quad vs thruster

mr bomb, thrusters will give you tight turns and quck bursts of speed whereas quads you need to draw a longer lines for cut backs , obviously fins play a big part in the way your quad resonds. i belive that the stabilising fins should be fully foiled like the rear fin on thrusters but some say half foiled like the side fins on said thruster but each to their own.as you would be aware i gave the twin fin idea to MR and the tri fin to ANDO also being right on the cutting edge of surf development i just happen to mention to the boys that they could refine my ideas and claim them if they so desired and what do you know bigwayne once again has taken surfing to the next level no need to thank me mr bomb its all in a days work for oneself. this golden snippet of information was bestowed upon you all by your feerless leeder and board design consultant to the "stars" of our beloved sport

I'll field this one if I may Mr Big Wayne?

After careful consideration of the information supplied at hand kbomb, I would recommend a boogie board. You seem to have all the attributes of the most accomplished lid rider.

Failing that, go with the quad- at least you'll feel like you're going faster.

What kind of wave are you thinking on using this quad? That´s something to consider when thinking about a new board.

I enjoy how quads fell a bit looser under my feet, not as loose as a twin and looser than a thruster. Another thing I enjoy on a quad is the projection. They flow better I think. I enjoy riding longboards, and when I´m surfing with a shortboard I´m a bit of a longboarder on it, that is, I enjoy just flowing with my quad. Drawing those wide cutbacks and really enjoying the ride.

mr bomb, its my duty as your feerless leeder, lord and master ,shortboard hero and longboard guru to impart my wisdom when the great unwashed appear in a quandry. no thanks or awards needed its what i do ,although i sometimes appeal to a higher being ( mrs bigwayne) and those upon equal standing such as big mr nettle when one is (shock horror) lacking in knowledge . anyhoo i think that the legend known as mr again has the answer for you and mr munch says the right thing also. see, my work here is done! i have once again single handedly averted a crisis . mr bomb its what i do, i am after all, bigwayne!

Mr BigWayne said:
"i belive that the stabilising fins should be fully foiled like the rear fin on thrusters but some say half foiled like the side fins on said thruster but each to their own"

And I ask: What would be the difference when riding this quad with fully or half foiled fins?

Thanks

So for a rather tall heavy kook who is slow to get to his feet, who doesn’t make tight turns or snaps and is happy to move up and down the face of the wave doing a couple of little turns, what would be your recommendation?

Thanks

By: "kbomb"

Kbomb I thought you were talking about me then, in my mind I'm tearing it up, but in reality that's me. Go the quad, I have a theory that as you get older and stiffer get a faster looser board to compensate. You see a lot of blokes when they get to that stage when it is getting a bit harder they go for the longer version of there old board, giving up performance for flotation , citing that they don't need a shorter board anymore as they don't have the reflexes or strength to to do the turns they used too but a lot of times it's the longer stiffer board that is what is stopping them, Get the quad if you don't like it sell it, but like any board give it a go, don't just write it off after a few surfs, pick out the good things about it and work on those. It sounds like your not overly happy with the way you surf, well jumping on a completely different board could change all that, every new board gives something to your surfing, it's great therapy.

I know nothing about nothing.....however get one then you'll have a tri and and a quad. Rode a quad for a year and loved it and my cutbacks improved out of sight...they had to because they were awful and you have to to drive back into the powerful part of the waves after projecting out of the pocket. Its unreal fun at first as yeh they are kinda like riding a skateboard and not as pivoty but some do track (mine did a little on backhand), but dont sell your tri as its great to back to for a slightly snappier ride. They are kinda good for big blokes and the older set (me) due to the speed but driving turns can be fun to and if you just ride it day in day out it may ruin you bottom turn a bit and that would suck, so have both on hand. Reading your slow to your feet comment make sure you have a lot of volume, if the boards foiled ok and there is some nose in it you'll be sweet as I reckon.Also proper quad rear fins work unreal rather than just smaller standard fins.Just my view.

mr munch, the foiled fins in the rear give yours truly , a lot more lift and speed one just finds that half foiled tend to bog down in the more critical part of the wave for me. that being said mr munch one is the only real pro on this site and as such have totally (un)questionable knowledge on everything so even if you need advice how to live your life let one know and one will do eveything that in ones power to assist you (if im not too busy).mr craft one knows eveything about eveything, so being approachable aswell as humble one thinks you will be alright if you just remember one thing I AM bigwayne so i have all the answers everyone else just contributes . this peice of absolute shit i mean gold was bought to you by oneself , swellnet club captain and wax caddy

My quad has glas on fins, fortunately it is a self (re)shaped board I made out of an old board. I´ve done that with a few boards so far, very experimental kinda of stuff. I was thinking about sanding the inside fins to make them smaller. Because I felt the board had too much drag. With your precious advice I´ll now sand them to have some foil on their inside area.

