Quatro Super Mini vs Goya One vs Goya Custom 3

I do have some. I bought a 95 l Mini Thruster to sail in the more onshore, fatter waves we tend to get in the Perth region, leaving my more rockered wave boards down south. It took some getting used to at 1st. The MT is really short and flat and you have to move your weight back to avoid nose diving when you pump onto the plane. That was a pretty easy adjustment though, and no drawback at all I reckon.

So how does it go? It does what is says on the tin. It jumps onto a plane super quick and stays there too. Where with a std wave board you often find yourself in float and ride mode, pinching upwind to catch waves on the way back, with the MT you tend to be planing most of the time because it gets going so easily. Mind you, if the wind is really sketchy, float and ride is still an option with the MT. Those characteristics make it a great bump and jump board, it pops into the air really easily and is easy to control too. It's wave riding characteristics depend on the conditions. It's not as loose as you might expect given it's dimensions: you need to engage the rail and push it to make it dance and I've set up both fins & straps for max looseness. On the wave a tail-rockered design like the Pyramid definitely has much more bite, which becomes more noticeable the more power the wave develops. So, given a pitching wave and lots of wind, it can be a handful getting the MT to re-direct up the face, and needs good technique. However, that's not what the MT is designed for. On the fatter, onshore waves the wider tail of the MT is a real plus because you can lean into the face from a standing start to develop power and have a super fun ride. In this sort of situation it's easy to stall out a more rockered wave board like the Pyramid, and you're better off on the MT. (Getting a Pyramid onto the plane definitely takes more input too). I've sailed up to mast high onshore on the MT and it has been great. However I've also had it go sketchy on me in similar offshore waves where I struggled to put my foot down and get the rail under control, so I reckon that it's horses for courses: pick it for the right situation and it will be great.

It's interesting that the latest version has been combined with the Cube, so maybe if you go that way it becomes more of an all rounder? Maybe less get up and go in the onshore, bump and jump stuff, but less compromises when waves get more powerful? It would be interesting to hear from someone who has sailed the new Cubes.

Cheers, Jens

Following with interest

Phil, wouldn't the Goya One be much less wavey (as a FSW it is one of the more wavey ones, but nowhere near the Custom3 or Mini?)
I'm interested to know how they all go DTL in real waves

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Mark _australia said..
Following with interest

Phil, wouldn't the Goya One be much less wavey (as a FSW it is one of the more wavey ones, but nowhere near the Custom3 or Mini?)
I'm interested to know how they all go DTL in real waves

I live and sail in Florida, otherwise known as the land of absolute shyte conditions. Small weak wind waves and cross onshore conditions that most people consider unsailable will have us jumping up and down in excitement. We use massive sails in conditions we call waves but really aren't. Hawaiian style 1-2 occasional 3 ft is called 4-6 ft by the local Surfline forecasters (dwarfs?). And we are excited to sometimes plane. Consequently real wave boards like the Pyramid are as useful as a shaved ice concession in Alaska in winter. Keep that in mind for all my comments and thoughts.

The Mini is so cross onshore focused that in cross shore I felt the 2018 Goya One was easier. The 2018 Goya One has a narrower tail. But Goya Custom 3 beats both of them in cross shore, especially once real waves show up (once or twice a year for us).

Unfortunately there is no "perfect at everything" board, too many compromises needed. So if majority sailing is decent waves in cross or cross off I'd pick Custom 3. If crappy cross onshore then I'd pick the Mini Thruster. Goya One doesn't do cross onshore as well as Mini Thruster (doesn't keep speed as easily in bottom turn), or cross shore as well as Custom 3, but it beats sitting on the beach. Plus the Goya One carries a fairly big sail on flat water - probably 0.5 square meters bigger than Goya recommends. Call it a jack of all trades master of none board that skews wavey compared to other FSW.

I had the Goya One in the 2018 and 2020 version, each 115 / 116 liters for my 93 kg for onshore and lightwind waveriding.
Totally different shapes.
The 2018 narrow tailed, nice for tigth turns, but a little demanding in fast sideshore bottom turns due to the bulky rails around the mastfoot area. Reasonable speed carrying through bottom turns tough.
The 2020 is more of a stubby in disguise, much more width and volume in the tail, more demanding in tighter turns but once the much thinner an parallel forward rails are set really grippy in bottom turns and carrying a lot of speed through the turn.
So much power that I change the 115 for a 105.
And I guess the 2020 feels much more like the Mini than the 2018 (never sailed the mini).

Cheers Phil

Sorry I miss read and thought you'd used all 3 at Hawaii

I loved your analogies, keep them coming