QUADS V THRUSTERS

Quads, always, but not with single concaves.

That is all.

One or the other, never both! A board shaped to be a quad isn’t going to work as well as a thruster and vice versa. 5 fin boxes are overrated. Commit!

I love and hate quads.

I love them because they are fast and loose, and im addicted to that feeling but i think i blow more turns from just losing control.

And riding quads has kind of ruined thrusters for me, now thrusters feel slow and stiff like im going from a thruster to a single fin, but i kind of wish i could go back to thrusters for a bit but when ive tried im like no i cant do this and go back to quads.

Id expect those crazy turns JJF was doing where he does a carve to layback and seems to lose control only to magically bring his board back under him and appear out of the whitewater might not be as easy to regain control on a quad.

Goofy JJ typical of Pros can generate enough speed without using quads plus his boards have good rails which allows him to do the big hacks he is capable of.

The thruster also allows for a shaper pivot off the bottom provided the back foot is engaged with a deft touch and perhaps a better release off the top.

For the average punter quads allow speed and also can hide poor rails.

All IMHO.

Andrew P wrote:

One or the other, never both! A board shaped to be a quad isn’t going to work as well as a thruster and vice versa. 5 fin boxes are overrated. Commit!

Andrew I disagree with you on this , I’ve got a lost HP puddle jumper that I surf as a quad using split keel fins for waves from waist to head high. When it’s a bit bigger and hollower I surf it as a thruster as I find it more stable and not so skatey. I regularly ride both thrusters and quads depending on what waves I’m surfing. It really is an individual choice and what works for me might not work for you .

Supafreak wrote:

Andrew P wrote:

One or the other, never both! A board shaped to be a quad isn’t going to work as well as a thruster and vice versa. 5 fin boxes are overrated. Commit!

Andrew I disagree with you on this , I’ve got a lost HP puddle jumper that I surf as a quad using split keel fins for waves from waist to head high. When it’s a bit bigger and hollower I surf it as a thruster as I find it more stable and not so skatey. I regularly ride both thrusters and quads depending on what waves I’m surfing. It really is an individual choice and what works for me might not work for you .

Completely understand Supa! Should’ve qualified my above statement with “in my limited experience”. I’ve had 3 x boards with 5 fin plugs. All three went measurably better as one or the other. If I were to reorder they would either be thrusters or quads

I'm a hack (experienced intermediate ha ha) but I've found there is more variability in quads depending on rear fin box placement. I.e. if close to stringer, use 50/50's and go well in bigger stuff, if near rail then flat foils and generally better in small to head+ high. Hard to have a generic quads conversation IMO.

Also agree on a particular board working well with 1 set-up, although I have found that can vary depending on waves as per para 1. Thrusters are very reliable no matter what, but quads when they work are awesome.

stunet wrote:

Quads, always, but not with single concaves.

That is all.

+1

For me once you get your head around a quad it makes it very hard to go back to a thruster. Mind you of course both have pros and cons.

Fin placement is critical with quads, which is why in general I would agree with the sentiment that 5 fin boards are a no go. In most cases these will have boxes set out for a thruster with the quad back options as an afterthought and nearly always with said back cluster too tight to the stringer. Quads really are a tough one to pin down because fin options from performance to split keel style demand totally different placements. From experience they should be approached as if trying to better a twin, and not a thruster if that makes sense. Stu is right on the single concave, tends to dampen the positivity of a quad. A mix of double and very very subtle vee/spiral concave through the fins is where I have ended up.

Pure acceleration and hold in all the right places is what does it for me. The only negative is that they dont like to sit in the pocket like a thruster but its a small loss compared to what is gained imo. I would imagine JJF due to his power carves sticks to a thruster and is on larger fin sets, also the ease of going vertical and rebounding quicker on a thruster probably makes sense in competitive surfing. But who knows, he rips everyting anyway it seems.

Thrusters do better bottom turns and carves on a wall.
Quads are better on steep hollow faces where twitchy quick corrections are the best and they are faster.
Faster is not always better though ….and a tail fin gives drag and pivot and drag is good for carving and pivot for re entries…I’ve had many rounded pin boards that were 5 fin boxes and went just as well as a thruster or a quad on their required day..a favourite being the ci fred rubble…..so I reckon you can have both on one board no worries…but vee in the tail is a must for a both board.

I've been riding dedicated quads (no thruster plugs) exclusively for small waves since 2011, never going back to thrusters. Dust off the NP snr Widowmaker when it gets bigger. Interestingly, I had a Simon Anderson dedicated quad back in 2009-2010ish that went unreal, should not have parted with it...

My takeaway on quads is that they are just very fast, which means I have to remind myself to take off deeper, or to find ways to slow down if I am trying to get tubed. I remember when I first started surfing them I wasn't used to it and outran a lot of easy tubes.

My preference is QUADS, been on them since 1982 but just for recreational wave riding.I also use twins(mainly MRs) with a stabiliser in weak waves.I have some thrusters and occasionally ride them to remind myself how much better a quad and a stabilised twin is!

Just to add, my favoured quad set up is MRs(or other drivey fins like H4s) in the leading plugs....On the trail toe plug I usually use a next size down fin and the heel side a very low area fin(gl.MR trailer are the same outline or a vector hatchet if on a Futures board)

So it's a asymetrical cluster....Very drivey on toe side and low resistance to snap off top on heel side.Been using this set up since 2012.