Can somebody please clearly explain the distinctions between quad and thruster set ups. Don't tell me one has three fins and the other four. I'm sure this has been discussed but I'm tired of wading through all the other crap. Thanks for any non-sarcastic answers.
" And then of course, there's the 5 fin...LOL "
yep !
since there ARE five plugs on the 'wizard' , why NOT use them all.
I go with smaller fins when using all my five plugs , on the bushfire fish I made , and the Walden 'CD4' [which is really a CD5 , actually ]
I start with 5 MR TX [trailer fins size] and or GS / GX / G1000 templates . All five fins the same , but of course , there is nothing to stop us mix and matching any of those for different waves and feels.
I came to quads from predominately riding single fins , so I'm very interested and thank you guys for your feedback , who ride quads AND thrusters regularly . That's something I really want to do this winter [ so it's a timely thread , indeed !!] . Our aussie winter 'officially' starts june 1st , for those wondering ....
please keep the feedback coming ...
cheers
ben
I used to do 10 1/2 " / 3 1/4". I liked the cluster back and closer together. More drive but a bit stiffer. I always believe that speed comes before looseness cuz you can do a lot more when you are going fast. I am bigger dude and use my weight as an advantage and the only way to do that is to have a fast drivey board.
The modern quads like the wizzard sleeve are much more evolved now. Some are still virtual twins with more and longer fin surface on the rail but on Kelly’s board the fins are more in the center and can give the opportunity to force more water through the separation.
I still think glass on fins are the way to go. Richo taught me a lot about fins including sanding them off and re-doing them if the board wasn’t working the way it should.
At the moment blokes with quads are pulling more roots than guys on thrusters. Check the archives
Mate you're asking a forum with Aussies and Kiwis on it not to give you a sarcastic answer.
Beerfan it's only the skanks they're picking up. The classy chicks still dig thrusters. YEEEWWW!!!
If you set your quad up right you can get the benefits of both.
dear deejer
one would never want to be sarcastic just over a seven fin question
cheers huie
I heard the coolest kids are going finless?..get some 1.5lb EPS from Home Derro, use flat sheets glued together, glass with epoxy so you can bust aerials, insert your home made leash plug with a razor blade, don’t worry about sanding, it wont be worth it by then!!
wow only aussies replying so far ? it must be the funky time difference factor eh ?
deejer3000 for what it's worth [and this is my serious , non-sarcastic answer...I guess that I might be an unusual Aussie , in that I don't really enjoy using sarcasm ] ,
Okay .....as a multi fins advocate ,
I would suggest ( if financially viable) , to try to make / get made two boards....
that are as-close-to-identical , as is (humanly and / or computerlarly [?word?] ) possible ....
set one up as a thruster
and one as a quad ..
Ride them both , lots ! [preferably , both in the same sessions , or conditions / days ?]
Then , if you like , please report your findings back here , as I [and hopefully others] would be keen to hear what you experienced , in terms of how they both rode and felt
myself ? I do it by multi-plugging ONE board ,
but of course this means heavier boards , which not everyone gets off on ....
anyway , I trust this is helpful in some way ?
I look forward to hearing further from you on this thread
cheers !
ben chipper , west oz .
...this definately has potential to be a good , educational , and hopefully , non-argumentative thread .....IF people who ride both types of boards are willing to share their EXPERIENCES.
[Threads like this generally self-destruct when they get overrun by people who haven't [experience] just loudly throwing around opinions / hearsay / rumours / paranoia , etc.
So, that said ,
I hope that lots of constructive and enlightening stuff comes out of this thread , thanks for posting , Deejer !
It is a good question , and I eagerly await reading what people who regularly ide BOTH types of boards have EXPERIENCED !
cheers mate !
ben
experience counts for everything , opinions are a dime a dozen
[quote="$1"]
".....Beerfan it's only the skanks they're picking up. The classy chicks still dig thrusters. YEEEWWW!!!
If you set your quad up right you can get the benefits of both.
[/quote]
now i'm confused daz !
WHAT are the 'benefits' of skanks , exactly ?
well I guess thinking about it ,
it's one way to get experience first hand of s.t.d.'s , yeah ? [ which would be "ewwww " , not "yewwww !" I suppose?!]
from my limited experience quads are looser and faster. thrusters track and pivot better.
but all the quads i have ridden have been more fishy small wave designs, so the above may be from other design elements. I hear a few guys are making big wave boards in quads now... certainly wouldn't them to be looser.... so would also love to here some mroe experienced opinions/experioences
Here’s Stretch’s view on quads and thrusters:
http://vimeo.com/19986083
Is this a troll, a set up for comedy, or have your really not bothered to read?
