Hi all, thought I would share my opinions on my new wave boards, the Quatro Cube 87 and 106. I have previously reviewed the 2017 105 cube , 2019 supermini and the 2019 Pyramid 96. The one board I never mentioned was my 2017 85 cube. To be honest the 85 had become my favourite all time wave board, although it did have some minor faults if I am to be truly honest. It could be a bit bouncy in chop making it harder to carry speed and like a lot of older quad boards was a little sticky at getting planing. However, the 2017 Quatro quads were such great all round wave boards these were faults that were easy to live with . I changed my 105 to the second incarnation of the super mini as the earlier planing and extra speed were very desirable as most of the time I sailed it in onshore conditions and needed the extra drive a tri' fin setup provides. I've never had a chance to sail the 2018/19 quads so when the opportunity arose to have a rip on the 2020 106 I jumped at it. The first thing I noticed was the extra speed, earlier planing and ability to carry speed through chop and lulls better. So when my local supplier called me during the lockdown and asked if I was interested in selling my 85 as he had a buyer I decided to get both the 87 and demo 106 as a sort of lockdown blues buster. As luck would have it, our lockdown ended on a Wednesday, the day I picked up both boards. A storm passed that weekend giving me a chance to sail the 87 in both on and cross shore conditions. Like the 106 the 87 is faster, earlier planing and generally nicer to sail. This translates to a fairly potent combination for both jumping and wave riding. Straight off I feel I'm getting more air on my jumps due to the extra speed and control launching in shore break. When it comes to wave riding the Quatro Quads do not disappoint, their performance in both cross off and onshore only limited by my ability. Loads of grip at speed on the bottom turn and radical enough off the lip to satisfy most wave heads. Another benefit is my percentage of planing gibes is definitely higher a consequence of the board's ability to carry more speed in rougher conditions. I'm tempted to order the 98l version to keep at Cabezo as one board for all conditions, as I weigh around 86 kg I reckon the 98 should cover me from 4.2 to 5.7. I generally feel that with the modern quads around 10 litres over body weight is a good guide for one board for all conditions. Obviously the conditions, ability of the rider, rail shape and board width will affect this rough guide so please don't make a decision based solely on this. Overall I am so far pretty stoked with the new Cubes. Quatro have made the board a nice progression from the 2017 version and retained the wave DNA that their following expect in their boards. I don't want to wax on too much, but the new Cube is like the 2017 version on steroids. Hope you find my thoughts useful if you're interested in a new board. See you on the water, cheers Rob

Hi Rob, great to hear feedback on the new Cubes. I have the 2019 Supermini Thruster 103 L. What will I give up in onshore conditions to gain in cross shore conditions by switching to the Cube 106 L? I mostly sail cross onshore, with occasional onshore, occasional cross shore and once in a blue moon (less than once a year) cross off.

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philn said..
Hi Rob, great to hear feedback on the new Cubes. I have the 2019 Supermini Thruster 103 L. What will I give up in onshore conditions to gain in cross shore conditions by switching to the Cube 106 L? I mostly sail cross onshore, with occasional onshore, occasional cross shore and once in a blue moon (less than once a year) cross off.

Hi Philin, it's a tough call to recommend changing your Super Mini , I know how good it is in all conditions and just how much fun it is. If you had the older Mini I would definitely say to go for it. There is no doubt the new Cube will be better than the Mini in cross off conditions, plus Quatro have addressed issues like early planing , speed and sailing over chop which was a on going problem with older Cubes ,and indeed with most Brands Quad wave boards . I believe that it is this success which has led to Quatro dropping the Mini from their range. As you rarely get a chance to sail cross off you might benefit from trying different fins, I was running my 103 SuperMini on a 22cm K4 centre fin and 10 cm thrusters. The supplied MFC 21 and 10s also worked great, although it might be worth a go with a 21 scorcher and 9cm thrusters , for a 4.5-5.3 sail, bringing the centre fin well forward and widening the foot straps spread a bit should help the board turn a bit sicker in cross off. I tended to keep mast track fairly central , however it would definitely be worth playing about with it to get the sweet spot for cross off. cheers Rob

Hi Rob,
Thanks for the interesting review of the new Cubes! Have you ever sailed the 2014 Goya Custom Quads? If so, how do the new Cubes compare to them? I really like my old Goya quad because of its great allround behaviour which is why I still own it. But it's getting old...
Thanks, Philipp

