Evolution of the Shape

To start things off, somewhere around the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026, the Lanesplitter received quite an overhaul with regards to the shaping template. They removed the beak and made it more performant overall. Keep in mind that any review from before that period is likely about the old template. The Christenson website still lists volume, but I’m quite sure this refers to the old template, as it hasn’t been updated for a few years.

You can find some posts on Reddit about the Lanesplitter, and most recently, the review from Stab—which is also available on YouTube now! The guys at the Onboard Store Bali confirmed that the Stab review is about the new template. Other notable reviews are by House of Somos (new), Real Watersports (old template), Onboard Store themselves (both), and Craig from @thesurfboardguide (old). I made some assumptions based on the age of these reviews to determine which template they were covering.

Sizing and Dimensions

The guys in the Onboard Store were all very stoked on the board, and many have ridden one or owned one. One of the guys (Charlie, legend) actually claimed he had ridden the most Lanesplitters of anyone out there—a bold claim, but it could very well be true!

All the reviews, and Chris Christenson himself, say it paddles like a bigger board, and I agree. Even for me as an intermediate surfer, it paddles incredibly well, and I never feel like I'm struggling or unable to catch the waves I go for. This 5’11” is the shortest board I have, but I don’t struggle getting into any waves. You could even ride it bigger than the recommendations on the Christenson website, and it would still feel great and lively. I ended up going with a 5’11” swallow-tail. Volume is a tricky one because the website figures seem to relate to the old template, but let’s say it’s around 34 liters. I am 5’11” and 86kg, and I usually ride boards between 34 and 36 liters, with some outliers up to 40 or 44 liters for mid-lengths.

The website and reviews suggest going 2 to 4 inches shorter than your height. I initially considered getting a 5’10” with 5’11” dimensions and emailed with Chris about this for a while. He said that would be fine and would still feel great, but after talking to the guys at the Onboard Store, I decided to stick with the 5’11” stock dims combined with the Christenson upright twin fins.

Performance on the Water

Because I don't live next to perfect, predictable waves year-round, I need a board that is forgiving when conditions are less than ideal. For me, the Lanesplitter will be an absolute savior on a rare, offshore glassy day in the North Sea, same as it has been in Medewi, Batu Bolong, and Kedungu. This is only the second twin fin I’ve surfed (having owned a 6'8" Big Baron and surfed my Rocket Wide as a quad), but the feeling I get on this shape is unique: if I make a mistake and lose speed on those longer, softer slopes, the automatic twin-fin speed lets me instantly catch up to where I want to be. Even when I completely botch my pop-up, the board's natural flow compensates for it beautifully. It gives me a recovery gear that I’ve simply never managed to find on my Pyzel Phantom or Mini Ghost thrusters.

However, when the waves get faster, punchier, and steeper, I tend to get caught in what I call my intermediate "loop of doom." Because the takeoff becomes more critical, I hesitate. Instead of executing a deliberate, slow, and controlled pop-up, panic takes over and I fall right back into my old bad habits—landing front-foot first, "chicken wing" style. On hollower waves, I notice my mistake instantly. There is no time for the board to rescue me; the wave is gone and I end up swallowed by the whitewash.

But on those occasions when I do time my paddle and takeoff perfectly, the board is insanely fun and lively in punchy waves. If I find myself in those steeper conditions and my technique is struggling, I usually just switch my mindset to "pop-up practice" and deliberately chase closeouts just to get my repetitions in. When I took the board from the North Sea back to long, rolling points abroad like Medewi, that forgiveness remained its biggest asset for my style of surfing.

My very first surf in Indo, however, was not in those ideal point-break conditions; it was windy, bumpy, and closing out everywhere at Kedungu in Bali during the wet season. Nevertheless, I managed to go on my backside and, against my expectations, made two solid turns and even threw some spray. I ended up in a few closeouts and called it a day. I wasn't quite convinced I’d made the right choice with the 5’11” and thought maybe I should have sized up even more.

But I tried again. The next surf was clean with a light offshore wind and an almost empty lineup at Kedungu. It was timed perfectly between two thunderstorms, and I had the best time. I caught 14 out of 14 waves I paddled for, and the board is incredibly skatey. It offers easy turns and carves, and the V in the tail is really noticeable. I've never had a board with that before, but the transitions from rail to rail were very easy and natural. That board made me feel like a much better surfer than I actually am. Even though it is 5’11” and easy to turn, popping up feels surprisingly solid. There are no wobbles or slide-outs, which is important since my pop-up can be messy and sometimes requires a foot placement adjustment.

Fast forward a few months: I took it out to solid overhead Are Guling Left in Lombok, and it held very well! I could have gotten into some barrels if I knew how to do that, but unfortunately, I outran the first section with all my speed and got smashed by the others. It was a two-hour battle with the current; by the end, I was tired and lost some control, unable to fully commit to the steep drops I was making earlier. I slid out a couple of times, but that was honestly more due to my own fatigue than the twin fins.

Now, my next mission is to take this board back home and test it across the full spectrum of conditions the Dutch surf has to offer. To be honest, I am incredibly excited to do so. The Lanesplitter has easily become my favorite board in the quiver, and I expect great things from it in our cold water. However, putting a board through its paces in heavy North Sea closeouts and cold-water rubber means it’s going to take a beating. After pushing it hard in Indo and thinking about the upcoming Dutch winter, my focus naturally shifted from how the shape performs to how the actual construction is holding up.

Durability and Build Quality

To be perfectly honest, I don’t think this board will last very long. I’m usually heavy-footed, and this board has dented like a golf ball. I saw significant pressure dents after the first session, and after three months, it’s already quite "seasoned." I asked the Onboard Store about the blanks, and they confirmed they use US Blanks. However, there are several different density levels. I suspect it's a "Red" (lightweight) blank given how easily it dents compared to my other boards. The glassing is likely a standard 4+4/4 deck/bottom.

Visual tracking of the deck deck compression after 3 months of use.

I recently custom-ordered a 6’6” Wolverine as a step-up and confirmed they will use a "Blue" (mid-density) blank with 6+4/4 glassing for that one. Despite the pressure dents, the Lanesplitter is still beautifully white and surfs amazing.