Starboard has released a series of rider reviews exploring how its new TallTwin performs across different waves, conditions and surfing styles.
The TallTwin combines the length, glide and stability of a longboard SUP with the faster, looser character of a twin-fin surf SUP.
Rather than relying on a single launch video, Starboard handed the board to six of its team riders: Pete Cox, Camille Dubrana, Paul Simmons, Zane Schweitzer, Benoit Carpentier and Bart de Zwart.
Their reviews approach the TallTwin from noticeably different perspectives.
- Pete Cox experiments with the optional Nubster fin, finding that it adds control and connection through turns, while removing it creates a looser and more playful ride.
- Camille Dubrana focuses on carving. She describes a board that carries speed through larger turns without requiring as much pressure from the back foot as a conventional longboard SUP.
- For Paul Simmons, the attraction is its balance of performance and accessibility. He highlights the stability, glide and easy wave catching, but finds it faster and more willing to redirect through a carve than the Starboard Longboard.
- Zane Schweitzer tests both the 108-litre and 94-litre models in Bali. His review shows the TallTwin being cross-stepped and nose ridden before transitioning into more aggressive turns, with Zane even considering the smaller size for competition.
- Benoit Carpentier positions the board directly between Starboard’s Longboard and TwinFin. In his view, it delivers much of the TwinFin’s speed and lively feel in a longer, more stable and accessible shape.
- Bart de Zwart reaches a similar conclusion after comparing the 108-litre TallTwin with a Longboard of approximately the same volume. He acknowledges the additional swing weight compared with a true short SUP, but sees that as a reasonable trade-off for greater stability, control, glide and wave-catching ability.
These are Starboard team riders appearing in brand-produced videos, so they should not be treated as independent reviews. Together, however, they provide a useful look at the TallTwin across a wide range of riders and conditions.
The consistent message is that the TallTwin occupies the space between a traditional longboard and a short performance SUP: easier and more forgiving than the latter, but faster and looser than the former.
Watch all six rider reviews below.