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ursblank said..
Hi Rob,
Thanks for the interesting review of the new Cubes! Have you ever sailed the 2014 Goya Custom Quads? If so, how do the new Cubes compare to them? I really like my old Goya quad because of its great allround behaviour which is why I still own it. But it's getting old...
Thanks, Philipp

Hi urs, I have not tried the new Goya 4's although I had a rip recently on the Custom 3 in Cabezo on a biggish windy day. When I returned it to its owner, a real Goya fanatic we spoke at length about the new Custom 4 versus the older versions. He is of the opinion that the Yellow version was his favourite until now. It is widely accepted that the last Goya Quad, the green and black one felt small due to its narrow width, a lot of sailors were put off a bit because of this, despite the fact that in the waves it was a awesome performer. The upshot of this is , however , that Goya pulled out all the stops to make the Custom 4 the best Quad Goya have ever produced. This guy is a really top sailor and he cannot speak highly enough of them . I know if he were to answer your inquiry he would defiantly say to go for it. I don't want to mention his name but he is a guy who's opinion I really respect . Personally I feel that both Goya and Quatro plus a lot of other brands have (finally) got to grips with the multi fin concept and have been shaping the hulls a lot better over the last 5 years or so. Prior to this it seemed that a lot of boards were basically single fin hulls with extra fins stuck in. It stands to reason that Quads and Tri-fin boards should improve every few years (with the odd exception). If your budget stretches for the new 4 then go for it.
Cheers Rob

My Quatro 98L quad turned up today, put it with an 5.8 Ezzy wave. Great looking board, wind was super gusty SW, 10/25 knots at Flat Top, woopi, NSW, so not ideal. I look forward to more sessions to get it dialed. Hopefully tomorrow when this southerly front settles in !!??

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Nerdburger said..
My Quatro 98L quad turned up today, put it with an 5.8 Ezzy wave. Great looking board, wind was super gusty SW, 10/25 knots at Flat Top, woopi, NSW, so not ideal. I look forward to more sessions to get it dialed. Hopefully tomorrow when this southerly front settles in !!??

Niiice!!!! Look forward to hearing more about it after u have had a few sessions on it

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Nerdburger said..
My Quatro 98L quad turned up today, put it with an 5.8 Ezzy wave. Great looking board, wind was super gusty SW, 10/25 knots at Flat Top, woopi, NSW, so not ideal. I look forward to more sessions to get it dialed. Hopefully tomorrow when this southerly front settles in !!??

hi Nerdburger, looks awesome and love the graphics on your ezzy. Could you let me know how you're getting on with the board , as documented here I have the 87 and 106 to cover me for all Irish conditions, however I am trying to decide if the 98 would do as a one board for all conditions (4.2-5.7) at Cabezo in Tenerife .
cheers Rob

Robo,


Mate I've only have 3 sessions on it so far in rubbish conditions, with work and a lack of decent wind of late. The two sessions I've have been gusty cross off, 12/25 knots and small swell and one cross on 15/18 knots. I used it with 5.5 & 5.8 ezzy waves. I'm 88/90 kgs, And an intermediate wave sailor.
Its fast, turns well, I like it, but haven't had enough variable conditions or a decent Waves yet to sail, really to get a proper feel for it. Hopefully the next 2 weeks heaps of sailing for me.
Ive got JP ultimate waves 94 and 102 L and the Quatro 98, could really be a one board option for me for 95% of my requirements wave sailing the Aussie east coast. I'll need a 90/94 litre wave board for the nuking east coast days and WA trips when sailing 4.5/5.0 weather I think. But I think the 98 cube from 5.0/5.5/5.8 sails to be ideal.I'd think 87/98 would cover all your requirements, 106 L must be huge for you weight, just my 2 cents ??

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Nerdburger said..
Robo,


Mate I've only have 3 sessions on it so far in rubbish conditions, with work and a lack of decent wind of late. The two sessions I've have been gusty cross off, 12/25 knots and small swell and one cross on 15/18 knots. I used it with 5.5 & 5.8 ezzy waves. I'm 88/90 kgs, And an intermediate wave sailor.
Its fast, turns well, I like it, but haven't had enough variable conditions or a decent Waves yet to sail, really to get a proper feel for it. Hopefully the next 2 weeks heaps of sailing for me.
Ive got JP ultimate waves 94 and 102 L and the Quatro 98, could really be a one board option for me for 95% of my requirements wave sailing the Aussie east coast. I'll need a 90/94 litre wave board for the nuking east coast days and WA trips when sailing 4.5/5.0 weather I think. But I think the 98 cube from 5.0/5.5/5.8 sails to be ideal.I'd think 87/98 would cover all your requirements, 106 L must be huge for you weight, just my 2 cents ??

