{"id":20650,"date":"2026-03-22T00:00:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T07:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lostsurfboards.net\/?post_type=product&p=20650"},"modified":"2026-03-26T13:18:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T20:18:21","slug":"rnf-twinzer-96er","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/lostsurfboards.net\/surfboards\/rnf-twinzer-96er\/","title":{"rendered":"RNF Twinzer+ ’96er"},"content":{"rendered":"

The RNF TWINZER \u201896er<\/strong><\/p>\n

The latest incarnation of our definitive fish design, the RNF \u201996\u2014enhanced with our TWINZER+<\/strong> fin cluster.<\/p>\n

Based off the RNF-\u201996, a 2021 re-vamped version of our original 5\u20195\u201d Round Nose Fish (developed 30 years ago), it\u2019s been our best-selling board of the past five years and arguably the best-selling \u201cfish\u201d model of all time. The TWINZER \u201896er combines all the proven performance design details of the RNF-\u201996 with the added grip, control, and drive of the TWINZER+ fin cluster.<\/p>\n

All are descendants of the original hand-shaped boards, first ridden by teenaged Chris Ward and Cory Lopez 30 years ago and documented in the seminal surf flick 5\u20195\u201d x 19 1\/4<\/em>\u2014together making an indelible mark on the surfing universe.<\/p>\n

\n

The Roots of the TWINZER+<\/strong><\/p>\n

The impetus for the TWINZER+ has been building for over 25 years.<\/p>\n

It goes back to 1999 and the Rusty Surfboards \u201cC5 Challenge\u201d<\/strong>\u2014a surfing\/shaper competition at our home break, Lower Trestles. Rusty had been creating and selling his own take on the Twinzer, using small canard fins strategically positioned on tri-fin\/thruster boards. Thus the namesake \u201cC-5,\u201d because of the five-fin setup.<\/p>\n

The C5 Challenge invited shapers and surfers to enter as teams, and \u201cchallenged\u201d us to build boards using Rusty\u2019s formula: five fins, with the forward Twinzer-esque canards being the unique element. We entered with Dino Andino and Shea Lopez on boards I shaped following Rusty\u2019s C5 fin cluster. Dino made the final and finished as runner-up (to Jay Larson\/Doc Surfboards). It was close, but we felt good about the boards we built and the performance.<\/p>\n

A year later, in 2000, the event moved to Rusty\u2019s home break, Blacks Beach in San Diego. We entered again\u2014this time with Dean Randazzo. Dean ended up taking the win (and a $10,000 check for each of us) on our five-fin canard \u201cTwinzer\u201d version of Rusty\u2019s C-5 design.<\/p>\n

We were stoked and intrigued, but Rusty had developed and owned the concept, so we didn\u2019t pursue it further. Even with competitive success, I never really thought of adding it to our fish designs\u2026 for nearly 20 years.<\/p>\n

Fast Forward 20 Years<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

During the early Covid chaos of summer 2020, while trolling IG, I followed the feed of longtime Rusty Surfboards production shaper Stu Kenson. I couldn\u2019t help but be enamored with the relentless run of boards he was building with Twinzer setups. Intrigued again, I reached out to Stu and expressed interest in developing one of my own.<\/p>\n

I wanted to track down Will Jobson\u2014the man universally acknowledged as the inventor of the Twinzer concept\u2014to use his exact specs and officially license it from him. I wanted to do it right, with authenticity. Give credit to the inventor and toss him some money for his idea.<\/p>\n

With Stu and others trying to help, we attempted to reach Will, but never got a response. Once again, I lost interest and moved on.<\/p>\n

In the five years since, we\u2019ve seen a lot of creative smaller-scale builders developing Twinzer boards. Beautiful backyard and boutique boards popping up all over IG. Even some excellent surfing being done on them. The development of the Twinzer concept has been building back up from the underground. Once again, my curiosity was piqued.<\/p>\n

Why the RNF \u201996?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Where to start? With the safest bet\u2014the most tried, tested, and proven alternative design in our line: the RNF \u201996<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

With 30 years of R&D under our belt (and thousands made), adding an alternative fin setup to the \u201996 seemed fun and exciting. By pairing the Twinzer+ canard setup with our most reproduced, well-ridden, and beloved model, we could eliminate hesitance or apprehension. Surfers already know the board works.<\/p>\n

By leaving the overall shape\/design of the \u201996 unchanged, it gave us a transparent base to feel the Twinzer+ concept underfoot, without wondering if the shape itself was unfamiliar.<\/p>\n

Using decades-old fin placements, published by Jobson himself, we began building the first RNF TWINZER \u201896er\u2014subtly adjusting shape along the way:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Added just a touch more width to the hip of the tail to hold the added outside canard fins, balanced by widening the nose at the same point. Nose and tail now maintain the same width at 12\u201d from tips.<\/li>\n
  • Deepened the double concave through the tail and made slight updates to the tail and overall foil of the deck-line.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Taking a page from Rusty\u2019s C5 playbook, we added a third mini-box in the rear stabilizer position, offering a myriad of fin setups. Many Twinzer shapers have used channels in the tail to help with hold in radical surf. We went another way. Thus, the TWINZER+<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    The rear box only holds a specifically made mini-trailer fin that matches the Twinzer canards\u2014no tossing in full-sized thruster fins or random trailers.<\/p>\n

