Round tail Quad vs. Squash tail tri-fin Thruster

the round tail quad will have more projection and drive down the line won"t slow down half as much a tri doing snaps and cuts. i prefer more of an tail edge on my quads though swallow or diamond. but the round will make your archs longer and smoother.

 

I think you need to decide quad or thruster independently from round or squash. You can have either/both, or you can go with a convertible. Round tails go rail to rail easier and smoother than squash tails. The old saying, "round tail, round turns... square tail, square turns," has some truth to it. If you want to rapid redirection on your turns, go square/rounded square/squash. If you want smoother arcs, go round/thumb/rounded pin.

Separate from that, you can decide quad or thruster, or as I mentioned, go with a thruster/quad convertible.

By the sound of it, you want a board for smaller days... under head high... with the shorter, thicker and wider idea. If that's the case, you'll want more tail volume, meaning wider as well as thicker, and more planing surface. In which case a squash is a better choice, IMHO. Quads can add more drive in smaller surf as well. I'd also suggest a single concave rather than your more typical single to double found on most hpsbs for good surf.

 

You might not like the idea but you're better off buying a board down there. Unless you're going for months and want just the right board, you're going to wish you left your new stick at home when it gets dinged on the flight. I just got back from CR and you could probably build an entire quiver down there for the price of a brand new board in the states. Mal Pais and Jaco/Hermoso have tons of shops with a tons of deals and options. But if you've got money to burn and you don't mind repairing a ding on arrival and back home, bring the board. If you want your brand new stick to remain brand new, I suggest not flying with it.

I've got a board I flew to Nicaragua and Costa Rica with. When it came back from Nica it had 3 thumb size holes on the bottom. when I got back from CR, I had to amputate 1-2 inches off the nose because it was so shattered I couldn't mend it back together. I don't mind doing the repairs and I didn't pay for it brand new so I'm not upset but I'd be furious if I just dropped 600-800 on a new board, 100-200 to fly it down there and then it got blasted by the airlines.

Just my two cents.

 

You might not like the idea but you're better off buying a board down there. Unless you're going for months and want just the right board, you're going to wish you left your new stick at home when it gets dinged on the flight. I just got back from CR and you could probably build an entire quiver down there for the price of a brand new board in the states. Mal Pais and Jaco/Hermoso have tons of shops with a tons of deals and options. But if you've got money to burn and you don't mind repairing a ding on arrival and back home, bring the board. If you want your brand new stick to remain brand new, I suggest not flying with it.

I've got a board I flew to Nicaragua and Costa Rica with. When it came back from Nica it had 3 thumb size holes on the bottom. when I got back from CR, I had to amputate 1-2 inches off the nose because it was so shattered I couldn't mend it back together. I don't mind doing the repairs and I didn't pay for it brand new so I'm not upset but I'd be furious if I just dropped 600-800 on a new board, 100-200 to fly it down there and then it got blasted by the airlines.

Just my two cents.