Sorry if this has been posted before, but my knowledge of fin setups is limited. What are the main differences between quad and thruster? When would I use one over the other. Just got a new Jimmy Lewis destroyer and had it setup as a thruster. What are the pros/cons of each?
Cheers for any help
basically:
thruster for control and tight turns (vertical surfing)
quads for speed in fast sections and turns (horizontal surfing)
or, as Kelly Slater says: "Thruster for turns, quad for tubes)
In turns, a thruster will allow you to tighten more the turns, at the expense of speed. A quad will keeps the speed at the expense of turning radius.
So it depends what style of surfing you like.
There are compromises, though:
- A Quobba thruster set is as fast as a traditional quad setup, but with the thruster control (this is what I use)
- Symmetrical (50/50 foil), small quad rears offers some "turnability" and smoother rail to rail of a thruster set.
- A numbster (small central fin) added to a quad can add some more control
I think you'll probably get different answers from any given person on any given day depending on the conditions.
I was a thruster set up person no matter the conditions, but several years ago thought I'd give quad a go in the SUP, mostly haven't gone back to thruster, I get more speed and can actually go more vertical because of the speed and width of the board compared to prone. so if you can beg, borrow or buy quads do it.
What's the deal with the Quobba fins, I see they originated just down the road from me, do they actually work ?
my advice is....don't listen to advice when it comes to thrusters vs quads. Try them both and ride what you like best.
Everyone has a different opinion based on their surf style and waves that they ride.
Whatever you do the best turns on, and the set of fins that your brain syncs best with is the fins you should ride.
Fins are a very personal thing IMO.
Good point Slatz, I have found certain fin set ups work well for different waves in addition to this.
This a personal preference to you ,as others have said .For me some boards work better with Quads others work better with thruster
I found that wider tailed boards work better with Quads ,or if you are looking for more speed and drive on a board ,Quads are the go .
I have a 9.1 acid ,I like it with thrusters ,it has a narrow tail .tried it with the quad ,it just made it go too fast and too straight ,
now its up to you to explore ... and don't forget to try a twin with a small centre too .
Or with Quad s you can mix you fins up with different sizes too,
also different flex,I like with a quad ,flex fronts and stiffer rears .
Just to throw another combo into the mix, thruster but big sides and a small centre fin. Have found that is working well recently, lots of speed but control in the turns.
Try them all!
Possibly just my experience but I have found on all my 5 fin boards that the thruster set up improves my backhand i.e. easier to turn up and down the face. I'm a bit stiff on turns on on the quad on backhand.