hi Wouter,
thanx for the post,
the reall thing is, once we begin to finally realize, that no 2 boards are the same, then we realize,
what really drives the board is it's fins...
the fins "drive" the board, that we agree,
the orientation/placement and angles of these fins will determine whether the board can be ridden at 100% of it's potential.
whilst all these "movements" might make people feel "lost" with them...
the reality is, they are there , if and when u need them,
it doesn't mean you have to start "fiddling" with your fins just because u can...
u ONLY tweak your fin positions if u NEED TO...
I relate this experience to someone who gets a computer for the first time, it's mentally challenging, but once they have used it (after a while) , they can't live without it... the reality is, most PC users only use a fraction of what's on offer.
The point is, it's there for every user to tap into when they want to...
In this day an age, having the ability to do fine-tune things when u want is considered "progressive", i believe 4ways is the solution to the new modern-age of surfing.
You will always have the "tradionalists" who may believe fixed fins are the only way, but if surfing is to progress beyond the "thruster" it will only be because we fully understand the current thruster set-up,
at this stage that's still a way off, as shapers need to see the value in adjusting fins as a value to their clients, and to maximize their thruster-performance of their boards for all surfers.
i would love nothing more to see shapers get the recognition they deserve in the surf industry and to once again get the "guru" status they had back 2 decades ago...
here's hoping...
In the meantime, there's a dedicated 4 ways team ready to assist all surfers/shapers with any advice they can lend to "adjusting" their 4way fins.
Best Regards
Deano