are thrusters where it's at?

Is the dust settling on the multifin craze? And, could it be after all, that 3 is in fact the magic number?

Background

The Multifin debate has raged as wavesailors continue to explore the turning possibilities of Quad and TwinFin setups. Modern board shapes and fin materials have re-opened the doors on long-lost projects and breathed new life into earlier thinking. But, while the rest of us happily used Single Fins long before the surfing-induced trend for 4, and now even 5 fins sparked-up, some brands and riders had already been advocating classic 3-fin clusters. We’ve put the spotlight on some of them to try to help promote the benefits of all the fin choices out there right now.

Sections

First off, we speak to Naish -  who sell no Twin or Quad fin waveboards - and quiz Robby Swift who’s finding some mileage in the JP Australia ‘Single Thruster’ range. Then we hear from die-hard Trifin fan Bouke Bekker of Witchcraft Sailboards. (You should also consider Exocet and RRD who make production thruster shapes, and a host of other custom manufacturers around the globe if you’re making a shortlist of shapes to try).

Finally, if you have budget restrictions, but are dying to try the various combinations, then consider the possibilities of resuscitating an old favourite by drilling a few holes in your board with some inspiration from the Thruster Project Group from New Zealand. Who knows how many fins you’ll end up with under an existing Single, Twin Quad or even, ironically, a current TriFin!

Terminology

Before we get started, here’s some lingo to help you make sense of the arguments:

Trifin: 3 fins of approximately equal size
SideBite: Small fin, mostly used in pairs, typically placed near the rails on Thruster and Quad cluster shapes
TrailerFin: 3-Fin combo with 2 larger foils in a TwinFin style position, and a small SideBite-sized foil placed centrally and to the rear of main fins. Sometimes known as a stabiliser fin on older Fish-Style TwinFin surfboards.
Thruster or ‘Single Thruster’: 3 fins with larger central Single Fin and two Thruster ‘Sidebites’. Single Thrusters have option to sail as Single Fin only.
Toe-in: Degree of linear angle (towards rocker line/centre) of side fins. Straighter = faster and more efficient. More toe-in = tighter turning ability
Cant: Degree of outward, vertical [fin tip] angle

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