quad vs thruster

I feel like every two weeks i see a new 'Quad vs. Thruster' post. Just use the search function and you can find whatever you are possibly looking for

 

i did the quad thing for over a year,and you got it right,i have a definite problem with them.for what they do,i like twins,as quads track like crazy,plus,you put it perfectly in your statement about drive,digging in and grab.well put.i do not like quads.

 

i have a stretch bat tail quad. i like it frontside but backside its just ok, i have problems digging the rail in so often i find myself loosing speed out of my bottom turn which results in a weak lip crack. everyone surfs differently tho and has thier opinions, but thats my 2 cents.

 

My Firewire Quadraflex is currently my go-to board. I really like it. And tottally disagree with a few things you guys have said. I learned to turn with my back foot on my quad. I think that while thrusters are capable of sharper back-foot turns then a quad, the quad is more stable threw the turn then a thruster is. Which is probably a result of having 2 fins in the water on the turn instead of just 1 on a thruster.

 

i sort of feel the opposite of what you described. i feel like my quad has a little more bite, and i can put it on rail just as easily as one of my thrusters. it may just be the board itself, but i definitely feel more drive especially out of bottom turns. i would experiment with the quad a little more, maybe try it on different boards

 

I have been riding a 5'10 quad in europe over the past few months and have found it to be a tough adjustment after riding roundtail and squash thrusters. It took me about 8 sessions to figure out the quad approach. It has to be a fine line between flow and snap. The rail to rail response of a quad forces you to make decisions at a faster rate than riding a traditional thruster where there is more of a rhythm to follow. The quad almost makes me bounce back and forth between the two rails and make split second decisions, whereas with a thruster the board almost works with you to make that decision. I know it sounds weird but thats how I felt going down the line on a quad. The turns weren't as pre-meditated which almost made it more interesting. Definitely taught me a lot more about surfing and how waves can be ridden.

 

good description.that's how i think they don't work 'right.'just me.think a board should go,flow and turn easily.straight up and down or bringing it around on a frontside cutback the quad does not do naturally.gotta go the long way around and sometimes tracks so bad on frontside cutbacks it practically stops when bringing it back around.not happy.prefer a twin,single,thruster,anything but a quad.

 

I like quads, but thrusters give me better all around response in variable conditions.

 

I LOVE my quad 5'10 fishcuit. compared to a thruster i can fly down the line pass by, gliding over, and smacking the lips of breaking sections. It is hard to snap real quick or make a sharp turn, but by getting more waves more time on them and the speed and planing ability i think its better then a shortboard quad or shortboard tri

 

exactly.fly down the line,on a railroad track.hard to snap real quick or make a sharp turn.well put.good for fast-breaking hard to make critical racing down the line waves

 

You can't compare a quad to a thruster on different boards. Too many other variables. In order to get any idea of the difference, you need a convertible... but not only that, a convertible with fore/aft adjustment, particularly on the front fins. I'm not trying to sell anything here, but the Probox Hawaii system gives you just that.

My latest HPSB is a quad/thruster convertible, and I consider it the true test in this debate. Most people don't understand that to get a board to ride optimally as a quad AND thruster, you have to be able to push the front fins forward when you ride it as a quad, and push them back when you ride it as a thruster. That's why I believe you'll never know for sure which is better for you riding different boards, or riding convertibles with stationary front fin placement.

Personally, I like the extra speed of a quad, and I like the way a quad can carry speed through turns. So in small or weak surf, I like quads (or twin keels). But in hollow, punchy surf, or when it gets big, I like the stability and control of the trailing fin of a thruster.

The physics of it all is simple... put a board on a rail at lower speed (meaning a tighter turning radius), and the toed in rear fin on a quad creates less drag than the dead straight, double foiled trailing fin of a thruster. But when speeds increase, the turning radius opens up, and that drag inducing trailer provides directional control and stability. I believe that's why the pros prefer thrusters... they generally ride better waves!