thanks Nerdburger for the feedback , here in Ireland we can get a lot of very gusty cross off conditions hence the 106, wallowing with a mast high set coming in stops being fun very quickly. I mostly sail with a 5.0 and simply drop down to the smaller board if the wind is solid enough. However I am planning on keeping a set of gear in storage at Cabezo so travelling will be a lot easier, the expense and hassle of flying with gear is off putting. My thinking is the 98 Cube being 60 wide will cope with almost all conditions and if I occasionally need something smaller hiring is possible there. I'm really interested in the top end of the 98 as I feel these boards cope well with smaller sails .
cheers

Robo,


Ive had Great session in side shore and onshore, with 5.0/5.5/5.8 sail. Board planes early, handles chop well, jumps well, feels great on a wave, looks killer. Big fan. One board quiver for me if needed from 4.7-5.5 m, for our conditions. I haven't had it in serious dtl, but I believe it's more of an all rounder and than a dedicated dtl shredder, eg the Quatro pyramid.

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Nerdburger said..
Robo,


Ive had Great session in side shore and onshore, with 5.0/5.5/5.8 sail. Board planes early, handles chop well, jumps well, feels great on a wave, looks killer. Big fan. One board quiver for me if needed from 4.7-5.5 m, for our conditions. I haven't had it in serious dtl, but I believe it's more of an all rounder and than a dedicated dtl shredder, eg the Quatro pyramid.

Glad to hear you're getting on well with the cube. I've just had 2 cross off days , one on the 87 and the other on the 106. While it's fair to say they are not comparable with the Pyramid as a dedicated DTL board. Both boards rip extremely well in cross off conditions. The earlier planing and user friendly abilities of the cube translate to more wave rides in a session. I sold my 96 Pyramid for several reasons. The main one I feel was very physical to sail , I'm on the wrong side of 50 and am happy to forsake a slight downside of performance cross off for a more user friendly all rounder. There is no doubt that the Pyramid or similar is the way to go if physically and technically the sailor is up to speed, and most importantly have access to great conditions regularly to justify getting one. I have seen a lot of guys struggling with full on boards in waves if the wind isn't steady. I've also been amazed at what the Pyramid is capable of in the right hands so what do I know. Just my 2 cents.
I would still like to know the top end ability of the 98, ie would it handle 4.2 conditions. I could sail my 103 Super Mini down to 4.2 although I'm not sure my 106 cube would handle much below 4.7. Cheers Rob

Robo, Im sorry my smallest sail is 4.7, and at 90 kgs, I can wave sail 25/30 knots. In the future I'll buy an Ezzy wave 4.5, to add to the quiver.
Bring my sails from 4.5 /5.0 / 5.5 Most used (5.8 if super light or blasting conditions), for my 98L.
If you could sail your super mini 103 down to 4.2, I'm sure the 98 cube could easily do it, again I believe it's less corky and thinner rails in the tail, and less volume etc.
Probably not ideal, but doable for a one board size, for your requirements and as a bonus, feels and sails like the rest of your quiver.

I've just had 3 days cross off at Magheroraty, 2 on the 106 5.0 and 1 on the 87 4.2. On the 106 I had K4 16cm scorcher centre fins and 8cm shark sides. I am pleased to report that they preformed extremely well, fast, early planing and great on the wave. In fact I'm so impressed with the setup I've ordered 15 centres for the 87. For onshore I'm going to try 17cm scorchers and run the board as a twinser . If this works well I can also use the 16's on the 87 cube as a twinser in onshore conditions.
If the 106 cube needs a bit more zip on light wind days I'll swap the 8cm sides for 9cm , this should be enough extra lift for marginal 5.7 days. Watch this space as I'm extremely curious as to how my cubes will preform as twinsers.
cheers Rob

Should be a good experiment. Previous iterations of the Cube worked well as twinzers.

Hey Rob .... I run a single concave quad with 15 skorchers / 8 fronts ezzy / 3 degrees .... Its the best fin set-up I found on that board ... SKorcher quad rears work amazing imo

Philn is right. I use my 2017 95L Cube mostly as twin with 17.5cm Black project fins and it sails amazing.

