With Kelly Slater…one of the best surfers ever…winning the contest at the heaviest wave in the world…on a quad fin…does anyone out there still doubt that quad are as good, if not better, than thrusters? In the post win interview he even talked about fin placement and said his boards worked because the back fins are closer together than most quads. He said he was using the Bruce McKee fin placement system because Bruce has been shaping and riding quads for 30 years! Well there you have it!
I wonder what Al Merrick thought when Kelly said “No no…I want the fins here…where Bruce McKee said they should go.”
And sure you could say Kelly could win on anything but the truth is he’s the best in the world, people throw board at him for free, and he could ride anything he wanted…and he chose a quad.
He’s been riding them for a while now, but most often goes to the trusty thruster when it counts. I think he rode a quad on the final day of the US Open.
Yeah, I watched the contest and saw a few things about the quad vs. the thruster. Kelly was definately quicker downt the line (Whats supposed to happen), but it seemed like the thruster had a little more hold. It also seemed to me that kelly has an uncanny ability to control anything…The quad would start to slide on him and he would quickly recover. Pretty amazing speed down the line, one pump and he was gone…
Kelly is not only the best surfer, but also the most competitively savvy, and if it takes going over the falls at chopes for the win, he’ll do it every time. Now grabbing Beschen’s leash at the US Open well that’s a bit over the line of fair play, but at least he got the win.
First thing that came in my mind was an interview with I guess Rob Machado on surfline who said he thinks no one will ever win a contest on something else then a thruster.
No matter what happened and how he won, he definitely ripped with his quad and that’s a good thing for the whole thrusters vs. quad discussion.
I’m if more pros would go quad and get used to them, they would also get the same results they get on thrusters. You just have to be open-minded.
Gee, just like for the last 20 years, what Kelly rides legitimizes a board design, what a new concept. Nonetheless, he’s Kelly, and he surfs way better than me.
And now Kelly is despondent and very depressed because he now knows the last 30 years have been wasted riding thrusters.
Kelly now that you have had a had a glimes of enlightenment a small peek into surfing narvana, it is time to enter into the relm of the eternal bliss and be amoung the few and learn the ways of the Five Fin. Go in peace Kelly Slater, go with the blessings of The gods seek the five fin and know everlast surfing bliss.
I was thinking 5 fin when he mentioned that he liked the McKee setup because it didn’t have that drift between the fins going from rail to rail that rail quads can have.
Put the quads on the rail where they do the most good, and put that center fin in for “return to center” stability. Gain some pivot too. Thruster feel but better.
Lots of quad talk going on. I’ve been riding my new board and really liking it (tail rocker is a good thing). I’ve been switching back and forth between quad and thruster. My impressions are nothing new- quads are faster down the line. But I’ve been preferring the thruster set up because of two things- one- more controlled feeling on take offs and in general. It’s that center fin stabilizing everything. Two- tighter arcs off the top, a llot easier to go vertical (or as close to vertical as I can get). The quad set up felt a bit tracky off the top (mind you in shoulder high so cal summer waves). I’ve also set it up so I can ride as a Griffin style five (although everything is slightly more forward than Griffin’s numbers). I haven’t tried that set up yet as I was thinking the tail is too narrow for the 5 fin (14-1/8"), but Chris got me curious again. I’m going to change to 5 tonight and see how it goes.
I start to make and surf quad 3 years ago, i like then because i am a light front foot surfer and i surf fast waves. I test many fins positions, start with Mckee to rails fins positions. Now i found something good for me and i don’t want to change any more: It’s near Mckee placement on round pin tail (as narrow as my thruster), consistant lift, classic single concave with deep double start in front of front fins and max between back fins. With this design my board turn as tight as my thruster in top to bottom surf and keep quad secure and speed down the line. Deep double and back fins away from rails decreases instability of quad in transitions. Do it for other riders, they like too.
Kelly wins on a quad…oooooooooooooooh…guess that validates the design now. He chose a quad…that means the quad is better. Everyone toss your thrusters quick and get on the next Slater phaze. All other performance designs are left behind now that the quad has been validated by Kelly Slater. If Slater rides it, that must mean it’s valid. ****ing A right it does.
The only thing that would make it any more valid is if the gurus on swaylocks and some of the other forums give it their blessing. Then the validation will be complete. ****ing A. Ride a quad. Order yours now. Bruce McKee was right all along and his fin set up is also validated…because Kelly chose it. Maybe Lost will come up with a give a dollar program for McKee too.