Here is one clear thing - For the most part 3 fins = 2 on rail, 1 in center and rear. Quads, all fins nearer the rail then center.
It’s usually ok until some silly bugger mentions “McCoy” and then it’s all downhill from there. Guarranteed!
Lock up the thread and throw away the keys.
Thank god McCoy doesn’t make quads.
Try THIS about various FCS quad setups - gives a flavor of how many variations there are, I probably could add a whole page of Love / Hate setups I tried.
THIS one gives a decent overview of the Thruster vs. McKee vs. Edge Fin debates.
IMHO:
The Thruster setup is easier to get right, and a great all around design with great predictability - known limits, strengths & flaws. Which made it better for the 80’s glass on era.
The Quad setup is tougher to dial in. I have no experience with the McKee setup, so I’m only referring to an Edge Fin setup. Adjustability is key for quads - play with different setups in different conditions before rejecting or rejoicing in any set. Some good advice that I received is to start with side fins from your Thrusters & work from there (an early favorite of mine was my funboard GAM fins in front and my SW-1 longboard sidebites as trailers). That said:
I’ve found the general consensus to be true: Different than a Thruster. Faster & Looser than a standard Thruster, yet more hold on steep faces & in barrels (8.5 inches of fin base on teh rail!). Harder to go vertical in most cases. Less predictable until I learned the limits eg: same section on the same day, one cutback hooked hard enough to put a heel dent in the tail, the next slid out like it was finless.
I’d say quads for when the waves pack a bit more punch and you need a loose board to stay in the pocket. Like bowly beach breaks. Good for when you allready have the speed from the wave and you want to go straight at it.
Thrusters for when you need to generate your own speed or if you are traveling long distances and doing big nutty cutbacks on the flats and don’t want to slow down.
or
If you are taking off at 4th point and are trying to make it to 1st point get a thruster. If you are taking off next to a pier and want to do a big air for all the tourists get a quad.
or
If you want to surf like Richard Cram and do full rail burying cuttys without spinning out - thruster. and if you want to see how far you can launch off the closeout piece - quad.
Basically IMHO, if you carve you appreciate a thruster and if you skate around on the flat bottom you probably prefer a quad. Kinda simplified.
mmmm, I ride a mkee set up quad, use to ride thrusters, I find the quad is excellent when burying the rail and does not let you be a lazy surfer, but there are so many viarables, it took me ages to decide to go a quad and break away from thrusters but while the decision took me a year, i also did research on it for a year reading as much as I could on all sorts of quad set ups and there good and bad sides. So the simple answer is STOP BEING A LAZY BUM AND GET OFF YOUR ARSE AND DO SOME RESEARCH FOR YOURSELF, ITS ALL OUT THERE FOR YOU IF YOU WANT TO LOOK, its up to you
get yourself down to a local shaper who loves shaping quads, talk to him, that is a great starting point, discuss with him how you surf........ Start off and build your information from there.
I'm not lazy and I surf damn near every day... So SUCK IT!!! I'm riding a 5'6" Wizard Sleeve (rad name if you urban dictionary it) It is set up for quad and thruster. I've been riding it only quad for the last 4 or 5 months and it rips. I just got another one and I'm riding it thruster and it rips. I feel like the three-fin setup lets me go verticle easier. It also feels more natural riding backside. I've only ridden it thruster for about 5 sessions so far so I don't have it all figured out. I'll report more as the waves roll in. Thanks to the two guys who gave me a legit answer, and honestly I appreciate the sarcasm too so keep it all cumming. My guess is the b*lls#it answers come from guys who just drink and sit on their computer dreaming about the days when they "ripped". Keep drinkin so there will be more waves for me.
[quote="$1"]
I'm not lazy and I surf damn near every day... So SUCK IT!!! I'm riding a 5'6" Wizard Sleeve (rad name if you urban dictionary it) It is set up for quad and thruster. I've been riding it only quad for the last 4 or 5 months and it rips. I just got another one and I'm riding it thruster and it rips. I feel like the three-fin setup lets me go verticle easier. It also feels more natural riding backside. I've only ridden it thruster for about 5 sessions so far so I don't have it all figured out. I'll report more as the waves roll in. Thanks to the two guys who gave me a legit answer, and honestly I appreciate the sarcasm too so keep it all cumming. My guess is the b*lls#it answers come from guys who just drink and sit on their computer dreaming about the days when they "ripped". Keep drinkin so there will be more waves for me.
[/quote]
lol, did someone mention beer. :)