Battle Of The Boards - Cobra Killer vs Twin Pin

Lost X Son Of Cobra - Cobra Killer Vs Channel Islands Twin Pin

The latest battle pits the new Channel Islands Twin Pin against the collaborative masterpiece that is the Cobra Killer which created by Matt Biolos of Lost Surfboards and Son Of Cobra.

Once again, we have run both boards through there paces and scoring them on our findings and opinions on how we got on. As before, the judging will be on:

The team here at Boardshop have been lucky enough to get their hands on both boards and managed to find a variety of waves to get a feel for each model and be able to compare them.

Let’s take a look at each board and break them down;

Going under the knife first will be the Lost X SOC Cobra Killer. Firstly, before you surf this board you have to acknowledge how stunning the finish is and how beautiful the resin tint colours on these boards look. They are sleek, classy, minimal and we love it!

Better to how they look, is how they surf. The board is literally a mash up of minds, the front 2/3^rd of the board is very, very similar to the Quiver Killer, which was a favourite in the Lost range for a while, but then Paul Lefevre (SOC) got his hands on the tail, and this is where the magic happens. The deep and long double concave pulls out to insanely clean and sharp rails. What this will do for you is give you more hold compared to a twin pin that does not have quite as sharp rails, but the concave gives you speed and acceleration that will blow your mind.

Surfers from an intermediate level and above will love this board. It is a fantastic option as a daily go to board for the surfer who doesn’t want to ride a thruster all the time and is a top class pick for a board to travel with.

The Cobra Killer is suited to waves from anything knee high to head high, but comes alive in a chest to shoulder high surf or more. It loves going fast, you can set the rail and lean into carves and cutbacks with full faith and then you come out of the manoeuvres with just as much speed as you went into them!

Moving on to the new Channel Islands Twin Pin, which was the board that Britt Merrick worked with Mikey February over a long time to perfect and then bring to market, and the wait was worth it.

When making the board the goal for Britt and MFeb was to craft a surfboard that would give you the feel and fun of a twin fin, while combining this with enough hold and projection to set you free from always wanting a thruster or trailer and boy did, they succeed!

Everything about the board design is smooth and stylish, the board looks like how Mikey surfs. The roll in the rails, the underside having subtle concaves, an even amount of rocker and even the small but needed beak nose, they all combine to give you a buttery feel when you are riding.

Like the Cobra Killer, we see this as an alternative board to a daily driver that is your standard squash tail thruster. Perfect for waves anything from waist to way overhead, the board really loves a clean, lined up reeling wave but also suits a fast hollow wave and a rolling fat burger to! The Twin Pin will be ideal for any surfer who is a decent intermediate level or higher.

Paired with an upright style twin fin set, the board works amazingly!

Enough on the boards alone, lets compare and rate them:

Paddle Speed

Choosing a better paddler out of these two boards was pretty difficult, they are close to how fast they paddle. We found as the width and wide point is forward on the Cobra Killer and this made it feel like it carried more speed when paddling. On the CI Twin Pin, it has a touch less width that the narrower feel just made it feel a touch slower. It still did carry speed into waves, it was close so we will go 4.5 on the Cobra Killer and 4 out of 5 for the Twin Pin.

Wave Catching Ability

Another one where the boards where hard to split and although on paddle speed we handed it to the Twin Pin, this one we could not split them. The width and wide point being forward of centre on the Cobra Killer helped this get into waves really well and there was no splitting the boards on the category. 4/5 each.

Manoeuvrability

This is where the CI Twin Pin stands out. The Cobra Killer is amazing fun, the rails and concaves give the board so much speed and hold, but they do limit the release of the board when trying to turn harder. On your manoeuvres you need to prepare for a more drawn-out carving feel. The Twin Pin can go a lot more vertical and can whip around faster as it has a more balanced rail.

A strong 4 out of 5 for the Cobra Killer, whereas the Twin Pin rightfully scored 4.5/5!

Speed

For sure you feel like you are going faster on the Cobra Killer, the double concave makes sure of that! Do not get me wrong the Twin Pin is still fast, as it carries that twin pin drive and speed, but the Cobra Killer takes this one.

Easy one, 5 out of 5 for the CK and 4/5 for the CI!

Fun Factor

With no doubt, both of these boards are fun. Speed, drive, flow, paddle ease and style too. Nothing beats having a board that surfs amazing and looks good too and both of these are that! Impossible to split on the fun factor here! 4.5 for both boards!

Result

Picking a winner and splitting these two boards, we knew it was never going to be a wide win for one of the other. Rounding it all up, the Lost X Son Of Cobra, Cobra Killer takes a victory but only just!

Whatever board you were to get, you will adore it!

 Watch The Battle Of The Boards Video!

Check out the full range of Channel Islands and Lost Surfboards in store right now by clicking on the images and decide for yourself!