But not everyone will agree, and not everyone will prefer the affect I'm describing. Much of it is personal preference, style, and the kind of waves you ride. Some people prefer the drift and slide that the thruster allows in small waves, giving the rider the ability to "push" the tail with the back foot, redirecting the nose of the board, whether it be off the bottom, or off the top. Plus, due to the extra speed, you have to re-adjust your timing.

After riding thrusters for years, I switched to quads back in the 80s... aside from the blazing speed, most of them were just dogs. So I went back to thrusters for the next 15 years. Then rockers, templates, foils, and rails all evolved, and fin placements (and fin designs themselves) changed, and the new, more refined generation of quads was born. Wow! I went to quads almost exclusively for a few years... fish, groveler, shortboard... even my gun was a quad. Now I'm feeling pretty dialed in with where they fit in my quiver... smaller, slower waves, or, as someone already said, when you just need to race down the line on an otherwise unmakable wave.

 

well put,lb,thanks.i think they fit for the need for speed,low-tide critical otherwise unmakeable.but not for speed in small average waves.then i like a twin way better,way looser and very fast.

 

\r\n\r\nTo each his own. Agree...East coast last few years of riding rocket fish designs ....love the twin in the small stuff & twin plus a small trailer for the bigger stuff. Switch to thruster step up when its \"all time\". Disagree.. Moved overseas a while back to hollow reef setups and the quad set up is my go to along with a good share of the local crew. Takes a minute to get used to because it lacks the same \"pivot point?\" that a thruster does but you can surf that thing tight and vertical in the pocket and the speed to make the deep take offs. I think fin design has a lot to do with how successful your Quad setup will be for you (tried M-5s for a while before I realized I was just too fat for them and the tip of the fins were making me draw out turns too wide). Do some fin research. Anyway brought my new setup back to VB for the summer and hated it in the mushy stuff.... couldn\'t feel my fins ...just too loose... outrunning shoulders. Went back to the big ol\' twin setup and problem solved.

 

there you go.no ho;;ow reef setups here.just beachbreak.twin

 

Different people have different tastes. I have been riding mostly quads since about 2005, I find they work well for me and in the waves I ride and how I ride them. They are definitely not as loose as a twin, but I have never found mine to be "tracky".

For me, I like the speed compared to a thruster, better hold in steeper stuff than a twin - but that is me BB doesn't like them and thats cool - He should ride boards that work for him in the waves he rides and how he likes to ride 'em.
I find drive related to many attributes besides # of fins (placement, rocker, outline etc ) to the OP the lack of drive you felt MAY have been due to the shorter rail line of the FW, also SOME epoxies I have tried seemed to lack drive (?). I have had several really good quads, just like I have had good twins and thrusters.

Board design is incredibly wide open right now try some different boards from different shapers and see what works/what you like.
Jim


LBCrew makes some good points on front fin positioning compared to a thruster. A (possible) down side is with 4 fins you may have to do more experimenting to get the right fin combinations

 

Yea... last night was a perfect example: Chest to maybe shoulder high and clean... you could really go either way - twin or quad... or even thruster, if you wanted to.

As for twins being loose, the key is fin placement. If you only have two fins, they better be spot on, because all your leverage is from those points. With thrusters and quads, you're talking more about a fin "cluster" or "area." The leverage is spread out over a much longer length of bottom, so there's a bigger margin of error there (or maybe I should say "forgiveness"... IMO.

I totally agree with experimenting with fins, along with cant/toe and placement. 4way fins and Probox let you do that.

 

Quads. You know there is something about just jumpin on a board and just flowing. Quads are a pain in the ass, really. They just leave you wondering...like why did I leave my thruster? Or in my case Twin fins. I know people get them dialed but is it worth all the effort? HAHA....well for what its worth I have one. I ride it as a frickin twin with Keels! Go figure... Stick with what you surf best. Just my 2 or the subject

 

Try a nice Twin fin. I swear by them now. Hank Warner shapes some of the best in the world. Goes from 2 foot to 8, and has a huge sweet spot! The boards are just Butter.