I am a big fan of the 6 6 mullet from byrne but think just a little too big so wanting to drop down to a 6 4, I have seen quads but have been told that quads are only good for riding barrells? I quite like the drive of a tri fin and am concerned if I go for a quad that it will slide out. I also like the idea of a swallow tail - which has been suggested will allow the board to be ridden in bigger surf - is this correct.
I have been looking at the POD from Channel Islands as possible replacement for the Byrne. The Epoxy has been great for paddelling but am I missing something?
My 6 8 Simon Anderson seems like a good board for excellent surf but unfortunately most my surfing in 2-4 ft Sydney surf
I am 42, 93 kilos and still love riding short boards - any help be appreciated
I can recommend a true "Canard Quad" setup as much faster and just as bitey as a thruster setup. Some time needs to be spent on tuning though, and for this reason try to go with adjustible fin box setup.
Can't comment on the specific boards you mentioned.
There's a lot of boards out with hap-hazard quad setups these days... For them to work properly make sure that the trailing fins are within a chord length (length of the fin at the root) of the fins in front. Also, they should have less toe-in than a thruster setup. For this reason, the quad or thruster setup options will never work properly as a true quad.
Do some research here:
www.swaylocks.com/
I've been riding an AL MERRICK retro quad for over 3 years.Took it to Indo in 8' surf no probs at all.Its modelled on his '82 all time favourite board .Its very flat through the nose and out the back with big V in the tail ,paddles like a dream and near impossible to slide out.This cat knows what he's doing with all the dimensions and especially the fin set up. Being 90kgs you need to ride a bit thickish and maybe a little wider as well.
Ive been running a DHD quad recently and its the fastest board that I have ridden, the fins are set up more like a thruster with the rear fins closer together. When I first got the board I thought that it would not be loose or have drive, how wrong I was its loose & fast. Its also a diamond tail, seems to give it great control in steeper waves. 
Hi anybody tried the 7s superfish in epoxy. Id be keen to know what they surf like as they can be setup as a quad or a thruster.
They dont have adjustable fin boxes though.
What a coincidence 7S...
The front fin placement for a quad setup is exactly the same as for a thruster!! Isn't that a fantastic stroke of luck!
That would allow your happy consumer to get "the best of both worlds" with the cost of only installing 5 fin boxes.
Let me guess the target market:
"Well, I've always surfed thrusters, but I hear that quads are really popular nowadays. I'm not too adventurous, and I don't really understand how fins work, so I think I had better stick with what has worked for me in the past. That said, I don't really want to miss out on this 4-fins business. I am so torn."
Well, you can really put fins wherever you like. And if 7S decides that the front fin placement and toe-in for a thruster and a quad are the same, then good for them.
I'm dubious though. So yeah, I'm taking the piss
The superfish goes wicked as a thruster, so I hope they haven't stuffed around with the fin placement for the thruster setup just to break into the "quad" market.
Think of it this way: would you expect to be able to turn a 1970s single fin teardrop shape board into a decent twin fin, just by snapping off the centre fin and bunging on two keels?
I think the 7s range its only the fish boards that have the choice of going quad or thruster
Dont know what the thruster only fish looks like. It would be good to compare both
.
Well said Kernsey: There is no such thing as one board for all waves. Try riding different boards from your mates untill you find the one you like and suits your needs and never believe a salesman thats their job selling boards and not all who work in a surf shop actually ride a surfboard some ride boogers and dont know the pleasure of stand up wave riding !!!!!!!
For what it's worth I'm riding a 7'4" x 20" x 3" double ended pintail (not rounded) based on a Nat Young pin from Morning of the Earth era. It started life 3 years ago as a single fin but I converted it to a thruster set-up about a year ago after carefully measuring the fin positions on a Wayne Lynch Evolution. It definitely got more bite and tighter turning circle with the new fin set-up. I'm 55yrs and 80 kilos and want a board that paddles but still feels like a performance board. No concaves, just a flat bottom with V at the back. If I was redesigning with the thruster set-up in mind I would round the pin to give me a little more area between the fins and maybe a touch more tail rocker. It's also heavy with an 8oz glass job and a wooden stringer but still acquired a stress crack in a big hold-down at Nth Avalon a few months ago. I do most of my surfing on the NSW south coast (Nowra based). Too much float for duck dives altho I am trying to develop that skill on smaller days. I can really identify with comments from Geoff McCoy and some others about board design for recreational (and older) surfers. When I am having a good day it feels like I have the compromise about perfect
RAM
Any body wanting the fin placement formula for short boards and guns should try www.mckeesurf.com and click on the link "multisystems".I'v converted a couple of old mini mal thrusters into quads and am very happy with the results(flat bottoms with v out the back).the v seems important as its said to squeeze the water as it goes past the rear fins. 
