Picked up the Knubster for my Rich Price and let me tell you, that thing is freakin awesome. It really does what it says as I had a great chance to put it to the test yesterday through 2 tides, barreling beach break head + and screaming. It really does increase drive without the drag of a tri, although when I look at my fin set up, I'm like holy crap there is a lot of **** there. I have to say that I think its the best of both worlds. With the Knubster the board didnt get too loose off the top like a quad sometimes will and it takes the drift out of the board, the 2 worst traits of a quad in my opinion. I think I might also grovel with just the front fins in and the Knubster, the possibilities are multiplied with this thing. I was given it as a gift from a shaper friend and if you own a 5 box set up, get one.
I feel you 100% my man, I got the nub to be a trailer on my 7S superfish and its the perfect fix. My board isnt squirrely like it was as a twin and not as stiff as a traditional thruster. Its the perfect medium. Not to mention its a cheap little fin. Go KELLY!
I see it was Developed by Sean Mattison for Von Sol surfboards but since Kelly won the NY contest with it, it's been making a bit of a stir and I see why. It fixes a problem.
Get Lokbox fins for your next quad. They allow for 1/2" of adjustment fore and aft. If your quad fins are placed properly you don't need the nubster. The catch is that placement is very specific to the individual and their style. So with Lokbox you can adjust your fins to suit you rather than relying entirely on your shapers generic placement. If you don't go with an adjustable fin system the nubster can make the correction for you.
Cool Hanna, let us know if you think it makes that big of a difference to you. I have been reading the FireWire forum on the knubster and its interesting to see all the options and takes on it. Oh and I don't make that extra .50 cents, not a paid endorser, but wish I was
If you have a steady hand you can do a Loxbox quad install without the jig. Doesnt really work for a thruster center fin due to the stringer. Mark your fin placement on the board then shift the placement 1/8 inch towards he rails. Drill a hole through the shapers dots on the fin box. Turn the box upside down and align the box dots with your shifted marks on the board. Make sure the screws are toward the stringer. Press the box down into the foam until the resin dam leaves a dent and trace the outer flange. Trace the dent in the foam from the resin damn. Set your router to the depth of the fin tab cavity. Route that following the line you traced for the resin dam. Then set your router to the depth of the flange and route that following the line you traced. I did a few that way to test out he system before I bought the jig.
that thing actually works? i have a quad fish and a thruster but would think in a good size hollow point that requires a real bottom turn it would spin out. yes I am sure kelly slater can surf a cooler lid in jaws but I got rid of my quad thing sucked spun out everytime waves got big and I cant see a tiny quarter inch insert making a huge difference. anyone ever surfed it in legit overhead point style waves? head high is good with a fish too. a few feet overhead and hollow is different.
Question? Do you really think its the same as a quad with the knub, I'm not a shaper but I can't see how you can replace or duplicate the center knub by changing the position of the fins. I'm all ears.
Distance of the rear fins off the rail and distance of the rears from the front fins makes a huge difference in how a quad rides. You can make a quad more thruster-ish by moving the rear fin closer to the stringer and you can increase drive by moving them further from the fronts. The key is finding the right combination for the board and the rider. Fin template can also play a huge part. I would agree with foamdust that if your quads are placed properly and you've got the right template you can get the desired effect without the nubster. Assuming you felt that the nubster added drive through your turns you should be able to gain that effect by moving your rears back a bit. Also a bigger rear template can help. If you felt more centered and less tracky with the nubster you would want to place your rears a bit closer to the stringer.
I should add that looking at Kelly's quads in his quiver for France and Portugal I did not see a nubster. I'm guessing that he has tweaked his quad placement to get the performance he desires without the nubster.
I agree with all of this..I currently have four quads. two I shaped myself, one Ashton fish and a Chemistry disk. Moving the rear fins just slightly tailward, and slightly toward the stringer, really seems to stiffen up the feel. Also, swapping out the rear fins has an amazing effect to loosen up the board...going from 3 3/4" rears to 3 1/4" made the Chemistry disk into a completely different board, really better in smaller waves.
Don't buy one, make one! Most of us have plenty of old composite center fins (any template) lying around. All you need is a jigsaw (heck, any saw will work), and a sander (or even sandpaper). Here's how I made mine in one afternoon: Step one... Go into your local surf shop with a pencil and paper. Ask to see the Knubster. Trace the outline onto the paper and get a good feel for the foil thickness and taper. Step two... cut the paper template out and trace onto your old center fin with pencil/marker Step three... clamp down the fin to a sawhorse (your deck, stairs, etc.) and saw out the template. It will be ugly and blocky, no worries, move on to.... Step four... sanding. Using a power sander, you can polish your knubster down to retail quality in less than 30 minutes. If you don't have a power sander, grab some 80 grit sandpaper and sand the thing down by hand while you're sitting in front of your favorite surf video, Monday Night Football, Jersey Shore (whatever floats your boat). You may want to finish the final sanding with 220 grit for a nice smooth surface. Viola, KNUBSTER! My homemade knubster is a nearly perfect copy of the FCS version, except for the color. Since making the first, I've made a couple more of my own template just to see if I can feel the variation (not really). Funniest part is that I don't really like any of them!! I'm back on the good 'ol thruster, back-foot power surfing all the way. I guess that we can't all be Kelly...
I remember someone saying they made one when I stated in a different post I was gonna buy one. I'm going to make a slightly larger(height) one so I can ditch the rear fins and ride it as a tri but with the smaller center fin for groveling. Its kinda fun playing with all the combinations.
^putting a knub on a tri in really small or weak waves is like something I would do. I'm running a G-S trailer right now and it works fine up to head high (even with smaller M-5 sides). Might buy a knub when "bandwagon" prices go down. (I'd make my own if I had a throw-away fin lying around...but I don't)
WOW...i doubt if your riding a 7S you can feel the difference with the Knubster. Your not taking that thing out on overhead beachbreak SMH
Why people would think a piece of equipment is going to make them surf like kelly is beyond me. Hop off the bandwagon and hire a surf coach. Learn HOW TO SURF, and what to surf when. Kelly needs dialed in equipment because his career depends on it. The best way to put it is, for example. Olympic swimmers need every advantage at that level b/c the compition is so high. On the other hand, a high school swimmer thinking he is going to put on Phelps brand googles and swim faster is just trippin. Technique is 90% of of ripping!!!
Damn FUPAFEST bitter much!? You dig up a 6 month old thread to insult a persons board then proceed to insult everyone who posted in the thread! NJSHREDMACHINE can give up his crown.... we have a new douche!
i have one and it works,i think,but my shaper and glasser think it's too small to make a noticeable difference.my shaper thinks the same thing about those widowmaker side fins.
