I'm an intermediate surfer and will be adding a five fin board to my quiver. I've surfed primarily three fin boards. Was wondering how different fin set ups affect the board and the way it rides?
quads are quicker down the line. are looser. thrusters are more controlled and give you a good pivot with the the center fin.. quads are a lot more fun going frontside, backside they get some getting used to without that center fin to pivot off a bottom turn
Like Swell5 said, quads are faster because there is no drag down the center of the board without the center fin. 5 fin setups are great because you can surf it 3 ways: tri / quad / 5 finner. There are two types of quad setups: 1. What I like to call a 'split keel' where the fins are close to the rail (like taking a large keel fin and splitting it, and spreading it out for water flow between the fins). The split keel is very pivoty and great on cutbacks and quick turns. Good for small to medium beach breaks. 2. Mckee quad setup where the quad trailers are more like a tri centerfin split and offset from the stringer a few inches. Mckee setups surf more like a tri fin with more stability but less turning. Good projection out of bottom turns though. Better on bigger waves and points. Surfing all 5 fins at once creates more stability and drag - better for big waves. Most factory built 5 finners have a Mckee style setup plus a center trailer. Have fun ~Brian www.greenlightsurfsupply.com Shape Your Surfing Experience
