Started surfing my quad in some super nice waves lately. Yet I am struggling on it. 50% success rate on sucky waves. Once I'm on them the board goes crazy good. My problem is the tail sliding out on me. I have been told to change my angle, as in don't set up bottom turns like a thruster. Yet I just don't get it. Why does it slide out when it should have more hold. How do you change your style after 30 years of being on a thruster. I thought after some of the beatings I have copped,I should have learned. So some help please

I'm a kook but I don't think I've changed my style and my quad surfs the same but faster than my thruster- I think

My quad is wider in the nose n chest but the tail area is still a rounded pin like my thruster

Is yours( being a reg in the longboard room) a more fishy fat thing

Yep big arse quad. Bourton silver bullet. I just find when I set up for the big bottom turn I generally want to kill anything after it, that's when the arse goes sideways. I'm a kook as well. Just not that much of a kook I hoped. I spoke to bourton and he was another that said to change my approach. It only happens in very hollow waves.

Does it have a 5 fin option? Try one of those little Kelly fins, made me surf just like a bald 40 yr old world champ

I had a silver bullet but at 6'6 it was a bit big for Perth but did surf it in decent sized waves kuta reef, It went real good but I'm also prob more of a front foot surfer anyway! Maybe you gotta do more front foot shizen!!!!

I slide my quad thru cutties more than carve and do occasionally lose traction at the back end but I find when it's steeper if I nail the take off the thing flies and allows me to carve top and bottom turns but still get sorta vert on finishing Eros and such

Chrispy - I had a similar problem and found that putting my back foot a little further back - maybe 3 or 4 inches really helped. I also like big bottom turns but found it was better if I didn't go so wide, ie keep the turn closer to the wave...

I reckon it took me 5 or 6 surfs to click, and then a couple more to stop thinking about it...

you will probably find most tails wider than 15.5 " super hard to hold in especialy if it has a thick or boxy rail in the back third.

Chrispy i am glad to here you've got the SB back out. Could it be the rear fin position? Does your's have the adjustable rear fins setup like standard SB

Im just about to pull the pin on a Smaller SB. Im looking at a 6'4" and the rear fcs fin plugs are different. Murray also talked about fins and suggested the 5 fin set up

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katana said...
you will probably find most tails wider than 15.5 " super hard to hold in especialy if it has a thick or boxy rail in the back third.

Was thinking the same thing. You can deal with it if you're used to it, but it can make things interesting.

Soul arch bottom turn is the answer Chrispy, get your weight over those fins and that hard edge. And even if you get axed at least you look cool.

Definatly weight over the fins helps, I find I surf backhand over the fins more and the quad is good but on forehand when I lean in and go for the swooping bottom turn it skips out as I am off the fins, also is really sluggish off the top.

Limited appeal for me, really fast when you get it right but I find I have to think too much about and it ruins the session for me.

I love my quads and now ride them exclusively. I first bought a cheapo quad fish popout as a fun board, then got some customs from Murray Bourton.

It might be the fin setup - my quads are all closer to a twin fin set up than a thruster. Purely by accident at first but now I look for that when purchasing. Also, all mine tend to have low hard rails in the back third as well, which helps (again - by accident rather than through good planning ).

I find they suit my style (or lack of) - I think its because I surf off the front foot a bit more so they fire up down the line. You do have to be conscious of where your back foot is before launching into any big rail turn but I think the extra speed and hold in the steeper sections more than makes up for a little sketchiness off the bottom

Next board I get I want something with the five fin setup so I can try the nubster option to see if makes a difference. I think I might have to have a chat with Dave at Katana after seeing a few of his boards around.

Bigger fins. Puurfect

Deano

Cheers for the posts lads. There are a few things that I have read that have rung true for me. Deano what are you using for your font fins? As I was planning on putting my pc5 in the rear and some pc7 up front or even try reversing it as well. The McKee site was a good read as well. Will stop swooping on my bottom turns and will start doing soul arches on takeoff yeeew, do the nubsters really do anything worth while?
just had a close look Deano sweet. How tall and heavy are you mate

6'4" and 86 to 89 kg.

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smicko said...
These are fun too, I've tried a LOT of different fin combos with this one and keep coming back to these.