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Rob0104 said..
I've just had 3 days cross off at Magheroraty, 2 on the 106 5.0 and 1 on the 87 4.2. On the 106 I had K4 16cm scorcher centre fins and 8cm shark sides. I am pleased to report that they preformed extremely well, fast, early planing and great on the wave. In fact I'm so impressed with the setup I've ordered 15 centres for the 87. For onshore I'm going to try 17cm scorchers and run the board as a twinser . If this works well I can also use the 16's on the 87 cube as a twinser in onshore conditions.
If the 106 cube needs a bit more zip on light wind days I'll swap the 8cm sides for 9cm , this should be enough extra lift for marginal 5.7 days. Watch this space as I'm extremely curious as to how my cubes will preform as twinsers.
cheers Rob

Hi Robo. Just wondering, what was wrong with the stock MFC fins that come with the board ? I have the previous model Cube in the 86L and I find it goes like a dream with the stock fins with sails from 5.3 down to 4.2.
I've heard good things about the K4 scorchers so I would love to know how they perform compaired to the stock fins. Cheers.

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stonny said..

Rob0104 said..
I've just had 3 days cross off at Magheroraty, 2 on the 106 5.0 and 1 on the 87 4.2. On the 106 I had K4 16cm scorcher centre fins and 8cm shark sides. I am pleased to report that they preformed extremely well, fast, early planing and great on the wave. In fact I'm so impressed with the setup I've ordered 15 centres for the 87. For onshore I'm going to try 17cm scorchers and run the board as a twinser . If this works well I can also use the 16's on the 87 cube as a twinser in onshore conditions.
If the 106 cube needs a bit more zip on light wind days I'll swap the 8cm sides for 9cm , this should be enough extra lift for marginal 5.7 days. Watch this space as I'm extremely curious as to how my cubes will preform as twinsers.
cheers Rob

Hi Robo. Just wondering, what was wrong with the stock MFC fins that come with the board ? I have the previous model Cube in the 86L and I find it goes like a dream with the stock fins with sails from 5.3 down to 4.2.
I've heard good things about the K4 scorchers so I would love to know how they perform compaired to the stock fins. Cheers.

Hi Stonny, I never really had a problem with the stock MFC fins supplied with the boards. Although usually when putting a big sail like a 5.7 on my 106 or old 105 slightly bigger thruster fins than the supplied ones helped. However, they are a older design , and interestingly I noticed some sponsored sailors were switching to the MFC K300 quad setup instead of the supplied stock MFC's. In a visual and handling comparison with the K300's and K4 scorchers appear to be very similar to each other. On the water they both sail extremely well, fast, early to release , good grip and turn well. I would say both out preform the stock fins , by how much is hard to say. The main advantage with the K4's is the price, if you grind out any MFC fins on a rocky shore or hit something in the water (happens most people from time to time) replacing them is not cheap , and you probably could buy 3 K4 sets for 1 MFC set. Anyone I know who has switched to either the K300's or a K4 setup generally don't go back to the stock fins.
On another note, I've been sailing my 106 as a twinser in onshore conditions a lot recently. I have to say I really like how the board handles. A bit quicker off the beach and has a slippery feel which is a lot of fun in messier conditions.
I will get around to trying the 87 as a twinser but every time I sailed it the conditions were seriously nuking and I felt I needed the thrusters for a bit extra control.

Thanks for your feedback Rob. Funny you should say about hitting rocks, but that is exactly what I did this weekend. Repairable though I am glad to say because I am happy with the way they perform. How ever, I do have a starboard quad which I have been thinking about re-finning in the hope that I can get it to plane a bit easier and go upwind better so maybe the scorchers would work.
It's a bummer that my Quatros and my starboards have different fin systems. Anyway, thanks again for taking the time to answer my question. Glad you are enjoying your Cubes. KT is the man.

Hi all,
just found this interesting thread while I could not found the answer of the question of what I should buy as a big 2020/2021 lightwindboard for sideon - sideoff (French atlantic coast and Caboverde west coast/75Kgs for 8-12knots wavehigh 2-5m). My favourites are the Quatro Cube Pro 106 and the Goya Custom Quad 104. The 106 Cube is a little bit shorter, which would be better for my Quiverbag - the goya 104 looks nicer to me and I could get it for a cheep price. But those features are quite irrelevant on water...
More important are the characteristics on the wave. Does anybody knows the differences of this two boards - especially in this big sizes?
Would be very gratefull for some input from you.
Thanks a lot & greetz from germany,
Marcus

