Album Surf Sunstone with Soar Monad keels: is it worth it?

Updated 2026-09-19

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A short, wide twin fin fish packing plenty of volume works better paired with a big keel fin than most riders assume, and this pairing is the proof. At 6'2 and about 91 kilograms, I put a set of hand-crafted Soar Australia Monad keels into this board for the first time and took it out in barely a foot of clean, clear surf.

Why the shape carries so much volume in a short package

The nose is beaky and thick, and the board stays fairly thick all the way through to the tail, with only a little rocker at the back. It is also wide through the nose and tail, almost like a skateboard, which is what keeps it stable and fast rather than finicky the way a narrow-nosed thruster can feel. That width and thickness is what lets a genuinely short board carry enough volume to paddle and glide into a wave without much drama.

The fin that finally suits this board properly

Soar Australia fins are hand crafted and consistently hard to find in stock; I had tried to buy a set for years before one appeared on the brand's own social media and I ordered immediately. They fit straight into the box and felt beautifully made from the first look. On the first session with them, in about a foot of clean, glassy waves, the board had all the drive and turn it needed. A wide-tailed board like this wants a bigger fin, and being a bigger, heavier rider myself, a large fin here is a genuine asset rather than overkill; I would not recommend the smaller uprights some riders run in a board this shape, since they demand sharper reflexes than most people have.

How it handled bigger surf

Most people assume a twin fin fish like this is strictly a small-wave board, but I have ridden it in five to six feet. It gets frenetic at that size, but it is still genuinely fun, and big turns are still on the table. A friend of mine surfed the same model in the Maldives for ten days straight on a trip and was able to catch anything, big or small, that came through.

Where it struggles

Paddling is the tradeoff. At 42 1/2 litres, the volume is on the low side for my weight, and I noticed it took more effort to get into waves than a mid-length or step-up would. That is the honest limitation: a board this short and this wide is not a paddling powerhouse, whatever else it does well.

Who this board and fin pairing suits

The ideal range for this board sits between one and four feet, and it is at its best around two to three feet, where it is genuinely one of the most versatile boards you can stick under your arm on a summer day. The register backs that up directly: it is logged with the same one to four foot wave range, a 128 metre longest wave and a top speed of 22.5 km/h (14.0 mph), all modest, everyday numbers rather than a board built to be pushed. It also suits someone without an advanced skill level; I am at best an intermediate surfer myself, having only started in my forties, and this board makes the sport fun rather than frustrating.

Every set of Soar fins I have owned, including a single fin I run in a step-up gun, has been top-shelf, and this Monad keel pairing is no exception. That consistency matters more than it sounds: a brand that only sells out because of hype tends to disappoint on the actual fin; one that sells out because every previous set has performed is a different proposition entirely, and this is the second Soar product to prove that out for me rather than the first.

Questions people ask

Is an Album Sunstone only good for small waves?

No. It works best between one and four feet, but it has also handled five to six feet, though it gets noticeably more frenetic at that size.

What fin suits a wide-tailed twin fin fish like this?

A bigger keel fin. Soar Australia's Monad keels gave this board all the drive and turn it needed, and a heavier rider especially benefits from the extra fin surface.

Is this a good board for a beginner?

It suits a beginner to intermediate rider well once paddled into, though the relatively low volume for a heavier rider means it takes more paddling effort than a mid-length.

Why are Soar Australia fins hard to find?

They are hand crafted in small runs and sell out quickly; the only way I secured a set was watching the brand's own social media and ordering the moment a batch appeared.

For more on why keel fins change a fish this much, see keels or upright twin fins and do fins make a difference. If you are weighing a fish against a mid-length for paddling ease, fish or mid-length covers that decision directly, and surfboard for small waves has more on this size range. This board has since sold and is logged on its own board page.