Thank you bigwayne.

Shaun said "but like any board give it a go" therefore single fins and twin fins should be on your quiver for sure!
I love single fins. Their flow is just insane! I´ve been riding extra short (5'4") semi-round nose single fins on the really small days (1-2ft) some experimental re-shaped stuff. And I´m having so much fun out there, drawing lovely cutbacks, while others are struggling with all the drag from their 5'10" thrusters.

PS. I´m currently living on brazil so a 1-2 ft day is always a go!

mr munch, one would go as far to say that you could even sand them down to near half the size of the side fins. but you must remember that the castor and toe out (placement) of said fins will obviously make a big difference. maybe you could put fin plugs in the rear ones so your not stuck with something that does not work , also can add a fin box in the rear and bingo you will have board that you can use for "product development" ride it as a twin, quad, thruster, or single so you dont have to carry eleventeen boards to your local and you will get feedback on what works best for that type of board, anyhoo my meds are working and the 22 voices confer that you seem like a nice bloke so dont give out this "top secret" info to just anyone , one has to keep the unruly lower classes where they are because its my place in life to produce concinnity in ones admirers and hangers on in general, this has been yet another peice of absolute gold and worthy of another nobel prize for the betterment of humanity , swellnet club captain and all round ladies man

Thank you again mr bigwayne
I´m happy to have found a spot to share my latest "secrets". Best yet, a place where I get useful answers. I´ll sand them down as soon as I get the time to do so.
I have 6 boards, all of them have glass on fins. Some day I´ll work with fin box&plugs, some day...
I just think that leaving an open plug (a plug without a fin, say a quad set as twin =2 open p.) or even worse an open fin box, will interfere with the board´s hydrodynamics. Which I care a lot.
Also, my single fin is shorter and not as wide as my quad, my twin has less area on the nose and is not as thick as the single fin, and so forth and so on...
And most important of all. They were all given to me by a few very generous friends. Therefore I have little, or, actually no influence whatsoever on them being glass on´s!

well...

Have you tried your quad already Kbomb?

My mother is an Angel and sees the goodness in everyone.

So I agree, she would probably find your awkwardness endearing.

Kbomb,
Mate you wont be impressed with the board purchase that you are about to embark on unless you at least have a go on a few demo boards from the shops. Failing that you should borrow a mates quad first and have a few surfs on it before making a final decision. Someone is filling your head with ideas and they probably have the type of board you should try first.
Loose means easy to turn. It is a balancing act with how loose to go, too loose and will spin out when you load up too much power and too tight and it won't release in some turns when you need it to.
Another option is to get a board with 5 sets of plug's in it, this will mean that you can experiment with thruster or quad combinations, you could even ride a 5 fin board for a while and get the best of both boards.
I think bigwayne is not the right person to gain information from, I don't think he can even surf.
P.S. Drawing out cutbacks is so last centurary, keep that cutty tight and in the pocket!

mr bomb, attempted snide remarks about mothers will not be tolerated! you little man can go and sit on the shoulder and wait for your "wave" cretinous little man. one knows who and where you are and am going to set up the g.m.r.c. semi pro mal comp up at your local with the royal water patrol! think yourself lucky that mr again has a modicum of zen. your pusillanimous ways deride the integrity of this site! and to answer your question yes loose means like a dog trying to run around on the lino floor of the kitchen

mr munch, one trusts that you know that one is bigwayne and you are not, that being said, one is the only person that can feel the intricasies or hydraulics through ones feet, and being a "pro" (big thanks to mrs bigwaynes bank account) that the only real feed back that is needed is from oneself. therefore i doubt that you will feel a difference in the way a board is handling with the ever so slight interuption to the flow of water from the holes that are left. also remember that if the board has 50/50 rails and too much or not enough rocker, nose lift and foil or lack there of, you have to have the right combination of all of these things, no amount of fin placement or removal will help a board perform.

