Round-tail quads Reefbreak round-up.

[steve shearer]

Had the QF in Taheets and rode it daily.

Noticed Kelly, for his perfect Ten rode a similar albeit much lower volume board.

Roundtail quads feel fcuking unreal in sucky reefbreaks, more sure-footed and drivey than thrusters of similar dims.

I think that is why we are seeing a slow but inexorable shift towards Quads in big-wave guns and step-ups.

I'll never go to Indo or South Pac reefs without a round-tail quad in the quiv.

I think because of the extra hold you can go shorter as well, and thus have extra benefits in terms of fitting the extreme wave face curves.

[Cpt.Caveman]

Sounds interesting, so you didn't mind it being hard to slow down and keep in the pocket at times?

[steve shearer]

I don't find that problem at all with my quad.
Do you?
I love the sure footed feeling of carving back into the bowl or making a mid face turn on a steep face.
These aren't slow waves that you outrun easily.

[Cpt.Caveman]

Not in a major way, I just find it a little harder to lose speed with stall-type turns and find myself stalling by letting my bottom turn run longer and then doing a bit of an "S" back up and down into the pocket where I want to be. I just thought that might be more pronounced in super powerful reef waves.

Its good to hear that it still goes well in reefs, I would want as many fins as possible to help me at Chopes!

What waves did you take it out in? Did you give Chopes a dig?

[bohdidontsurf]

steve I know what you mean .. it's one of lifes mysteries to me why everyone isn't riding quads .. Josh dowling enlightened me when he made me my 6 channel quad / thruster ... I sent him pics of me surfing and due to my rear foot being a little more forward the quad feels right to me .. all my boards from my 5'4 small wave board right up to my 6'5 step up are all quads ... nothing beats a dredging sand bottom wave that noone makes on there thruster and you kick out of the end haven had the speed run of your life ... god bless stretch riedel for getting the fin placement right !!

[steve shearer]

Well, I don't really have a "normal" thruster.
My quiver is pretty specialised.......but this board is no fish, it's heritage is from the high performance end of the spectrum with some slight generosity in the outline and thickness.
Rocker, rails and concave are pretty standard high performance fare.

The McKee style quad set-up on a basically high performance board (esp, a step-up style thingy) just gives more drive and hold.....in good waves it feels great if you like that sort of thing.
If you want release and less drive (ie more pivot) you probably won't dig it.
Slater choosing to ride it at Chopes is a pretty healthy endorsement.

Don't know if i'd want one for average Sydney waves......I'm having more fun on thrusters in more average surf but for good waves : pointbreaks, reefs etc etc especially if you want some authority in your surfing there's definitely a performance advantage there.

[tiger]

I have similar views on the modern quad Steve. I've mentioned before that I feel they have very similar characteristics to 6 channels.

That being they perform well in better, cleaner waves. Waves where you have time to use the authority you speak of, and get the full benefit of the design.

Like channels I've found them restrictive, and unforgiving, in garden variety beachies. NB I'm talking the modern quad with all fins a reasonably large size. Old style quads with smaller trailers out closer to the rail, still will work good in slop.

[pridmore]

http://www2.swaylocks.com/forums/rusty- ... a-part-one

another forum but very relevant and great info.....

[Cpt.Caveman]

I do admit, my round-tail HPS McKee quad does feel amazingly solid on late take-offs. Backhand I can grab the rail as I drop with complete confidence that it'll stick without that left and right wobble down the face, and send me where I want to go (in the tube if I'm lucky). Forehand, between the curve in the rocker and the hold from the fins I can lean into the drop, inside rail engaged with an arm sticking out into the wave face, and drop with a hell of a lot of confidence that the fins and curves will kick in and send me once again into the tube if I'm lucky.

I don't find that same confidence in my more fishy quads. I predict that the hold elements of a HPS like a pulled in tail, refined foil, forgiving rocker, and tucked rails combined with the fourth fin have something to do with it (but harder to free the tail unfortunately).

Part of my quest with my fishier quads has been to find that marriage between quad fins and some tail release, and I dare say that when it gets easier to release (e.g. smaller rear fins, more tail lift, wider tail, more overall volume) there has been a compromise in surf of consequence. Not unsurfable, it just doesn't have that sturdiness I described above.

[toasta]

So who is a reputable round-tail quad fin shaper on the Northern Beaches? There are so many good shapers these days - but whose a noted quad-fin guru?

[steve shearer]

Just to re-iterate: I'm talking about round-tail (round pin) quads as good wave boards.....for reefs, points and big surf because of the advantage in hold and maneouvreability at speed they provide.
here is the example in extremis : http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/surfb ... uad_45238/

[toasta]

Yep - I got that from the thread - I surf Indo every year and am looking for a new board. Need something in the 6'3" 6'4" range. I tend to need a board with a lot of drive in your typical indo style surf - hence the reason I'm interested. I also like surfing Deadies, Winki and the Bower - shuold be a little rocket for there as well.

Oh - and I live on the Northern beaches - like to keep it local...

[pridmore]

6'3" x 19 1/2" x 2 9/16" a copy of this guys previous board, just a few very minor adjustments made because this is mostly his good wave board and he has a specifically designed board ( which is also a round tail Quadfather ) for small waves, when we did the first board, this was more of an all rounder, so we have continued to discuss and work on his quiver to make each board better for what he needs em to do....I'll post pics of the small wave version once it is shaped up.....




www.moresurfboards.com

[steve shearer]

The original QF had a good life: North Coast pointbreaks, Tahiti, Indo.

I'll never go back to thrusters for good wave boards (well, a sick 6 channel might tempt).
Too much hold, drive and manoevreability from quads.

The only thing to get used to is the slight loss of centring between turns due to no stringer fin.
Having a double concave in vee pretty much cancels that out.
Quads just want to run on a rail: more drivey turns. Safer late drops (you don't have to flatten out to make a critical drop, the board will find more security in the tail rail).

For QF mk2 I just wanted slight mods. Slightly more refined, slightly less tail area. Bit more double concave out the back.

Board has come out unreal, with Artwork by award winning artist Cain Pridmore.

Curing now.........

[pridmore]

I know what are saying Iggs but if the tail rocker, tail planshape and fins are adjusted for those types of waves and surfing, then you really can have the best of both worlds....

[gibber]

Now this is what my board was designed for. Larger steeper waves with barrel sections and long sections to get around/over/through. just need to do the fin sorting thang and i should be there

[pridmore]

yeah, rode a thruster on and off for afew weeks there and enjoyed it, but also been riding twin keeled mini-sims and almost finless stuff as well as quads, dont really give a shite how many fins , I love em all...but like the thread is about, if I was going to surf serious reef waves, there'd be a quad rounded pin in the bag for sure.....

[gibber]

Gawd FCS stickers suck
That would have to be another reason to have a tail pad on your board!