had a crack at this one on the weekend.

Rolled up to gearies sat arvo - 12 - 23 knots - head to shoulder high waves and no one out - perfect for testing!

Conditions were not epic - fun cross on 5.3 weather - everything from over to under powered. I was riding the convertible which would have a little more weight in it due to the single fin box also built into the board.

There werent any clean bowls to really stick the board's rails down the throat of - so at this moment this is a planing / jumping review.

the rockerline is fast and he board planes up early. The fins feel good - maybe the board feels slightly over finned - which may be an advantage in the really onshore stuff i had it out in. but i might be looking at smaller fins for a flowing , down the line - speed controller set up. For onshore drive - the stock fin set up (16s) felt good.

Jumps were magic - i nearly planed out of my first backie - definitely that mid air control that the evos had. Got 4 from 5 - dry ankle landings.

You can get your projection all wrong and either speed up or slow down your rotation mid air. Too easy. Planed out of a pushie too - so you really can look at tweaking the landings.And trhe fast rocker makes it look like maybe you actually did plane out of the loop -as it is so quick to bust back on to the plane.

the old get flung by a bit of white water if you try and fang through it that the evos had on the way out through the surf is gone - so you can commit to speed for the next one ramping up out the back.

I back to back rode this against my 08 Acid 80 (same as 2009 kode 80 but with more nose volume). The Acid / Kode seemed to like the messier conditions more - the Quad seemed to liven up as the conditions got cleaner.

You can tell alot about a board from how it gybes - the Quad 80 had a sweet gybe on it - you can throw a ridiculously tight arc and nothing catches - so this is a great sign for when i get her in some sweet waves.

back side hits were loose and lively - definitely looser and more lively than the Acid.

One thing is for sure - i think the new set ups will take some getting used to - especially regarding front foot / back foot pressure on the bottom turn rail connection - so dont expect to dial in on your first sail. The potential for insanity looseness is all there though..

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Reflex Films said...

You can tell alot about a board from how it gybes - the Quad 80 had a sweet gybe on it - you can throw a ridiculously tight arc and nothing catches - so this is a great sign for when i get her in some sweet waves.

I noticed this too with the 71 Quad.

got a few waves at scarbs on the Quad today- cross to cross on - about shoulder to a bit over head high. I was on a 6m!

back to backed it with my 08 Acid 80/ Kode 80 (almost identical boards)

First turn on the quad was nuts - a nice bottom turn into a great little peak that just flicked the tail out beautifully. Compared to the Acid the Quad has a really pivotal top turn- and the lack of fin depth creates a real whiplash feel. Really exciting - i can see this being a really fun motion to get the hang of. Taka fever could strike!

The Acid top turn gets exponentially nicer as the wave verts up. So Acid style has you hunting down the last minute of the wave before it pitches. The quad is looser in the top turn on a less vertical section.

The quads plane up nicely - i was struggling to split the difference - maybe the acid had the edge - but it was close

Still getting used to the bottom turn feel - i think you have to change your technique a bit. Not as slalom gybey / out the front going square style bottom turn.

I went over the front on a few reos on the quad - but the same thing happened to me years ago when i was riding Evos - that was just a matter of adjusting to the board's balance - and the Evos have insanely good balance in waves - when you get used to them.

hey Reflex watched you out on both boards the other day, i thought your wave riding was better on the acid more fluid and powerful than the quad, just an observation.

I cant wait to use the Quad as a single fin

i definitely felt more at home on the Acid -as i know that board inside out. And i know what it will do when it gets thrown around by the lip.

One thing about the Quads - i reckon they ride 5 litres bigger than their stated volume - due to the width - so the 81 actually felt pretty close to an 87 litre board. especially with all the fin area they carry.

I Think i am going to have to try the 76 !

I recently purchased a 81 quad. I have used one twice at gearies and once at crazies. Should be getting it out at gnaraloo as of thursday.