well how about that, one has come to the rescue of the lower classes and it warms the cockles of ones big heart . this was bought to you by the undisputed fountain of faeces, swellnet club captain and all round feerless leeder.

being not local, its hard to understand things is it not? what you said about the five fin set up one thinks that one did say that! anyhoo, how many times have you mr local actually cut back into the "pocket"? and kept it "tight"? one suspects that not as many as you would like to think!. most people that surf, mr local, are intermediate at best so as you only true "pro" (big thanks to mrs bigwaynes bank account) one does have the experience to proffer. one is only here to help and you mock and deride,silly little man

Munch I do have single fins and bonzers in my quiver, but these days I am mainly a 4 fin fanatic. What I meant by giving a board a go was to persevere with it if it does not tick all your boxes when you first ride it, as it might have some quality's that you eventually like and take you to different places in your surfing.

Nonlocal; " Drawing out cutties is so last century" Must be a pain in the arse having to watch people surf contrary to the way you hip young people do it. I hope you don't have long hair a retro twin fin or use the word man to start or finish sentences, cause the really are last century.
P.S. "Conforming to surf the way nonlocal thinks is hip".That's just so fifties.

shaun, thanks for the further explanation, I did misunderstand you at first! Now I know what you are talking about.

Little Story...
I had a board once, bought it and used it for a few seshs, what a piece of shit! I was ready to sell it right away. A friend said: Ride it some more, maybe you haven´t yet felt how the board works! I listened and a week later that same board became a magic board to me!

And just another advise kbomb: Don´t be shy to go thick! If they have it try a board (same length) but a bit thicker and see what that does for you.

I reckon I've owned over a 150 boards in my life and I have not ever tried one before I have bought it. Shows what a dinosaur I am, I have not even had an off the rack board for 20 years. Try before you buy is not an option to me as I will not buy any of the massed produced crap, I dunno do you surfers today lack the ability to put a board under there arm and decide whether it feels right or not or have been spoilt by being able to ride it first and not really having to understand what makes a board work, much the same as people don't know how to read the weather, because someone else will do it for them so they know when a swell is coming but not why. Who would have thought that the word dunno would not show up in a spell check.

Bigwayne, I am surprised that someone of your magnitude takes offence so easily, might be time to go to the psychiatrist and get your fortnightly distemper shot.
Shaun, this guy does'nt have the coin to go and buy a heap of boards to get it right, he is on here asking for advice and you want to crap on about how many boards you have had and never bought one off the rack. He does'nt give a rats arse about weather you buy any of the mass produced crap or not.
Kbomb, go and try as many as you can before you commit to a big item purchase, you would'nt go out and spend $800 on a telly without looking at a few first would you? Good luck and have fun in the surf.

no-lo I was just commenting on the way I think the world has changed, not for better or worse but it is different, I've had shitloads of boards off the rack, that was my biggest problem in my younger years I'd walk in the local surf shop, see a nice stick and grab it on credit, they had me by the balls, I was always a board or 2 behind in my payment, I reckon i would be rich man if I didn't surf. Apologies to everyone for my rambling, it means nothing, I'm only doing it to annoy No-lo

$800 for a board, who pays $800 for a surfboard?

Try up to 150 000 yen or about AUD$1700 here in Japan for a bog standard, off the rack Firewire.

mr local , you show your ignorance, my vet gives my distemper and my psyc gives me the meds to control the 22 voices, so there. little man! if buying a board is considerd a big item purchase then maybe a little thing called a job will help turn said item into an affordable purchase. also whats wrong with a second hand board? untill you sort out what you want? its possible to buy 2nd hand very cheaply! buy 4 or 5 for that $800 see once again one has averted a world wide crisis. surfers snap our beloved boards at least once a year if not more so if you can get 4 for the price of one go for it . i see alot of youngfellas doing airs and popping out fins but lack the basic manovers like a good strong bottom turn . waste no more time on you little man.

mr again, why are they so pricey there mate? is it because not many surfers so price is high or are they the higher point of the scale or is that indicative of the expense of living there? sorry about all the q's mr again new meds .

Nuncle, I really don't know why surf gear is so expensive. Boardies up to $120. A leggie about $40. Name brand boards, Al Merricks, Simon Andersons, Firewire, Lost all $1000+. Same with snowboarding gear, anything Burton, very expensive.

I suppose it's because many Japanese are cash rich but time poor, they have the coin and their leisure time is valuable so they have to have the latest and greatest and to look the part. Of course any business worth their salt will exploit that.

