To Quad or not to Quad

Wow! So much has been said in the Quads versus thrusters debate! It seems that every time I walk into a surf shop or a shaping bay there are guys standing at a board rack arguing the pro’s and cons of each. Personally, being a total nerd when it comes to board development and surf craft evolution, I rather enjoy this stuff!

Coming from a background in aviation, I enjoy applying what I learned about basic fluid dynamics when I was studying aerodynamics to my other joy surfing. Surfboards behave rather similarly to airfoils believe it or not, so concepts like thrust, drag, chord, aspect ratio really float my boat. Yeah...total nerd I know.

But for the average punter, Bernoulli’s theorem is overkill. So here’s a simple breakdown if you’re newish to surfing, havent popped your quad cherry yet or perhaps want to hear it first hand what this Average Joe thinks!

Quads: A greater, more efficient, lower profile drag fin setup means for you: Your board goes faster and generates speed without having to ‘pump’ down the face of the wave. It holds better on higher lines, like up the faces of smaller almond shaped barrels. It also holds its rails through turns well, meaning your turns will be more drawn out than on a thruster. Think more CJ Hobgood, less Taj Burrow.

What I think: I find quads really helpful when riding on my backhand, because generating speed is generally harder off your heels that off your toes. The very morning of writing this, I had a bit of a wobble taking off late on a biggish wave on my backhand, which could have resulted in me ending up too far behind the barreling section if I was not riding a quad. Speed is also why I like them when it’s small. Even if a wave is small, if you’re riding it fast you’re having fun right?

Thrusters: Smaller, less efficient, higher profile drag setup means that: Your board will only really accelerate when ‘on rail’ that is while pumping it off your heels or toes. Down the line or in a barrel it need to be surfed on a lower line, further down the face nearer the trough. Open face it prefers being surfed straight up and down the face: vertical snaps, and maneuvers that require a release of fins. Think a Dayne Reynold’s Layback snap, or a nose pick air reverse by Toledo.

What I think: Here’s the kicker: I can’t really surf aggressively enough to full unlock the potential of a thruster. I’m simply not good enough. I do have a thruster that I adore, but apart from snaps and the odd layback, I’m no-where the level that requires a thuster. Alas, I certainly can’t really do airs.

Which leads nicely to the conclusion that, in my humble opinion: Most beginner to intermediate surfers will benefit from a quad more than a thruster. They’re more ‘user friendly’ for a range of conditions and they do a fair bit of the work for you, however they will cap your performance somewhat. Landing airs will be harder and if you like smashing lips, you’re gonna fall a fair bit due to their ‘stiffness’ if you will.

Any questions? Here endeth the lesson then... Go forth and quad.