Quad
DIMS:5'9_1.2"x18_11/16"x2_1/4"
Rider: Shayne, 5'8" 160 lbs.
(EPS/Epoxy version)
Core: Austin Foam EPS
Glassing Schedule: Carbon-Fuzed Epoxy, Bottom 4+4 oz., Deck 4+4 oz.
(PU/PE version)
Core: Surfblanks Australia - green density
Glassing Schedule: Polyester resin, Bottom 4+4 oz., Deck 4+4 oz.
Like many of the popular quads floating around today. A fast small to med wave board and for aerials. Also made one out of PU/PE and same glassing schedule for comparison. Shayne definitely preferred the EPS/Epoxy in terms of liveliness and drive.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Quad
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Unfortunately, we had about as bad of a summer for surf as I can recall. I finally rode the board in some decent surf about two (2) months after Ray dropped it off.
In many sessions the surf was so bad that it was difficult to really get a feel for the board. In very slow, weak beach break the 4 fin does provide incredible speed but does not like to be pumped the way that a thruster generates speed. I found that the best way to generate speed is to put your weight back on your back foot and move the board from rail to rail.
Besides more general speed overall, the quad is real fast even from first standing up. The acceleration once on rail is unsurpassed due to the quickness that the design goes on rail. The absence of a center fin enables the board to be on a rail the second your feet hit the deck and once on rail the two fins hug the face and just take off. This board feels great in the all too common slow close-out beach break; with the quad you can get the jump on it and make some distance early and carry speed to the end sections.
Another facet of the quad designs is that it can be put on rail in the blink of an eye simply because the fins are on the rail and react in a micro second making that late snap, late drops, and critical sections all much easier.
Rail to rail in the barrel is another thing that these boards do well and it has never been so easy on any other board I have ridden. The board can cling ridiculously high up on the wave since the fins are on the rail and help hug the rail into the face. I found that taking off late, and putting it on a rail, the board holds and immediately generates speed.
The quad loves a short arc but the thruster has to work hard to shorten its arc and it is amazingly easier to apply a bit of pressure to quickly drag a cuttie around or to punch off the bottom and vertically up the face at top speed.
Negatives - Because the quad has so speed and is so sensitive on rail you do not need to bully them to get the response required and if you do they may do strange things going up the face or pushes them to hard off the bottom then they may feel weird. But if you lay it over and hold your line the projection and tight feeling is incredible.
Reef Breaks Surfed – La Jolla
- Board loves to come hard off the bottom and the power in the waves
- Feels great dropping in late and drawing out lines, especially feels good doing sweeping carves / cutbacks
- Surfs really well from deep behind the peaks
- Board got bashed into the rocks and came away unscathed except for a few scratches
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Beach Breaks Surfed – Blacks, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas, Northern Baja
- Some of the more gutless surf has been frustrating, I get some waves where I feel good and others that I feel like I am going slow and a more purpose designed fish would be the call.
- Steep peaks are very fun, but the 4 fin wants to surf down the line
- Floaters and whitewater bounces are really easy
- Vertical turns are not as easy,
Fin Setups – 4 tried
I finally settled on 2 older flexible large FCS side fins in front and two slightly smaller FCS side fins in the back.
- Tried the smaller trailer fins. Did not work well
- Tried center fins, in front and back, the angle of the fins was not quite right but the board worked fine.
- Tried stiff side fins in front and back and did not like the feel.
PU/PE Version
The board rides and feels differently than the Nano version. It has not held up nearly as well and has been ridden much less. The deck has pretty significant pressure dings (denting).
The SF4 fin setup is more balanced but sacrifices a little bit of the drive.
Going back and forth from Thrusters to Quads is difficult.
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