First time I got on it (demo board at gearies) was pretty windy with waves in the head to 1/2 mast range (with the odd 3/4 mast wave rolling through later), I found it planed up right away (it was quite windy though - 4.7m2), trucked upwind with little effort and handled the sometimes very overpowered conditions with easy. Very easy board to sail.

The first few waves I got, everything felt wrong and I didnt like it, but after a few more waves I started to get the turns dialled, I think you need to drive off the front foot to get the benefit of the extra fins. And when I did this, it was an amazing board. It turns so easily with loads of grip and drive, and it maintains heaps of speed on the wave face which makes it really easy to charge the lip.

On my second gearies session which was again really windy with waves in the head to half mast range, I had a much better time, the board enables you to go very "clue first" on the wave because of the speed it maintains on the face. It has bucket loads of grip, but you can still bust the tail out (but be warned, you have to load up your back foot very hard to do this (as in actively trying to spin the board out) and when it breaks free it really snaps the tail around). I find it bottom turns really well, at times i found i got to the point where on my old board where i would be loosing speed on the bottom turn and have to stop, at this point the quad just keeps driving and turning, once again enabling me to charge the lip with ease. Top turns where also fantastic heaps of grip and drive and you come out with heaps of speed.

It jumps well and is quite easy to control in the air, and again is very easy and fun board to sail. I was maxed out and overpowered on a 4.3m and even during squals I managed to hold the board in the water quite easily.

It sails very different to a single or twin fin, and I think you need to take the time to get used to it. It doesnt suit sailing styles which are really back foot orientated, so you may need to adjust your style to get the most out of the board.

I am looking forward to getting it out at g-loo

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Reflex Films said...

...
The Acid top turn gets exponentially nicer as the wave verts up. So Acid style has you hunting down the last minute of the wave before it pitches. The quad is looser in the top turn on a less vertical section...

Pretty key point this. I think the single fin top turn looks a lot more stylish but so long as it is timed perfectly, smacking the vert section at the last minute before the wave pitches, with a snappy appearance, a shot of spray and a bit of tail slide. JP gets this so consistently and it's also why Pritchard's turns looked so good on the Kode80 at Cabo Verde. Problem is, takes a lot of timing and skill to get this perfect hit and if early or late can quickly look lame. I guess this is where the quad provides a bit more leeway by still allowing impressive spray-throwing turns either before the wave verts up or after in white water.
Given this, and you're testing, I'm interested in which do think would be preferable, the quad or kode? I'm toying between the two. I'm 75kg with a kode86 for freestyle/freeride but considering 80 or 74 for wavesailing but possibly 76quad. I generally love the driven rail to rail feeling of the kode.

Heres an interesting read boardseekermag.com/lifestyle/2007-resolutions-027/2034/

interesting review.

does that lead the hardcore wave guys back to the thruster?

Hard to say what would be best for you. Like described, the Acids are super precise and predictable and on longer waves when you have the time to set the top turn up just right nothing beats that smoothness. The top turns of the Quads may not be as smooth, but I figure they are very forgiving and open to different styles. You can be later and still get the fins to grip. You can go in with more power and still not bounce out. Specifically when you put everything you've got onto a powerful top turn but then as a consequence maybe misses the setup a bit the Quad will save your butt and still pull you through. SImilarly if you get a bit late and hit some white water when you thought you were gonna do a clean carve.

Another thing that is different is that the Quads have this special way of accelerating in the bottom turn. Great for going around sections. And you can also hold on to the drive in the bottom turn longer and go more vert with the drive still on. This is not the same kind of vert you would normally go with a twin fin where you more use the ultra loose feel to steer the board vert without much power input. On the Quads you tend to rather keep the power on and really carve up vert. And then you can then combine this with he top turn characteristics where you can go further up the face before you set the top turn without risking blowing out the back.

Another really exciting things in the top turn is the ability to pulll a much longer "round house style" top turn and still come out with speed. With a twin you can do full turns too, but you tend to end up high up on the wave with not much speed going out of the turn. Not necessarily bad, but something different. On single fins you can go in with lots of speed and pull lots of G:s, but unless your precision if perfect it is easy to loose the power somewhere in the middle. With the Quads, you have this feel that they keep accelerating in the turn. Then can take a huge amount of power in the entry. They are easy to pull out of the turn (like a twin). But they also provide acceleration out of the turn like no other board, I've tried.

