Gidday SUP-ERS

I am 6 foot 2 and around 100 kegs, have progressed from 12 foot boards now to 10 foot Starboard Whopper and ready for my next progression.

Thanks to a mate (STIMMO) I also ride a 14 foot race board most weeks so I feel I am ok with narrower boards and stablity.

I am looking at the Starboard Element 9.8" - can any experienced SUP-ERS explain what the diff is between the thruster and a Quad for performance?

What will it do for me at my weight "BRICK with EYES"

Any opinions on my choice of Board which would be used in typically 3-5 foot north of perth.

Cheers
Foz

I'm your size - I usually lean towards a quad set up in the smaller waves because to me it's faster and looser than a thruster. I'll use a thruster in the bigger stuff (around head high) because even though they feel slower I get the speed from the larger wave and I feel like there's more control with the 3 fin set up. I'm riding a custom David Craig that's 8'11" x 29.5" in Southern California (San Diego). Current fins of choice are the Gerry Lopez thruster set and the Rainbow Fin Co. Heater set for my quads. My next trial will be to put in a Nubster with the Heaters when it gets head high to see if it adds the extra control while keeping the quad speed.

Thanks Man - good answer - go the Padres!

Hi Boat boy
I have the opposite opinion to sup addict. I m 6,2 and 88 Kg.
A quod will not pivot in small waves and get stuck at the top of a re entry if youv run out speed and need to stand on the tail and pivot.
Yes the quods are fast but your turns need to be slightly wider ark and have the speed to carry through.
So depends on your of surfing and what you want to do on the wave.
But I prefer thruster for small and quad for bigger.
regards glenn

I can,t see how fins could make such a big differance !

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glennc said...

Hi Boat boy
I have the opposite opinion to sup addict. I m 6,2 and 88 Kg.
A quod will not pivot in small waves and get stuck at the top of a re entry if youv run out speed and need to stand on the tail and pivot.
Yes the quods are fast but your turns need to be slightly wider ark and have the speed to carry through.
So depends on your of surfing and what you want to do on the wave.
But I prefer thruster for small and quad for bigger.
regards glenn

only if its a badly made quod/quad imo

In my opinion your board choice is spot on. My mate is a similar size and his surfing improved outta sight going onto the same board.

Secondly - I think on most sups, and certainly those over about 8.5 ft that quad fins are useless and take away too much tracking,drive and pivot - all of which are crucial for comfortable paddling and smooth, powerful and predictable surfing. Quads have the ability to develop speed quickly which is good for running fast smaller sections and snappy little turns, but if you want power and hold through your turns and solid down the line performance then in my opinion you cant go past a thruster setup. Also a 9.8 starboard is too big and too pulled in the tail for a quad setup to have any benefit at all IMO.

Thanks for the insight fellas.

I am quad devotee:

Why? if the board is set up properly and let me start by saying that from surfboards there are good and bad quad positions that do not let the board perform as a quad.

A good quad is a Thruster with the back fin split in half, moved outwards a little and up a touch. Many people put the fins on quads on the rail so as to have 2 sets of side fins. This works but is not ideal. It leaves a blind spot in the middle of the turn as one side set of fins disengages and the other engage.

What people also neglect is that there are infinite fin options with quads. Big fronts, little fronts, two sets of side fins, side fins and 2 x centre fins, 2 x side fins and 80/20 foils etc etc etc.

IMHO they are perfectly suited to SUP and especially if you are into using your rails in turns, gaining speed and not wiggling your way across a wave with flat turns. In hollow waves they also help to control the width of the tail by allowing it to stick on the face more readily

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billboard said...

In my opinion your board choice is spot on. My mate is a similar size and his surfing improved outta sight going onto the same board.

Secondly - I think on most sups, and certainly those over about 8.5 ft that quad fins are useless and take away too much tracking,drive and pivot - all of which are crucial for comfortable paddling and smooth, powerful and predictable surfing. Quads have the ability to develop speed quickly which is good for running fast smaller sections and snappy little turns, but if you want power and hold through your turns and solid down the line performance then in my opinion you cant go past a thruster setup. Also a 9.8 starboard is too big and too pulled in the tail for a quad setup to have any benefit at all IMO.

Totally disagree

Which is ok as fins are personal beg borrow steal a set of each and try to your hearts content. More fins the merrier.

Hi Boatboy,i think you need to address your surfing style ,ie do you surf forward of your front fins,or do you surf back with your feet over the back fins,what size tail does your board have? etc. A narrow tail will work much better with a thruster setup,and a wide tail works better for quads.Now these are just guides,i have a 9-11 wide ripper and i initially set it up with quads, i tried 2 different sets, SA quads and PSH with the controllers.I now have it setup with the PSH fronts and a 7"rear cutaway fin.I think this is great and my mate thinks it's crap!Everyone sees a wave from a different perspective and surf it accordingly, so as said so often, demo, demo, demo.I think you will enjoy toying with fins as much as getting different boards,i know fins aren't cheap,but you will find chopping and changing really opens up your surfing knowledge,and kind of forces you to review even a top days surfing, were some of your waves didn't quiet measure up. What ever your choice of sup.Have fun.

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rodriguez said...

Hi Boatboy,i think you need to address your surfing style ,ie do you surf forward of your front fins,or do you surf back with your feet over the back fins,what size tail does your board have? etc. A narrow tail will work much better with a thruster setup,and a wide tail works better for quads.Now these are just guides,i have a 9-11 wide ripper and i initially set it up with quads, i tried 2 different sets, SA quads and PSH with the controllers.I now have it setup with the PSH fronts and a 7"rear cutaway fin.I think this is great and my mate thinks it's crap!Everyone sees a wave from a different perspective and surf it accordingly, so as said so often, demo, demo, demo.I think you will enjoy toying with fins as much as getting different boards,i know fins aren't cheap,but you will find chopping and changing really opens up your surfing knowledge,and kind of forces you to review even a top days surfing, were some of your waves didn't quiet measure up. What ever your choice of sup.Have fun.

All very good points - it does depend on a lot of factors; your experience/style/preference, the board, the break and the conditions that day, etc. I just decided to get a few sets of fins so that I could play around with the set up - mix and match them, try them at different breaks and when the conditions are different, and so on... I keep my eye on the local classifieds for used fin sets to show up to save a little cash. In the end it's a lot cheaper to have a few extra sets of fins than to have a large quiver of SUPs!

My latest preferred setup is a 4+1 - Rainbow Heaters quad set with a Nubster trailer (the small one); I get the speed of the quad, the upright rear fins let me pivot, and with the Nubster I feel a little extra hold & control.