Thruster for all boards, unless:

- there is no central box (Doh!)
- I feel the tail slipping in turns when on the rail, it can happen on wide tails. Quad then provide the hold to help tame wider tails.

This is because I am not a powerful backfoot surfer, and quads are often too stiff for me.

Tardy said..
I sit on the tail all the time ,and I am heavy on the back foot so it's quads for me ,it really is up to the personal taste of the rider .
I will change the size of my rear fins to suit the size and conditions .but I find narrow tails or pin tails are better with thruster set up ,the flow I ride has quiet a wide tail so find quads are the best .

Same

Tardy said..
I sit on the tail all the time ,and I am heavy on the back foot so it's quads for me ,it really is up to the personal taste of the rider .
I will change the size of my rear fins to suit the size and conditions .but I find narrow tails or pin tails are better with thruster set up ,the flow I ride has quiet a wide tail so find quads are the best .

Tardy , when paddling for wave where are your feet with reference to the tail and handle ?

Thanks Tardy. I am about the same position when paddling onto wave . You mention you spend a lot of time right back on the kicker . I really have to make a concerted effort to do that even on my short boards . Need to take a few quick back steps once on the wave and sometimes i just feel like i leave it too late . I feel like most time I am too far upfront .
I only use thruster and based on what you guys have written it sounds like that is best for me

les71 said..

micksmith said..

Tardy said..
I sit on the tail all the time ,and I am heavy on the back foot so it's quads for me ,it really is up to the personal taste of the rider .
I will change the size of my rear fins to suit the size and conditions .but I find narrow tails or pin tails are better with thruster set up ,the flow I ride has quiet a wide tail so find quads are the best .

Same

D you ride quads on smaller board?

I only have one SUP board, an 8' starboard pro. When I got it I rode it thruster set up, then thought hey has quad availability so let's give that a go. Haven't looked back since. Anything under shoulder I throw in the machado Seasiders, over head the AM large do the trick.

les71 said..
What set-up do you prefer for the different boards you own and why?

Hi mate, for my Naish Mad Dog 9'0x32 I was loving it as a thruster with the H1 FCSii setup, that is until this morning...




In my enthusiasm to get the end section I misjudged the tide and ran out of water on the rocks in the shore break. A face plant into a few inches of water and rock followed and I some how came away with only a few bits of missing skin on my wrists. On and a very nice set of fins ruined.

So the stock quad set is back on the board so I will see how that goes tomorrow.

Steve.

les71 said..

drivethebus said..

les71 said..
What set-up do you prefer for the different boards you own and why?

Hi mate, for my Naish Mad Dog 9'0x32 I was loving it as a thruster with the H1 FCSii setup, that is until this morning...




In my enthusiasm to get the end section I misjudged the tide and ran out of water on the rocks in the shore break. A face plant into a few inches of water and rock followed and I some how came away with only a few bits of missing skin on my wrists. On and a very nice set of fins ruined.

So the stock quad set is back on the board so I will see how that goes tomorrow.

Steve.

Love the dedication!

more like stupidity

Agree with Tardy ,totally fixable,fins are way to expensive .

Stumbled across this about fin repair.It is a windsurf fin but works as well with surf fins.

Hi stellar, I agree with your thoughts re quads/thruster set ups. When I first had the Mad dog as a quad I had a few waves run down the line and the quads flew. Riding punchy beach breaks the pivot of the thruster is more useful to me. One thing that a will always want in a thruster set up is the ability to move the centre fin forward and back. The US box in the Naish allows that with the FCS ii H1 fins.






I was out surfing the other day and the surf was larger and had more push than previous day's, after a few waves feeling a little lose on the bottom turns I flipped the board over and moved the centre fin back. Only a few mm but it had an immediate effect, stiffened up the bottom turns without effecting of the tops, it really is a must have feature in a board for me.

My first ever custom surfboard back in the mid eighties, a very nice Town and Country that I still have, the shop recommended a centre box set up. I found the same results with that board, a small movement changed it from a board that felt too stiff, to very versatile setup.

I look forward to seeing your new Smik.

Steve.

Quad for me with the Paddle Surf Hawaii 12'6 ripper