There are some absolute rippers over here, but it's always a classic to see the hipster stroll down onto the sand with latest Quikkie Cypher suit, Dumpster-diver under arm, limber up for half an our and then proceed to get monstered in the shorey when they can't paddle out.

Kudos to them though, at least they're having fun and going by some of the chicks they have in tow, being able to say they 'surf' doesn't seem to do them any harm.

Japanese very honourable guests in ours waters, please to host surf-san anytime.

Guest " This chickens rubbery"

Japanese Chef "Rank you"

[quote="fong"

they could hold promise as a big wave design?
\

Well from what I've seen and heard most of the big wave boards in America in the last 3to 4 years have been quads and Australia is starting to catch up, now that paddle in surfing is back in favour their being used more and more.They have become popular at pipe as they can be surfed shorter.

Exactly.

hi guys. (first time on swellnet)

i'm a thruster surfer, i have added volume back into my boards & have done for quite a few years now, but i am too hearing the praises from surf colleagues about the quad.
i've seen how they can breathe life back into a middle aging man's small surf sessions.

i am too considering the foray into the quad. i'm considering ordering my current small wave shorty-fish hybrid in exactly the same dimesions, but in a quad. i'm a power surfer, and can draw out a cutback as long as you like, or snap tightly, whatever the occasion requires. what would i benefit from a quad?

just a question on the last few comments - do quads hold in big surf? or do they track under mega speed? and do they hold a big drive off the bottom, which is absolutely crtical in size?

Listen to your your mates, at least you can be confident in there knowledge as you know them. Having said that ,I'm a full convert, I've got an 8'8" and surfed it up to 12' it holds in. you have to surf differently thats why old guys like them cause they didn't realize the rut they were in

awesome. i suppose another question is - in the big stuff, do quads make a difference? would you surf a thruster differently in 12' to a quad? in the big stuff, you have the power, the size, do you really need a quad in your semi-gun / gun end of the quiver?

I like them in bigger waves cause they hang in more, pure physics I think as you have 2 fins in the face , you surf the face more. I think you surf more using your rails, if that makes any sense, also the back fins don't need to be as big, I use the smallest futures for my back fins with all that rail in the face big back fins make it to stiff.Probably the feeling that I like most is with no center there is no turbulence.

mr towerman, if you are riding waves that are in the large end of the scale, like my esteemed wrestling partner mr shaun, then quads are definatly the waepon of choice. as small as fins as practicable in the rear (fully foiled of course) and get on your way. oneself rides a 9'1" with that set up on the bigger days. one finds it condusive to ones effortless and much copied style of power ripping.big cutback big floaters big bottom turn thats how one became his royal highness bigwayne, glad to meet you mr towerman and if you need any assistance in you daily struggle with surfing or just life in general please feel free to drop a line to us here at swellnet!

there mr shaun how was that for showing how approachable one is ? one kept ones manners in check did one not? one did not speak in gibberish did one? even mrs bigwayne is impressed with one MR SHAUN!?! MR SHAUN!?! ITS ME bigwayne HELLO? ANYONE?!!!

I'm Here Waynker, that 9'1" would be within the dimensions of the contest standard for Malibu's?

yes mr shaun, it is indeed infact its my comp mal 9'1" x 19 1/4 x 2 5/16

thanks guys.
please to meet you too bigwayne. you seem rather confident in your capabilities, better than being a shrinking violet, i suppose.
i take my trusty old 7'0" out in the 10' - 12' range.
however, i am in the process of updating my quiver with a 6'2" quad on the cards.
and a new gun for indo next year, and winter swells this year. i'd have to have a few trail runs in size before committing to ordering a quad in the gun. but the info has been very helpful. cheers.

this debate is getting tired , there are soooo many variables from one board to another that it really is hard to accurately compare one with 3 fins to one with 4...if the 2 boards were exactly identical except for fins and we had a set placement for the quad, then we could discuss it better but the fact is some surfers have had limited experiences with quads and if they are negative, they'll believe that all quads are bad, and we all know thrusters work well, but it really comes down to the individuals likes . I have quads and thrusters in my quiver and enjoy both. It is about understaning the board under you and adapting to get the most out of it I think, and sometimes the challenge of mastering a board and surfing it well can be great fun, no mater if it has 2, 3 or 7 fins.....

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