I am paddling a 2013 Starboard 8'5 Pro for a few weeks now and I like it a lot.

It is hard work for me (84kg) the more time I spend on it the easier it gets.

I would like to experiment with the fins , smaller middle fin ,quads and wonder if anyone could give me some advice..

I don't even have a clue where to put the middle fin, in the back for bigger waves and in front for smaller waves??

Did anybody try the board out with quads?

Should I use a smaller middle fin for smaller conditions? I like slipping and sliding...

Hi Camarillo,
Just started riding the 2013 Starboard 8'5 Pro Silver myself. I am 65kg. Normal surf conditions tend to be big onshore chop/swell and my first session was not very good. Spent most of the time in the water... I am sure i will have better success in heavy chop with more practice.... i hope.. :) . 2nd session conditions were offshore and small but very clean. I put on a 17cm 2013 Starboard Hexcel fin. I was able to hop on the board and paddle with no stability issues what so ever. Catching waves was easy and the board has good speed on the wave. Curious if the carbon model would offer more speed on the face. This board was very responsive on the wavee and had me wanting to surf the break for hours. I am sure the stock 14cm fin could have easily worked and would have made the board even more responsive on the wave. Funny enough after the session, I was thinking about trying the board as a quad as i have a spare set of 4.5 fins. Also I could easily see that in clean conditions, I could very likely ride the 2013 Starboard 8.0 Pro, however in slop i wouldnt have a chance. If i upgrade in the future, the carbon model will for sure be the choice. Silver was great but i am sure the responsiveness will be increased with the lighter weight. Craving the next session!

Try the slater quad fins there amazing

Select to expand quote

Kym Roberts said...
Try the slater quad fins there amazing

Did you try them out on the 2013 SB Pro 8'5 ?

Hi - I have a 2013 8'5 pro bc
If its big and fat the thruster with standard fin works well - i have it middle of box
I use it as a quad mostly though - if its small and i want something loose i use this setup
http://www.surffcs.com/jp/products/fins/Quads/q-pc3.aspx
which is about 4.25 front - just less than 4 rear
if i want a bit more hold i use 4.5 (standard starboard ) front and 4.25 rear
lastly if its good clean windy offshore waves i can use 4.5 front and back for some good hold and grip but still plenty of drive
im 85kgs

Thanks fm1

Until I got the 2013 SB 8'5 pro I've preferred my boards as quads and you are the first to say that he likes to use the pro as a quad.

We don't have any big and fat conditions this time of the year unfortunately.

I replaced the standard middle fin by the rears of this set:
http://www.surffcs.com.au/shop/surf-quads/2012/11/29/q-pc5-quad-set

And now I am just waiting for some waves...

No waves and/or to much wind here to try my 8'5 pro with quads...

Any body try this one instead of the standard middle fin



Might be nice to play around when the waves are small...

The standard middle fin is 140 mm deep, this one is 116 deep which is also nice because small waves only break where it is very shallow..