? for the Quad Guys

[zach619]

Ok, so after testing that Al Merrick Quad, I took the plunge and I am now the proud owner of a quad/fish from my shaper...

I set the fins up the standard way, larger fins in the front, smaller fins in the back...

I am trying to get as much torque and turning ability in the pocket...

Does this standard setup usually work the best. I know you can reverse the fins, or just leave the 2 in like a twinnie...

But are there any benefits to switching the fins into different position? Or as a thruster lover, will I get the best response out of the fins the way I currently have them...

I have a setu pof FCS foils.... The m4. its 2 size 5 fins, and 2 size 2s....

Just wondering what everyone prefers...

[windswellsucks]

I have 3quad/tri boards with futures. I never run the boards as tri tho, quad just works so well. My preference is for a lot of drive and easy to generate speed so I've tested a few some pretty large front fins, and the rears I run mid size. Did not try pivots yet tho, I can take sme pics of the setups if you're interested

No pointto run it as a twin or bigger fins in the back

[xJohnnyUtahx]

I agree w/ windswell, no reason to try to switch em around. I have quad option for tri too and its all I ride. I have about 6 different boards in my quiver, but I always fall in love w/ the newest one until I break it beyound repair or until a new one falls in my lap. The only time I switch my fins around is when I have the the pleasure of surfing well overhead, I'll switch to tri for that. I would never pay for another board that doesnt have that option.

Ride your quad the way it is, the more you surf w/ the set-up u got, the easier manuevering it will be.

[shorepoints]

Been hooked on quads for about 5 years now. If you have FCS fusion plugs you have at least a little bit of flexibility moving the fins front/back for experimentation. Some general guidelines on fin sizes and locations:

*Wider tails need bigger fins (surface area) or else the tail can overpower the fins. IE FCS Size M or preferably L.
*Narrower tails don't need as much fin area.
*If you move the front and back fins closer to each other, the board has more pivot.
*If you move the front and back fins farther away from each other, the board has more drive/hold.
*Fins with more rake have more drive and hold.
*Fins with less rake have more pivoty feel.
*Rear fins closer to the stringer makes the board feel more like a thruster (drive)
*Rear fins closer to the rails makes the board feel more like a twin (pivot)

Real world translation:
*On my 5'10" fish/plank type board (17" tail) for grovelling I have a big Hynson Quad set. The rear fins are set 1.5" off the rail to make the board super skatey.
*On my 6'0" diamond tail daily driver (15" tail) I use the PC5s. Rear fins are set 2" off the rail for a blend of skate and drive.
*On my 6'3" round pin for bigger waves (14.5" tail) I use the PC5s or the bigger Rusty Quads when I want a little more drive on the bigger days. Rear fins are 2" off the rail, but effectively closer to the stringer because the tail is narrower.

Play around with different fins/positions to see what you like best.

[zach619]

Been hooked on quads for about 5 years now. If you have FCS fusion plugs you have at least a little bit of flexibility moving the fins front/back for experimentation. Some general guidelines on fin sizes and locations:

*Wider tails need bigger fins (surface area) or else the tail can overpower the fins. IE FCS Size M or preferably L.
*Narrower tails don't need as much fin area.
*If you move the front and back fins closer to each other, the board has more pivot.
*If you move the front and back fins farther away from each other, the board has more drive/hold.
*Fins with more rake have more drive and hold.
*Fins with less rake have more pivoty feel.
*Rear fins closer to the stringer makes the board feel more like a thruster (drive)
*Rear fins closer to the rails makes the board feel more like a twin (pivot)

Real world translation:
*On my 5'10" fish/plank type board (17" tail) for grovelling I have a big Hynson Quad set. The rear fins are set 1.5" off the rail to make the board super skatey.
*On my 6'0" diamond tail daily driver (15" tail) I use the PC5s. Rear fins are set 2" off the rail for a blend of skate and drive.
*On my 6'3" round pin for bigger waves (14.5" tail) I use the PC5s or the bigger Rusty Quads when I want a little more drive on the bigger days. Rear fins are 2" off the rail, but effectively closer to the stringer because the tail is narrower.

Play around with different fins/positions to see what you like best.

With that being said, this tale is about standard? As far as being large or small. The fins are M4 Quattros (I couldnt find them on FCS' site) the large fins are a size 5, back fins size 2....

I could see maybe adding even larger front fins due to the tail size, but I will try this for a while.

[MATT JOHNSON]

I bought a set of furtures I belive they are f4's from njsurfer42 and the fall swapshop . when I replace the standard white fins that came with my board I was like night and day. I board rode and turned awsome before to these fins made it 10 times better and super resonsive . I also noticed that it hold better on steep drops too

[Exit98Surf]

I bought a set of furtures I belive they are f4's from njsurfer42 and the fall swapshop . when I replace the standard white fins that came with my board I was like night and day. I board rode and turned awsome before to these fins made it 10 times better and super resonsive . I also noticed that it hold better on steep drops too

Been drinkin' a little Mr. Johnson?

[MATT JOHNSON]

Been drinkin' a little Mr. Johnson?

nah I am on call week so I am saving it up for tomorrow. LOL


I actually dont know which Future Quad fins I got . He was selling them and they were better than the stock ones that came with the board and for what I paid for them I couldnt loose

I know the fronts are Vector 2 F4's and I think the rears are 3.75's

[shorepoints]

With that being said, this tale is about standard? As far as being large or small. The fins are M4 Quattros (I couldnt find them on FCS' site) the large fins are a size 5, back fins size 2....

I could see maybe adding even larger front fins due to the tail size, but I will try this for a while.

It looks like you have regular FCS plugs so you have no forward/back option. That tail looks pretty wide compared to a "standard" shortboard.

Regardless, start with what you've got. If you feel like it doesn't have enough drive, try bigger fins with more rake. If you feel like the board isn't loose enough, try smaller and/or fins with less rake. The FCS website spells out all of the sizes/dimensions.

The M4s are on the FCS site here: http://surffcs.com/en/products/fins/Quads/McKEE.aspx

They are a good middle-of-the road starting point.

[zach619]

Thanks for the link. That is exactly what I was looking for. It looks like the fins were designed with some turning in mind, so I will give these a go for a while. I assumed that they were kind of middle of the road since that what micah gave me with the board when he shaped it...

And by changin the fins setup, all four fcs boxes are the same, so I just meant putting the size 2s up front and the 5s in the rear. I guess that would help performance at all, I was just curious if anyone uses that technique, and if so, why...

Thanks though... I need to brush up on my website navigations, I swear those m4's werent on there 12 hours ago =)