I was riding last year a stretch f4,on a long trip through indo. (for its plane-bag handlers durability etc)i really like the board most 4 foot and under days but when the takeoff really bottomed out on bigger days, especially after a few days of not surfing the board, it seemed to lag a bit in recovery and let me get sucked up the face a bit, although later -shortly after recovery/once lining up the section it gained incredible speed and let me get some really deep tubes, but i want to know how to recover from drops better…is it the board construction/design or what im used to?
I was used to riding twin keels for four or five years which seemed to get speed on landing without much effort, and they are fun in normal tubes but in twisty long hollow coral reef ledges they dont want to turn well in the tube
Now is it the quad fin setup that drags/lags a little on big landings or is it the EPS and epoxy construction, or something else?
The tail is really thin on this board compared to my fishes.Maybe im putting too much backfoot pressure on my bottom turn landing…Not sure.
I was wondering if riding a coil, sunova,comsand or mitchel rai flex tail etc would recover better on big drops.
Basically what is involved in a boards tail, flex and fin desighn that allows it to recover well?
"The tail is really thin on this board compared to my fishes."
It's a fine line between control and acceleration on recovery after a steep drop. The narrower/thinner tail is what you want for control on the steeps but with that control likely comes a loss of 'squirt'... especially when compared to a fish type board. It's the type of contradiction that drives designers mad - the 'perfect' combination that catches waves easy, accelerates like a rocket, holds like a mofo in the tube, yet cuts back on a dime and is free as a bird on the open face.
I think it's more about the shape than the materials.
Epoxy construction is more buoyant, makes it harder to penetrate a hollow sucking face. Had the same problem with an epoxy board in Indo 4 years ago - much more difficult to get over the ledge compared to my PU boards. One of the reasons most Indo vets have their quivers glassed 6,6/6…not only helps keep their boards intact, that bit of extra weight helps them penetrate the ledge quicker.
The F4 is designed for average waves with a flatter rocker, which is challenging to manage on drops in bigger hollow surf, even though it will haul ass once set on the fall line. Extra rocker is pretty much standard on Indo step-ups…makes it a whole lot easier to deal with the steep and deep…
If you want to ride 6' and bigger hollow fast waves, you need a board designed for steep takeoffs and projection DTL.
I'd recommend as short as you can paddle in (and catch enough waves in a 3 hours session), narrow, pointy nose, a controlled amount of fin cluster, soft thick rails, panel V out the tail, and flattish deck (for steep takeoffs and control). Heavier is easier, lighter quicker once you're up and going.
Add offshore chop, and you might go belly or V mid, a little more length, soften the rails.
and you KNOW one board is not enough to cover the spectrum of expected waves...