Lost and forgotten shapes of the surfing world are like logs at sea, they drift and wander the vast oceans of time and liquid space coming close to remembrance only to be forgotten again just as quickly. One thing, however, is certain, they will find land eventually and be re-discovered.
At the Bunker, we are massive fans of the work of a gimpy armed mathematical genius named Mr Bob Simmons. After applying the work of a naval architect called Lindsay Lord to surfboards, Simmons created what all modern surfboards are now based on. The Planing Hull.
Below is a short video showcasing the Mini Simmons.
After Simmons' early death in 1954, his work was lost into obscurity only to be resurrected in 2005 by a shaper named Joe Bauguess who shaped the first 'mini Simmons' surfboard. The newly remembered shape sparked a whole new take on what was possible from a surfboard and has inspired many cutting-edge shapers such as Tomo and Ryan Burch to explore what's now viable in design. This is just one example of how one man's work can be relevant only 50 years after his demise. We look back on this as an important branch of surfboard design but it begs the question, what other forgotten shapes and designs are yet to be unearthed? By looking at the past are we seeing the future?
It is about one such shape or aspect of design that I would like to draw your attention. The Twin Pin.
Barry Mirandon is the creator of the Twin Pin.
In a time when the Greenough-inspired shortboard revolution was on the cusp of hitting the mainstream and Bob McTavish and his V bottom was gaining traction in California, the Mirandon brothers set about making perhaps the first multi-finned stand up surfboard. The Twin Pin.
It is said that the Twin Pin's design and performance in the water helped confirm to Steve Lis (the inventor of the twin fin fish) that this was the way to go for loose speed and the rest is history. The fish shape has been with us ever since, and is still copied, modified and tweaked to produce some the most fun surfboards in today's surfing world. However, the Twin Pin has been forgotten.
My question to you is, should it be resurrected and thrown into the mainstream mix? Should more people start shaping these and surfing them again? I will leave you with a clip of a few of them being surfed and let you make up your own mind. Thanks for listening to the surfboard geek-out.
The Silky Smooth Twin Pin.
The Twin Pin in all her glory. Should this be brought back into the spotlight?
Barry Mirandon is the creator of the Twin Pin.