FCS Quads - What are you using ?

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Cpt.Caveman
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Re: FCS Quads - What are you using ?

Post by Cpt.Caveman » Wed Nov 13, 2013 11:28 am

My guess would be that you are noticing what happens when you decrease fin area. Fins contribute to forward thrust while paddling, just take them out and see what happens to your paddling.

Its always a balance between drive and responsiveness when you're talking fin area. If you want the same proportionate fin area, rather than using G5/GX as you usuall do, try V2/G1000 for example. If you do down with the fronts, go up a little with the rears.
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Re: FCS Quads - What are you using ?

Post by Slowman » Fri Oct 03, 2014 11:31 am

DV8 wrote:So I'm wanting my quad to behave closer to a tri than a twin so to speak in that I'd still like some pivot in the pocket and I understand fin placement is crucial for this , but is the inside foiled fins or old standard flat inside going to affect this at all ?

Anyone tried rusty FCS Quad set ?
From reading up seems like say M5 with G-1000's is a popular combo anyone experience this ?
Yep it is my favourite quad set. I tweak it by adding my own home made knubster or even a Darc Drive to get more of a pivotal feel. I have found the KR JP-Q4 also very good too. The new FCS2 Large Performer with medium Reactor quad rears (carbons) is OK too but loses a little drive...I chose them because they looked a bit like R2s dimensions. I will try the L Performer rear quads as well to see if it adds the drive back.
Slowman wrote:I bought my first quad about 12 months ago and after extensive research and experimentation I'm back riding a thruster. When I bought that quad I don't know how but I think there was a gang of surfboard manufacturing spooks following me everywhere and lacing my food or drinks with acid because I think now the whole thing was a halucination.

Well not really, but the romance is over I think. I still ride it but I think the best combination is something close to what I started with near the beginning. FG-7s at the front and GXs at the rear. I had 2 quads both Stretch F4s one 6'5" and the other 6'1". Originally the 6'5" came with SF4 fins and they were not so good so I switched to the FG-7 and GX set up and finally got some GX-Qs for the rear, which softened the transition from rail to rail, and eventually used PC3s for the front. These fins were just too small for me and it killed the drive. If you ever water skied and you get someone that drives the boat and pulls you out of the water and doesn't keep the power going, you get up with a surge, accelerate and then glide and slow down and almost stop. That is how it bottom turned. So I put the FG-7s back in the front and now the drive has returned and the board goes all right again but I was almost about to sell it as I was always having a better surf on my thruster (6'5" Afterburner).

The weird thing is with the FG-7s I reckon it even paddles faster. The 6'1" has more volume in it than my 6'5" afterburner and I just couldn't figure out why it seemed to feel so dead both trying to paddle it onto waves and when trying to get it to accelerate. Whatever it is it seems these fins really suit the board and me on it. At 6'1" and around 88kg I'm no lightweight so I need a bit of fin to drive off.

I've wondered what a pair of TC redlines would be like at the front. Has anyone tried a set of TC Aqualines?
Ha ha, since about 2012 I've ridden mostly quads with a small fifth fin. It seems to add more control and a bit more drive and you can get the board going vertical in tighter turns. The 5th fin doesn't always work, some boards it just seems to stiffen it up too much. I still really like the Rusty R2 quad set and they seem to go pretty good in most boards I ride.

I have a bunch of Firewires that I have them in; 6'0 Hellfire (diamond), 6'0 Spitfire (diamond), 6'0 Tomo V4. I have a 6'5 Hellrazor (square tail) where I use the TC Aqualine rears with the R2 fronts and sometimes I ride it as a thruster. I had a Firewire Jacknife (flyer swallow) and they were just a bit too stiff but the TC redline fronts with aqualine rears were perfect - was a good board until I snapped it on a 2' shorie!

I also have a 6'2 Hellfire with KR JP-Q4s in it which I use for fuller/weaker conditions but still some suck. This is like a pretty good allrounder. The JP-Q4s are bigger than the R2s and add a bit of extra hold which seems to counteract the extra volume when it starts to get bigger and would get too skatey on the R2s. I used to use the R2 quads in my 5'8 Vanguard too but it was almost a love hate relationship and I tried these Shapers DVS keel quads in it and it gives it better drive off the bottom to get around sections.

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Re: FCS Quads - What are you using ?

Post by Davros » Fri Oct 03, 2014 3:51 pm

105 kilos and 6'2 in height, 6'4 quad = PC 5 fronts, GXQ rears. I reckon size 7 fins are for 6ft plus and juice only, they stiffen and draw out to much. Try the PC 5s and enjoy. I use the nubster as well, love it

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Re: FCS Quads - What are you using ?

Post by Drailed » Fri Jul 29, 2016 9:30 am

So I find when I surf with the future rasta quad set I tend to get a lot less pivot then when I used to surf my Quartet. Could I try to increase pivot by reducing the rear fin size?
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Re: FCS Quads - What are you using ?

