Bourton "Feedback on the Quad Designs"
QUAD DESIGNS 2006
I have been at it for over a year to date trialling the rejuvenated quad designs in all board sizes and this little piece is a small summary of what I am seeing and hearing. The resounding comment is speed, speed and more speed. This goes for all forms of quads and there is nobody I have shaped one for that says they are slow. In fact to make them a safer buy I have incorporated a centre tail plug so they can be ridden as a thruster as well and those that have, have all concluded that the design slowed when used in tri fin mode.
Besides more general speed overall, the quad is real fast first up. The acceleration once on rail is unsurpassed due to the quickness that the design goes on rail. The absence off a centre fin enables the rider to put the board on rail the second his feet hit the deck and once on rail the two fins hug the face and just take off. Great when forced to ride the all too common slow close out type beach break; with the quad you can get the jump on it and make some distance early. This is where the quad fish has it all over its thruster counterpart.
Another facet of the designs speed is it’s quickness of action. By this I mean it can be put on rail in the blink of an eye simply because the fins are on the rail and react in a micro second making that late snap off the top a manoeuvre even the average punter can brag about.
Rail to rail in the barrel is another thing that I am hearing particularly in the tow boards which is made even easy because they are so narrow. Ry Craike tells me that twitching from rail to rail deep in those gnarly Gnarloo pits has never been so easy or so useful in order to find his way out. Add to that they can cling ridiculously high up inside again since the fins are on the rail and help hug the rail into the face. I found this myself surfing Padang and being a bit slow to my feet and having no choice but to put it on rail on the take off and make for Kuta as it was already barrelling and it would hold.
There is a way the quad has to be surfed however that may not endear the design to those on the pro tour. Because the quad has so much running speed which is almost automatic there is no need to explode in and out of turns to get the speed and throw the proverbial spray to impress the judges. In fact the quads are so sensitive on rail you do not need to bully them to get the response required and if you do they may wig up the face to sharp and quick. If one lays it over and holds his line the reach is incredible which is why they are so successful in tow designs, but in a contest situation this type of turn is not so spectacular.
The quad loves a short arc but the thruster has to work hard to shorten its arc and it is a spectacular sight to watch a power surfer apply the pressure necessary to drag that cuttie around or to punch that sucker off the bottom and vertically up the face at top speed. Both turns make great photos!
Perhaps these days there can be designs on the market that indeed are popular without glowing endorsements from the professional arena and I think the quad is certainly one. The joy I see when a customer froths over the new experience gives more and more confidence in offering it even to those who know little of the design.
For more info on Murray Bourton's Quad Designs, click here
For more info on Murray Bourton's Quad Tow Boards, click here
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