Why didn Bob Simmons twin-finned board take a linear path to Mark Richards four world titles?
I asked Carl Ekstrom recently what was the first three-finned surfboard he could recall. His answer: “In the late ’50s I built a board with a tail that was too wide, it kept spinning out. I couldn’t afford to make another one so I stuck two small fins on the rail outside the main fin. It fixed the problem.” In October 1980, Simon crossed paths with Frank Williams. Frank, a journeyman shaper, had worked with Geoff McCoy, Barry Bennett and other notable Sydney boardmakers. Simon ran into Frank as he was coming out of the water at Narrabeen with a board that was essentially a twin fin with a strange little “half-moon” shaped fin on the tail. Simon asked him what the third fin was for, and Frank told him, “It helps make it more stable.” Simon’s instant response was, “I’m going to make it real stable!” In that moment the Thruster was conceived in Simon’s mind. Glen Winton, in all probability, may not be the first person to have put four fins on a surfboard but is credited with the design. I