Post by Davros » Fri Jul 29, 2016 11:36 am

I find my Rasta quads kinda like that too, really need to engage the rail with those fins I reckon. I find the quartet Twiny fins whippy with so much more hold. I don't use those rasta's in anything over 4ft. Try nub if you have 5 fin option.

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Re: FCS Quads - What are you using ?

Post by Drailed » Fri Jul 29, 2016 8:08 pm

So from research (f$$$ng fins!) I think I need a front fin with less rake.
Trev wrote:I have always had a lot of time for Dick
smnmntll wrote:Got one in the mouth once, that was pretty memorable

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Re: FCS Quads - What are you using ?

Post by Davros » Fri Jul 29, 2016 8:34 pm

Upright fins to pivot for pocket surfing. Quads leave the pocket to run out on the face. Maybe you need a tri fin old boy.

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Re: FCS Quads - What are you using ?

Post by Drailed » Fri Jul 29, 2016 9:28 pm

I asked Gary about turning it into a thruster and he said go for it, took it to ding man to get the centre fin put in but the swallow was too deep!

Cant bring myself to buy another board.
Trev wrote:I have always had a lot of time for Dick
smnmntll wrote:Got one in the mouth once, that was pretty memorable

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Re: FCS Quads - What are you using ?

Post by Davros » Sat Jul 30, 2016 8:33 pm

Trade

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Re: FCS Quads - What are you using ?

Post by Beanpole » Sun Jul 31, 2016 6:57 am

I've just whacked a set of Al Merrick fins into my Fat Bullet. Seems to go okay. The big fins are wickedly sharp. When I had them on the fishcuit I diced my heel a couple of times. Not an issue on this board.
I've noticed if the section is too straight they tend to track a bit. Particularly on my backhand. Other times they turn nice and smooth.
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Re: FCS Quads - What are you using ?

Post by diggerdickson » Sun Jul 31, 2016 6:11 pm

alakaboo wrote:
wingnut2443 wrote:
alakaboo wrote: ... I tried the GL sidebites in a rail-centric board and liked them (Stretch SF4) but in a more stringer-centric board I wasn't totally digging them.
How similar are the designs of the two boards? Other than stringer differences, how similar is the rocker, bottom contours, foil, fin placements, etc?
Similar size, shape, countours, rocker and foil.

This is the Stretch, I felt it was overfinned with the SF4 set and just wanted to go straight and fast, stay high on a wall. The GLs turned it into a turbo twinny skateboard
Image

This is the other board to show placement, with some funky fins.
Image

I use basically this set in it now (different board)
Image
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Re: FCS Quads - What are you using ?

Post by Cranked » Sun Jul 31, 2016 7:19 pm

alakaboo wrote: ...the Stretch [F4}, I felt it was overfinned with the SF4 set and just wanted to go straight and fast, stay high on a wall. The GLs turned it into a turbo twinny skateboard
I mainly rode a Stretch F4 6'10 with the stock SF4 fins (in epoxy/glass flex) in chest to overhead and a half for the last month at Ulus and Impossibles. For me it performed turns of any arc with speed and drive, fast but always in control, whatever I asked of it it would do, no need to think, perfectly maneuverable in any size. My back foot was always against the tail block, gives great control.

Also tamed the Fatburner this time. Taking advice from Nick "...make your worst board your best board". Not quite in this case. I had problems with it the last time, it would take off at impossible speed and track and do all sorts of horrible stuff, couldn't control the fcuker.

The problem was that I was too far forward on the board (enticed by that wide point forward), as soon as I had my back foot against the tail block the control issues disappeared. The board was then pretty staid and pedestrian, always in complete control, just a reliable wave catcher when I want to outpaddle the opposition (just to get my share, I'm not greedy) and have a laidback surf in up to head and a half (I think it could go bigger though)
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Re: FCS Quads - What are you using ?

Post by alakaboo » Sun Jul 31, 2016 7:21 pm

Did you recognise the pineapples, digger?
You should see the quad set he sent me recently. Insane.

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Re: FCS Quads - What are you using ?

Post by Beanpole » Sun Jul 31, 2016 8:47 pm

So cranky you prefer the stretch?
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Re: FCS Quads - What are you using ?

Post by Cranked » Sun Jul 31, 2016 9:44 pm

Oh yeah, perfection on a stick.

It seems I'm always about a decade behind everybody else :-D-:
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Re: FCS Quads - What are you using ?

Post by Beanpole » Mon Aug 01, 2016 7:39 pm

Don't worry....my McTavish Carver Fish is still my most reliable board.
Much cheaper to buy decade old quality boards.
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Re: FCS Quads - What are you using ?

Post by spelled3 » Sun Oct 23, 2016 10:06 am

I've put some K1.2 in front and Glide FCS GX size 50/50 foiled in back in my Bourton Silver Bullet. Seems pretty good, especially in sucky surf.

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Re: FCS Quads - What are you using ?

Post by Beanpole » Sun Oct 23, 2016 1:49 pm

Might look at that for my Fat Bullet.
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