QUAD FIN’S

Are QUAD FIN’S Too Fast - Need More Control?

Making a new board - ask for a 5 fin setup. You can change-up not only to a quad fin but a twin or thruster as well.

When testing the new quad setup you will notice how quicker and speedier the board is. Center fins will produce drag and riding a quad without a center fin has some advantages but also some disadvantages.

Catching waves faster will be noticed immediately. No center fin produces less drag making quicker drops into your sections and tighter turns for better carving. This will be immediately noticed.

You will also notice on bigger waves you will have better grip on top of the speed but at times a little out of control. With the correct placement of the fin box (another blog), you can have the same effective grip and speed on smaller days (with the right volume - another blog). With the correct setup, quads allow you to surf tighter turns on all kinds of wave faces.

However, at times the quad can be unpredictable for speed and sharp turns, they can be unpredictable giving you a feeling of out of control on certain wave faces. Predictable means more control and speed but unpredictable means you are looking for a perfect solution to keep less drag and more speed but also reduce that “out of control feeling.”

You can you slow down the quad (a little), control the instability on turns, and control it’s radical feeling by using a very small center fin. At times, quads are hard to control and lose speed when coming out of turns putting the importance on your quad surfing skills. Also, your bottom turns at times can be non-existent or at other times squirrelly.

You can experiment by taking off on an angle into the wave and make a bit less dramatic bottom turn. Quads are known for holding better on steep, hollow waves. The quad, with the proper fins and fin placement will sustain speed through the entire turn, allowing that speedy arching turning radius and providing a new radical speed you may not be used to.

There are a few solutions to the out of control feeling the quad setup gives, like trying different size fins (foils) front to back. Another solution to the unstableness and having more control on the quad is by using a small center fin (the smaller the better). There are a variety like knubsters or flip drives. These smaller center fins are designed to reduce both the drag and board drift and at the same time keep the board driving and flowing which quads are designed for.

The 5th fin knubster or the Flip Drive reduces that out control drift, keeps the quad driving down the line and at the same time keeping the speed and flow associated with quads. Therefore, a boost to drive and control without adding the drag associated with a typical large back fin and of course the typical no 5th fin setup.