Christenson Surfboards

The Fish is a keel-fin fish with a wide outline, easy paddling and plenty of drive. The Lane Splitter is a performance twin with more upright fins and a thinner, pulled-in tail. In our testing, it combines the speed and freedom of a twin with hold that improves when you push through turns. Watch our Lane Splitter review to hear how it worked in the Outer Banks, Fiji and Puerto Rico.

Don’t get hung up on length. The Christenson Fish carries width through the nose, middle and tail, so our review recommends riding it short rather than ordering your usual hybrid length. Compare the full dimensions with a board you already know. That advice doesn’t carry over to every Christenson: the Wolverine is designed around a longer rail, so shrinking it down to fish length misses the point of that shape.

The Wolverine comes from the Nautilus family, with a winged swallowtail and a dedicated upright twin-fin setup. In our review, Trip points to its refined rails and long-rail surfing: the extra rail gives it drive, momentum and speed. The Nautilus comes in different fin configurations, so check the individual board rather than assuming they’re all the same setup. Watch our Wolverine review for Trip’s comparison with his own Nautilus boards.

The Easy Wind has a five-fin setup, giving you both options. In our review with Chris Christenson, he prefers a quad in clean, glassy surf and a thruster when there’s texture or he wants to do more bottom turning. That’s his preference, rather than a rule you have to follow. The model spans shorter hybrid sizes through performance midlengths, so your board size matters too. Watch our Easy Wind review and browse surfboard fins that match your board’s fin system.

Match the fin template to the model. Our Fish review calls for raked-back keel fins. The Lane Splitter was reviewed with upright Christenson twin fins and no trailer, while the Wolverine is designed for upright, MR-style twins rather than keels. A keel and an upright twin are different setups; don’t choose on fin count alone. Check the actual board’s fin system before shopping Futures fins or other compatible options in our fin collection.

In our Nautilus review, we surfed it from waist-high to overhead in Cape Hatteras. Its length and conservative rocker help with paddling and early wave entry, while the thin rails let you set an edge when the surf has some punch. It likes a wave with some push and suits driving bottom turns and longer, arcing cutbacks. Don’t assume a longer fish is automatically your best choice for tiny, weak surf.