    Options and Versatility<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n

    The board is designed to work beautifully as a traditional Twinzer: two standard twin fins with two forward canards. But the added fifth box opens up lots of possibilities:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Tiny waves, total freedom:<\/strong> Run it as a pure twin, or Twin + mini-rear trailer.<\/li>\n
    • Loving the Twinzer, but bigger\/critical waves:<\/strong> Add the mini-trailer with the Twinzer+ setup for added grip, power, and hold.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      With just two standard-sized boxes and three smaller mini-boxes, the tail stays light, lively, and flexible\u2014finished with a clean extra glass patch over the fin area.<\/p>\n

      Our RNF has always been about performance, not just in small surf but in all conditions. From the earliest hand-shaped beginnings to countless incarnations, the RNF\u2014and now the TWINZER \u201896er\u2014is not just a crutch to go fast in weak waves. It\u2019s a true high-performance tool.<\/p>\n

      Twinzer Basics (For the Unfamiliar)<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n

      A Twinzer fin setup works by using a small \u201ccanard\u201d fin placed ahead of a larger main fin on each side. The canard conditions the water flow, creating a more efficient and controlled version of a twin.<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Reduces cavitation\/drag:<\/strong> Canards smooth turbulent water flow, keeping the main fin engaged and reducing slide-outs.<\/li>\n
      • Increases efficiency:<\/strong> Similar to how a jib sail directs wind over a mainsail.<\/li>\n
      • Enhances projection and drive:<\/strong> More \u201cgears under the gas pedal\u201d compared to a standard twin.<\/li>\n
      • Allows smaller fins:<\/strong> Less total fin area needed = tighter pivot, still with drive.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        The rider\u2019s experience:<\/strong><\/p>\n

          \n
        • Speed of a twin, with more control.<\/li>\n
        • Less spin-out, more confidence in turns.<\/li>\n
        • Ability to release for driftier feel.<\/li>\n
        • Fluidity and momentum through flat sections.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          The RNF TWINZER \u201896er The latest incarnation of our definitive fish design, the RNF \u201996\u2014enhanced with our TWINZER+ fin cluster. Based off the RNF-\u201996, a 2021 re-vamped version of our original 5\u20195\u201d Round Nose Fish (developed 30 years ago), it\u2019s been our best-selling board of the past five years and arguably the best-selling \u201cfish\u201d model<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":20652,"template":"","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[500],"product_tag":[557],"class_list":["post-20650","product","type-product","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","product_cat-surfboards","product_tag-new-for-2026","board-series-round-nose-fish","board-shapes-fish","tail-shapes-swallow-tail","first","instock","shipping-taxable","product-type-simple"],"yoast_head":"\nRNF Twinzer+ '96er - ...Lost Surfboards by Mayhem<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/lostsurfboards.net\/surfboards\/rnf-twinzer-96er\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"RNF Twinzer+ '96er - ...Lost Surfboards by Mayhem\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The RNF TWINZER \u201896er The latest incarnation of our definitive fish design, the RNF \u201996\u2014enhanced with our TWINZER+ fin cluster. Based off the RNF-\u201996, a 2021 re-vamped version of our original 5\u20195\u201d Round Nose Fish (developed 30 years ago), it\u2019s been our best-selling board of the past five years and arguably the best-selling \u201cfish\u201d model\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/lostsurfboards.net\/surfboards\/rnf-twinzer-96er\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"...Lost Surfboards by Mayhem\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-26T20:18:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/lostsurfboards.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/rnf_twinzer_96er.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lostsurfboards.net\\\/surfboards\\\/rnf-twinzer-96er\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lostsurfboards.net\\\/surfboards\\\/rnf-twinzer-96er\\\/\",\"name\":\"RNF Twinzer+ '96er - ...Lost Surfboards by Mayhem\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ianc80.sg-host.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lostsurfboards.net\\\/surfboards\\\/rnf-twinzer-96er\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lostsurfboards.net\\\/surfboards\\\/rnf-twinzer-96er\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lostsurfboards.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/rnf_twinzer_96er.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-22T07:00:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-26T20:18:21+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lostsurfboards.net\\\/surfboards\\\/rnf-twinzer-96er\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/lostsurfboards.net\\\/surfboards\\\/rnf-twinzer-96er\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lostsurfboards.net\\\/surfboards\\\/rnf-twinzer-96er\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lostsurfboards.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/rnf_twinzer_96er.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lostsurfboards.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/rnf_twinzer_96er.jpg\",\"width\":768,\"height\":960},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lostsurfboards.net\\\/surfboards\\\/rnf-twinzer-96er\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lostsurfboards.net\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Boards\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lostsurfboards.net\\\/boards\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"RNF Twinzer+ ’96er\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ianc80.sg-host.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ianc80.sg-host.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"...Lost Surfboards by Mayhem\",\"description\":\"Surfboards Built by Hand in the USA\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ianc80.sg-host.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ianc80.sg-host.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ianc80.sg-host.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Lost Surfboards\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ianc80.sg-host.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ianc80.sg-host.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lostsurfboards.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/lost_lockup_2025.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/lostsurfboards.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/lost_lockup_2025.svg\",\"width\":\"800\",\"height\":\"1000\",\"caption\":\"Lost Surfboards\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ianc80.sg-host.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"RNF Twinzer+ '96er - ...Lost Surfboards by Mayhem","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/lostsurfboards.net\/surfboards\/rnf-twinzer-96er\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"RNF Twinzer+ '96er - ...Lost Surfboards by Mayhem","og_description":"The RNF TWINZER \u201896er The latest incarnation of our definitive fish design, the RNF \u201996\u2014enhanced with our TWINZER+ fin cluster. 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