Lance has these available in a FCS base now too, a set of these behind PC7's would work wonders.

http://www.hanaleifinsystems.com.au/pages/blog_files/prototype_molded_fins.html

Good prices, but the Wtf. Please explain what you like about them compared too normal fins. I have never seen them anywhere, yet I like crazy stuff

hey mick i think the guy from haneli fins and gas fin co are teaming up for a new plug sounds pretty good construction takes fcs fins too,soon to be released after the new fcs system

Yeah Dave I was chatting with Lance a few months back about their new system, similar concept to the pro box but without the insert to adjust cant. If I recall correctly they'll still have similar fore and aft adjustment. I imagine you'll be installing a set in the not too distant future

Chrispy they're like surfing on rails, really drivey but not at all tight. They seem to turn in a tighter arc than wide base fins and they load up and flex and really drive through turns. About the only thing they don't do is slide out, my top turns have gone from tail slides to hacks (when I actually make one) They accelerate out of turns too, kinda like when you down gear going through a corner on a two stroke dirt bike and powerband kicks in, takes a little getting used to.

I was having the same issues as you on bottom turns with quads as I like to really lean forward and lay into my bottom turn, these have the effect of moving your fin area back but retaining a loose feel due to the narrow base.

Grab a pair of the H3's as tail fins to try behind PC7's and if you dig them then get Lance to hand make you a pair of the front fins like my T2's or in his LS series. The front fins in mine are 5.5" high and the back are 4.75" quite a bit bigger than his standard sizes.
http://www.hanaleifinsystems.com.au/pages/fins/fin_series.html

Tell ya what if you grab a pair in FCS base off him and don't like them I'll buy them off you as I've been meaning to get a pair for my little fish and haven't got around to it yet.

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smicko said...
These are fun too, I've tried a LOT of different fin combos with this one and keep coming back to these.

Lance has these available in a FCS base now too, a set of these behind PC7's would work wonders.

http://www.hanaleifinsystems.com.au/pages/blog_files/prototype_molded_fins.html

OMG just when i thought i was starting to get a idea on Futures and FCS style fins

Nice website

Some of those fins look a bit cheyne horan. Ah the 80's.

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beastsurf said...
Some of those fins look a bit cheyne horan. Ah the 80's.

McCoy Laser Zap style...

Will order some h3s then smicko. And yes I have seen a similar fin in a McCoy, was a single fin board.

I reckon quads only really work in super hollow beachies....like boodj beachie or similar. They are great at tracking really fast in a straight line which you have to do at boodj but they are crap when it comes to laying rail. I reckon they go good on Perths close outs coz all you are after is speed so you can turn a close out into a wave with face.

^^^i disagree, I love the quad when it going. Nice big carves, fast and very stable under foot. Gets up and over the foam very easy. Very user friendly except for the bottom turns. In saying that mine is for sale so I can buy a sdr monkey chop yeeew

whats the go with this bottom hand turn problem chrispy, are you on that skateboard too much and overdoing that power slide hey.

Ask Lacey ^^^

I use ks 2.1s in my quad..

Hey Chrispy, i had a similiar problem and changed my quad from PC5s to PC7s and bingo no more slide outs. I'm a shade under 70kgs on a Rusty Neil(diamond tail) 5'7".

Ctngoodvibes is correct - Quads give so much more drive and speed so where you have a clean wave that then fattens out you can be stuck with alot of speed and nothing to do but a cutty where your fins might not grip so you will have to nurse it. In clean down the line waves you can use the speed so quads go better in hollower waves.

Nick Carrol wrote a really good article on this in Surfing World a couple of months back.

The fins will grip you just have to set them up with the right ones in the first place.
Deano

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Grevas said...
Hey Chrispy, i had a similiar problem and changed my quad from PC5s to PC7s and bingo no more slide outs. I'm a shade under 70kgs on a Rusty Neil(diamond tail) 5'7".

Do you not find the 7's a bit big for 70kilos. Im sitting on 86 kilos and have been told to step down from 7's to 5's

God i hate to much choice[}:)]

On another point Deano and Smicko i was told not to wrap my leg ropes around the board like you've done. Apparently it will weaken them over time and after nearly drowning from a snapped leggy, i now take very good care of them (it could be just crap but still i take mine of most surfs, wash them separately and wrap loosely in bag..

In went out into head high and bigger at straddie this morning and I went with Deano set up. What a big diff. I do think The wide tail makes it harder to hook into the tube,yet after the problems I was having it was not a major drama. I'm 5'10 and80kg.
no slipping at all nor nursing any turns. If I was a better surfer I'm sure going smaller would be fine. I only like skater feelings when I'm on a skater though yeeew

would have thought so, but no the 7s were the shiz.
the NEil has this diamond tail that is a bit slidey so bigger fins did the trick.