quad v thruster tri rant - blah blah

[john -]

Thruster/tri V Quad - a last week of term doodle - have not proof read!

8 weeks of having a thruster/tri and Quad as a quiver has been a great experience. I cannot really judge better or worse as surfing a variety of conditions allows each board to become a horses for courses craft.

quad

Length - 5 10”
Width - 23 ½
Tail – rounded square

Thruster /tri – I have changed the centre fin around from true thruster to tri back to thruster

Length - 5 10”
Width - 23 ½
Tail – rounded pin

General comments

– the thruster has more rocker but less volume and is thus lighter than the quad – the thruster duck dives much easier as a result


I’m choosing to surf the quad in small to medium (2 to 4 foot) waves and when conditions are a bit full or fat – the shape gets the most outa these conditions. The thruster Im surfing in larger stuff and on sucky waves (large to me is 6 foot or so these days) - the thruster bogs a bit on smaller or fat waves.

Ive read that confidence in larger waves is gained from having a few extra inches out front for the drop – interestingly having two boards the same length but surfing one further back provides an illusion of extra length in comparison – but again, once hitting the bottom the rocker seems vital to control – more rocker less nose dives tooo

The most interesting result of surfing two quite different boards has been that my quad surfing has become more dynamic as a result of the experience on the thruster. I have always naturally surfed forward on boards so to make myself get back has been a good lesson.

I still find (strangely according to what I have read) it easier to do a reo on the quad but my cut backs have improved from the thruster experience. I need more prac on the thruster in terms of reos – something about getting those extra inches in front of my knees up and around - perhaps using the fins to piviot more – or the rails or getting a better hairdo – or a trophy girlfriend

I am finding that due to needing to put more varoom into swinging a board with a centre fin - when I get back on the quad I can really get the tail to come around - it feels great and gets me into position a lot faster – I wonder if it throws more spray?

[ross]

dorje
sounds like your entering the realm of the multi board quiver
a realm where your never really sure your riding the right one

sounds like you've worked out a good plan.quad for mush,thruster for quality.
one probably isn't better than the other,just different eh?

[Headwax]

Another good thread from the house of Dorje

All comes down to the body movement eh?

A quad sometimes needs more delicacy to lock in the rail (depending on the fin setup of course) rather than spin out the tail.

Allow me to suggest: on the tri reos you are allowed to put you're weight on the tail in the setup period - there's a fin there to push against. Putting the weight on the tail gets the nose out of the water more, gets the lip under the board, gets that extra push.

Halfway up the face twist both arms down the face in preperation for the reo. This'll wind up the torque and get a little nose lift happening and gives you time to react to a sudden lip throw.

Let me know if it works.

On the subject of spray: surfing against Baden on the weekend he carved a cutty about eight feet away and managed to throw enough spray in my face to give me a cheap treament of epidersion.

I look ten years younger (well, maybe eight)

According to my beautician, Baden is officially ripping at the moment.

Whats wrong with a little blah, blah anyway??

You know, I love this site cause I can sit here and type and give out advice and pretend I know what I'm talking about.....

heh.... once I even got out the back without any help.

BtW, looks like we have lost Hart. His last post apart from one on New Orleans was quite a while ago.

which is a bloody shame.

[john -]

Allow me to suggest: on the tri reos you are allowed to put you're weight on the tail in the setup period - there's a fin there to push against. Putting the weight on the tail gets the nose out of the water more, gets the lip under the board, gets that extra push.

Halfway up the face twist both arms down the face in preperation for the reo. This'll wind up the torque and get a little nose lift happening and gives you time to react to a sudden lip throw.

...ah ...hang on, im just carving that into the wax in front of the knee pads

harts probably watching the cricket - i was until the mrs just threw me off - Warne had just dropped PIETERSON - and probably the match

[ScottMac]

..

[K-man]

twinzers...quads...?
the original twinzer[jobson] had a single-or double tab smaller fin forward of the rail fin.I've noticed in the board section that there are variations on the theme.Mainly the fin clusters have moved forward ''up the board' and in some cases,the rail fin is forward and the small fin rearward with varying degrees of separation.Why then do we call them twinzers?,and not a variety of quad????.....nit picking?


cheers

looks like hart's laying low.probably another one of those extended aussie holidays the cousins seem to come up with..or..meebee ran outta them cuban C-gars and good cuban rum stuff ain't cheap!A little extra time in the bay.....

[Marky V]

sorry dorje
looks like it was the match!!

[Bud]

Uh.........for the record.

Kneeboarders had already been doing the "twinzer" type fin set up years earlier.



Look closely at the board Dale Ponsford is holding.
The shot was taken in the early 80s I think.

Dave Parkes made a lot of these as well.
I think Peter Ware was the originator of it on those shores.
(Someone down there can orrect me if I'm wrong about that bit.)

I did a few in 79-80.
I discarded that set up for a different one, which was the basis of what I use now.

The turning action with a twinzer is not a whole lot different than an MR style twin fin. IE strong pivot action. Many people did not like the way twin fins tended to over steer and loose drive in the turn. (Simon Anderson was one of those people.)
Adding the little tab fins helps stablize this effect a little bit.

[Steve Neal]

Thruster / Tri whats the difference here

Also I would be just the opposite as far as I would

Ride my thruster in small or softer surf and my quad in

bigger waves or juice waves.

[john -]

Thruster / Tri whats the difference here :?:

Also I would be just the opposite as far as I would

Ride my thruster in small or softer surf and my quad in

bigger waves or juice waves.

my choice for smaller and larger waves is more to do with board shape - rocker and tail type than fin number

tri - is a smaller centre fin

thruster - centre fin similar size to outside fins - might be wrong here!

[Steeno]

Remember a conversation about placement...not numbers of fins

[ScottMac]

..

[john -]

.

You posted that your quad is a rounded square (squashtail) shape.

The outline and tail shape sounds like it would definately be more at home in the smaller stuff.

Hard to compare apples and oranges unless they grow on the same type
of tree!!

Scott

the rounded square( squash tail) of my board is really thinned out to provide some bite in beefer waves - which I suppose is a part of the attempt to produce a more alround board - width in the tail to pick up the waves energy (when theres is not much) and thinned out to hold in there when there is heaps of varoom

[ScottMac]

..

[john -]

Remember a conversation about placement...not numbers of fins :wink:

I do Steen

which brings me to the question - is it then possible to, based on placement, have a quad and a tri/thruster producing a similar surfing experience

have two boards - say both 5'10" both rounded pins - same everything except fin number

then

place the fins according to number and produce more or less exact rides

baced on fin placement - would the surfer be able to tell with out looking?


sorta like the coke v pepsi blindfold taste test