I'm just wondering what the difference is between a quad and a twin fin fish. Also, if there is a significant difference, which one works best for the east coast? I'm fairly new to the sport and would really appreciate a more experienced opinion. thanks
Twins are looser and quads tend to be tighter. Twinnies are fun for small days. are you looking for an all around shortboard? if so, i'd go with a thruster.
i would go with a twinzer..i have one and it works great and flys.. it is not as loose as a twin tho...quads hold up much better in larger surf
i ride a twin and a quad retro both are quick, smooth and fun but like he said above the quad is suppose to hold better in bigger surf if you like to surf smaller stuff either one is fine just get the right dimensions and dont go too big
what is too big? i've heard to go the same length as you are tall. but also heard to go about 4-6 inches shorter than your normal board. I currently have a 7'4'' funshape that I have been learning on. I feel like a 7'0'' - 6'10'' fish is huge!... i'm 180lbs. I don't paddle out on big days. I'm not real confident that the funshape is what i should have out there on a bigger days. I'd like to at least have the option of being able to try surfing conditions like we've been having during storms.
get a quad/tri, very versatile and the only downside is the extra "weight" of the 5th fin plug. rock it as a quad when its small, then pull the rear 2 fins and put in a single trailing fin if it gets bigger. more than likely youll just run it as a quad all the time (thats what i do since its so much fun)
yea a 6'10'' fish is huge dude a funshape isnt your normal shortboard don't base it on that.. i am 5'7'' 150 i ride a 5'6'' twin and 5'8'' quad to give you an idea, if youre 180 id def look at a 5'10'' your shortboard would prolly be 6'2'' i dont know how tall you are tho, the drop in size is significant tho and will take some getting use to
im 6'3 and 200 lbs and im riding a 6'4 quad. quick and handles pretty well. not real loose but you get good sweeping turns.
If you are new to surfing and shortboarding specifically, I would not got with anything but a thruster. There's a reason why most people ride them.
i got a thruster first before my retros, believe me i love the retros much better (im a fish fan) but the transition from the thruster to a retro will be a lot easier than a funboard to a retro.. i use my quad most of the time but when its bigger i still bring the thruster out. pumpmaster makes a good point, also once you find out what shortboard you should be riding its a lot easier to figure out the sizes of your specialty boards
I guess I'm biased because I rode all those types back in the old days before they were retros and hated them. All my non-thruster types ( a twin and a quad) all have modern templates. Don't get me wrong, those types of boards can be fun, but for a solid, ride in any condition board for our area, I just don't think you can beat a thruster.
True for all out performance go for the shortboard, but since the op says he is riding a fun shape the next learning board would be a fish. its looser then the funshape, but still paddles well. i went from a 7'4 funshape to a 6'3 performance thurster. i hated the thruster because it was just to loose and i didnt know how to ride it properly. traded up and got a 6'4 fish and couldnt be happier.(except for days where its Overhead+ then i wish i had a board i could duck dive.) surfing my quad fish has made me a better surfer over all, teaching how to keep speed and turning to stay with the wave. once you get those under control then move to a thruster. but go with the fish to get better
Agree on the fish (but not retro fish). a good fish is a must for the mid-atlantic shortboard quiver. i ride my RNF at least 50% of the time.
I don't like my quad on bigger days. i like the response of a thruster better. the quad holds and makes nice drawn out turns, but lacks the ability to pivot like a thruster
perfectly said. just as if saturday turns out like predicted(not saying it will) i would love to have a thruster to move quick and turn on a dime
gotta tell ya... I'm gald I brought this to you guys on here. Getting everyone's opinion has really helped out alot. I still didn't decide what to do yet but all very good suggestions and appreciated very much thanks guys, get some this weekend!!