We have to admit, at first glance Steve Thorp’s new K4 Fins didn’t immediately rock our world. Aimed squarely at the multi-fin market, they just looked like a budget alternative to a pair of G10 foils. OK – and potentially a much cheaper option for filling up a quad. Fair enough, we thought…

Look a little closer, and the plastic / fiberglass composite material isn’t just a price thing. Having spent decades chasing ever-stiffer fin materials for optimum performance, expensive G10 might actually turn out to be too stiff for a quad. Surfers only ever use them for straightlining big waves. But for grip through the bottom turn and snap off the top? Plastic composite every time.

But surely it must mean compromising performance for price? We all know plastic fins are way too soft to work properly, right? The stiffer the better – that’s why we pay top dollar for G10 nowadays. However, we’re talking multi-fins here, which are much shorter lengths – hence a softer fin will have less chance to bend. And actually, if multi-fin surfboard wisdom is to be believed, it turns out that a bit of flex could be our friend after all…

So, the million-dollar question (or rather, the £44.95 per pair question…) do they actually work for windsurfers? Well, Andy King, James Cox, Oisin Van Gelderen and Rich Potter are already riding them and early indications seem very positive indeed. The fins apparently hold grip better through the top turn, with negligible difference in straight line performance. We have a pair of twins on their way to Boardseeker HQ, so stay tuned for a full test as soon as we’ve got to know them better…

More at: www.stevethorp.co.uk

K4 fins are available to buy now from retailers nationwide, including 4boards, LAR and boylos.co.uk.