I wonder if this will start a ‘rush’ to ride four fin thrusters , perhaps even in competition ? [Or maybe not … ]
Anyway , I found this at Surfer forum …I thought it’s worth seeing it here , too ? Slater on a four finner [at Sebastian Inlet , apparently] …
cheers !
ben
Recognise this bloke chip, he’s a wozzie.
Wonder how MR would have gone on a quad in his day?
Maybe a couple more world titles,hmmm?
The quad shortboards seem to suit more rail to rail power surfers.
Sorry chip, got it this time.
nice!!
Slater my ass, that’s me at Croyde a fortnight back…Told you so Chip! 6’10" etc etc. Easy mistake though dude.
Interesting that on page 102 of “Essential Surfing” by George Orbelian (3rd edition) there is a Brewer double bump quad shaped by Gary Linden. It is remarkably similar to the board being ridden by Kelly Slater and is at least 20+ years old.
Is it suddenly interesting simply because Kelly Slater (or Fatbaslardass) has decided to ride one?
Oh, wait… my bad. The board in the book is a squash tail. On page 110 is a Hot Stuff Wayne Bartholomew Model swallow tail quad by Tom Eberly that is more like the board Kelly Slater is riding.
Again, at least 20+ years old.
back in the day I recall all the quads having equal size/shape fins with equal toe-in, and they were all double foiled. Near 1980, more or less.
these days the rear fins are more inboard, double foiled, and often different in shape, the front rins are toed-in more, standard rail fin size/shape, single foiled
its a step towards the thruster…the newer quads of this style have more thrust than the old ones (which had no thrust at all), but carry speed better than a thruster…
they also have maybe 1/8" toe-in on the front fin, more speed for smaller waves
in 1980 I do not recall quads having any thrust at all, the quads of today feel like heavily handicapped thrusters which glide a lot better
great in mush
the big wave quads are used for hold - much better than a thruster - more hold with two fins on the rail than one - same whether you have them both toed-in the same or not - but the quad lovers still move the rear fin inboard, double foil it, and do not toe it in
Quads,Fishes,bonzers and 5 fin boards are viable designs today because modern rockers and outlines are far supieor to those in the Eighties.
click on the “quad” circle. … what took them so long to cash in on the quad I wonder?
wow! this looks fun!
like when the thruster came in to fame.
The set Kelly’s riding looks too be PC 5 front fins with MR trailer fins. looks nice i reckon.
hey blakestah - I’m not from the same neck of the woods as you, so maybe it was regional - but in the early 80s none of my quads had double foiled fins, they were all single foiled (and glass ons). Some of my quads had all 4 fins the same size, but some had the front bigger than the rear, and others had the rear fins bigger. Fin placements and bottom contours were all over the map, too. No quads on big wave boards back then, at least not that I recall in my area… nobody seemed to want to try to squeeze them into a pintail planshape. I do remember seeing a big wave 4 fin, but twinzer setup rather than quad, although that was a few years later.
Hi Dave -
Here’s one I found in my girlfriend’s rafters. Thick with down rails. Fins are smaller in back and all have asymmetrical (flat inside) foil. Front fins are toed-in slightly more than rear fins. Paint job maybe looks '80-ish? I believe it’s from L.A. area shaper. I’m sure Kelly Slater would rip on this beauty!
I wonder if this will start a ‘rush’ to ride four fin thrusters , perhaps even in competition ? [Or maybe not … ]
i think you hit the nail on the head with this one, chipper.
from another florida surf contest covered by surfline…
…“Noah Snyder brought his secret weapon down to Florida for the event”
…“Those four fins seemed to propel him through the flat spots just fine”
I wish I had some pics of my pre 80s quads/pre thruster quads.
People are catching up ,finally.Herb
Here in Santa Cruz the Stretch 4-fins are all the rage. Something like a 6 month waiting list for one of those babies. Usually they are bat-tailed and not swallows like the one Slater is surfing in that pic. My roommate even showed me a n article he came across in one of the mags last month on the Stretch boards. They look pretty sweet to me…
a buddy of mine down here got one of those bat-tail quads from stretch about a year ago.
looked hot. he digs it.
Here’s one I found in my girlfriend’s rafters.
whoa, wrong thread
Hi Dave -
Here’s one I found in my girlfriend’s rafters. Thick with down rails. Fins are smaller in back and all have asymmetrical (flat inside) foil. Front fins are toed-in slightly more than rear fins. Paint job maybe looks '80-ish? I believe it’s from L.A. area shaper. I’m sure Kelly Slater would rip on this beauty!
hi John !
what are the dimensions of that quad , please ?
And , have you ridden the quad yet ?
if so, how did it go ?
cheers
ben
I had a quad in the 80’s in between twins and thrusters.
Mine was a Vosper. (terry Vosper) it was ok but I rode a mates thruster and sold it and got a thruster. I can’t remember much but it went good, the thruster was a vosper as well.