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cjme said..
Hi all,
just found this interesting thread while I could not found the answer of the question of what I should buy as a big 2020/2021 lightwindboard for sideon - sideoff (French atlantic coast and Caboverde west coast/75Kgs for 8-12knots wavehigh 2-5m). My favourites are the Quatro Cube Pro 106 and the Goya Custom Quad 104. The 106 Cube is a little bit shorter, which would be better for my Quiverbag - the goya 104 looks nicer to me and I could get it for a cheep price. But those features are quite irrelevant on water...
More important are the characteristics on the wave. Does anybody knows the differences of this two boards - especially in this big sizes?
Would be very gratefull for some input from you.
Thanks a lot & greetz from germany,
Marcus

Hi Marcus, sorry to say but there is no straight forward answer to your question. From talking to different sailors the Goya / Quatro lineup goes Pyramid, Custom 4, Cube, Custom 3 for performance in cross off conditions. For your purpose the Pyramid is ruled out because it's biggest is 92l. Looking at the Custom 4 and Cube, both are awesome boards. As you're light, I don't think that the slightly earlier planing Of the Cube is really a factor here, so is the Custom 4 the right choice as it's generally accepted that it's a fantastic cross off wave board. I'm running my 106 Cube with K4 incinerator fins,17 centres and 8 sides and feel the performance on the wave face has improved as a result. But then changing the stock fins on the custom 4 would probably have the same improvement. Bottom line is buying either board will be the right decision as they are both awesome boards. Trying different fin setups to get the best for your style of sailing and the conditions you sail in should be worth the effort.

Hi Marcus,

I can give you some indirect feedback on the Goya 104 based on the 2015 model. I've been using this as my light wind board for the last 5 years or so and it works really well. I'm a fair bit heavier than you at 94-96 kg and I'm typically using it in 12-20 knot conditions, depending on gustiness. I've sailed it in large swell (1.5 -2 x mast) plenty of times over the years and it can definitely handle that, so no problems on that front. I see that Goya have made the 2020 model both wider and longer, so I guess that it will be even more of a float and ride option.

Yr Vol Length Width Tail Depth
2015 104 229.3 62.2 39.2 13
2020 104 232.2 63.1 41

Anyone else got any feedback re current and older models? 2018 seems to be a bit different, The 2018 104 looks more like the 2015 94!

Cheers, Jens

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cjme said..
Hi all,
just found this interesting thread while I could not found the answer of the question of what I should buy as a big 2020/2021 lightwindboard for sideon - sideoff (French atlantic coast and Caboverde west coast/75Kgs for 8-12knots wavehigh 2-5m). My favourites are the Quatro Cube Pro 106 and the Goya Custom Quad 104. The 106 Cube is a little bit shorter, which would be better for my Quiverbag - the goya 104 looks nicer to me and I could get it for a cheep price. But those features are quite irrelevant on water...
More important are the characteristics on the wave. Does anybody knows the differences of this two boards - especially in this big sizes?
Would be very gratefull for some input from you.
Thanks a lot & greetz from germany,
Marcus

Hi Marcus, I've been thinking about the conditions you sail in.
Even though you are light, the wind is extremely light and fickle where you sail. Having used my Cube with a 5.7 for float and ride , I'm around 85 kg depending on beer and pie intake, I can verify that the cube does a great job in marginal conditions. If the waves where sail have a lot of power then the Cube will respond with very little wind. Even though the Cube is a fast grippy easy to sail board in strong winds, it amazes me how well it sails as a float and ride. Regarding both the new Quatro and Goya versus older incarnations, these are both better boards than what has gone before. I base this opinion on personal experience and the opinion of some great wave sailors on Goya boards. If as you say you prefer the graphics and can get the Goya at a good price then for me it's a no brainer, get the Goya and shred up your local break.
cheers Rob

Hi Rob, Do you reckon that the Goya might have the edge in cross off down the line, while the Quatro will turn more powerfully and hang in longer in onshore conditions, or are they more or less the same? Cheers Jens

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Jens said..
Hi Rob, Do you reckon that the Goya might have the edge in cross off down the line, while the Quatro will turn more powerfully and hang in longer in onshore conditions, or are they more or less the same? Cheers Jens

The Goya probably does have an edge for cross off conditions. But honestly we're splitting hairs trying to claim one board is better than the other. I may well get a Custom 4 for Cabezo if I ever get setup to spend more time there, and I love my Cubes. I honestly believe graphic preference is as good a way as any to help your decision (LOL), let me know what you go for, either way they are both awesome boards for all wave conditions.