserves credit or blame for. Once moving, the long 6'8 waterline made it easy to paddle around, and the rails, thin through the middle after coming down from a thicker center section, gave a distinctly different feel underfoot to boards with a more pulled-in tail. Catching waves was straightforward, and once up, the board accelerated smoothly and felt secure rather than stiff.

The bottom and the tail

A four-channel tail section, with the two center channels running further back than the keel-adjacent ones, adds a noticeably bitey feel at the rail where it meets the tail curve. That combination is why the board turns and glides well despite its low volume: the rail bites in rather than skating, and it never felt wooden underfoot the way some twins with a more pulled-in tail can.

Fins for this first session

A set of NVS Ono keels, in G10 fiberglass, went in for this first ride. They are a refined, favorite fin at the moment for most of the twin fins in the rack, and they suited this board's turn and glide well on the first outing.

What would change on a repeat order

The plan for now is two to four-foot good waves to start, moving up to four or five feet once conditions allow, provided it stays clean rather than rough and lumpy. If ordering this shape again after this first ride, the change would be more thickness through the middle. Because the rails already come down to a thin edge, adding float through the center should not cost the board its bite, and it would suit the rider's own build better. A longer version, in the 7'8 to 7'10 range, is also on the list to try, on the logic that the same rail and channel combination would work just as well at a longer length.

What the board went on to do

The board's own log fills in the rest of the story: a top speed of 21 km/h and a longest wave of 145 meters at a favorite point break, with volume later logged at about 41 liters (uncertain) and width at 20 3/8 inches, close to the on-camera measurement taken on this first day. It sold in October 2025 for 650 AUD, having been bought new for 800 AUD.

Questions people ask

Why would a board feel like less volume than its own spec chart says?

A chart figure is usually built for a standard thickness. This board was ordered thinner than that reference point, at 2 5/8 inches rather than 2 3/4, which is enough on its own to drop the real volume noticeably below the chart number.

Does a thin-railed twin pin still paddle well?

Yes, on this one. A long waterline at 6'8 made paddling around easy once moving, even though the low volume made the initial paddle out harder in rough conditions.

What do channels behind the fins actually add to a twin fin?

On this board, the channels running past the keel line gave the tail a bitey feel at the rail, which is a big part of why it turned and glided well despite carrying less volume than expected.

Would this board work better as a longer model?

That is the plan for a repeat order: a 7'8 to 7'10 version of the same rail and channel combination, on the reasoning that a longer waterline with the same feel underfoot should handle a wider range of conditions.

What fin suits a low-volume twin pin like this?

NVS Ono keels in G10 fiberglass were the choice for this first ride, and they matched the board's turn and glide well from the first session.

For more from the same Gold Coast shaper, see a stock 7'6 quad fish step-up, measured and surfed. For other twin fin and twin pin options in this range, see which twin pin is best and which twin fin surfs better: Sweet Leaf or Twin Cam. For the fins used here, see keels or upright twin fins. This board's full history is on the sold list.