I would say that generally, you have to be a bit more "on it" on the Quads compared to twin fin boards which tend to go where you want with hardly any body input. The Quads prefer some more drive from the sailor and also give more acceleration back so you need to be prepared. I recently tried the 13cm front fins for the Starboard Quads, and that softened the board up a bit. Surely an option if you feel you want a slightly less powerful feel.

Below is a video from some powered up 3.5 sailing. You won't see so much of the boards potential, but if you look closely you might see a bit of how the board makes it easy to pull those fuller turns.

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Acker said...

Reflex Films said...

...
The Acid top turn gets exponentially nicer as the wave verts up. So Acid style has you hunting down the last minute of the wave before it pitches. The quad is looser in the top turn on a less vertical section...

Pretty key point this. I think the single fin top turn looks a lot more stylish but so long as it is timed perfectly, smacking the vert section at the last minute before the wave pitches, with a snappy appearance, a shot of spray and a bit of tail slide. JP gets this so consistently and it's also why Pritchard's turns looked so good on the Kode80 at Cabo Verde. Problem is, takes a lot of timing and skill to get this perfect hit and if early or late can quickly look lame. I guess this is where the quad provides a bit more leeway by still allowing impressive spray-throwing turns either before the wave verts up or after in white water.
Given this, and you're testing, I'm interested in which do think would be preferable, the quad or kode? I'm toying between the two. I'm 75kg with a kode86 for freestyle/freeride but considering 80 or 74 for wavesailing but possibly 76quad. I generally love the driven rail to rail feeling of the kode.

Ok I tried out the 76 Quad today at lancelin in half to mast hight sets, well powered up, perfect cross shore. I was quite scepticle of the fin set up and large fin area. I sailed my own board for about 45mins to dial into the conditions then I took out the quad.
It planes early, It just wants to head upwind, it feels like I was sailing slightly sideways it was just a sensation. my normal twin fin goes upwind just as well but I have to put effort in to make it do this whereas the quad automatically goes upwind. In a straight line it has good speed, lively, responsive to heel toe pressure and felt quite a bumpy and roughish ride.
It initiates and carries a good gybe with speed.
On under logo high waves, I liked it, it initiated the turn well, felt loose doesn't quite feel like it flows through the turns which is what I'm used to, carried good speed in the turn, I didn't think it was as drivey as others have said. The top turn was fine I managed to make the tail slide out a bit, not as much as on my twin fin. In the bigger waves at the bottom of my turns it felt a little sketchy, like the rear fins were not gripping a very unnerving feeling looking up at a huge breaking wave thinking this board isn't going to hold, but it did!
I really liked it in the smaller stuff, and not in the bigger stuff. I thought for its size it had a stable user friendly feel about it.
I also tried out the RRD 76 thruster Hmmm SWEEEET a very smooth flowy ride, but this post is about the Quad.

Tried the Quad 71 wood convertible in small cross off waves with powered 4.0 and it was superb. Was a little sceptical at first and took probably 30 mins of adjustment time to suss out the bottom turn but after that I had it dialled. You know when a board is good when coming in you know you can charge in to a bottom turn as hard as you want. Heading out, felt more than 71 litres but on the wave felt nice and compact and very loose. It's weight was fine, but wouldn't want much more weight. Probably it's best feature is it responds instantly to foot pressure but in a forgiving manner so one can still maintain control. You think about bottom turning and the board is already up at the top of the wave. At times when the wave was walling up and perhaps a bit late with top turn, on a single fin I'd have no chance of getting up to the lip before it broke, but on the quad71 felt like could zip up to the lip instantly. The top turn is nice, particularly for last minute snaps up to a vertical section. At 74kg, the quad71 would be excellent for me as my main waveboard.

any thoughts on the fin box..FCS/Surfinz ? strength