Bourton Shapes "QUAD GUNS"
QUAD GUNS
It stands to reason that if guys are riding 30 ft waves on quad tow boards then it’s not too cheeky to suggest that for 10 to 15 ft waves a quad gun could also deliver and maybe more than a thruster gun.
On a recent trip to Hawaii I bit the bullet and shaped a 7'4 x 19'1/4 x 2' 9/16 swallow quad complete with the con vee, as in my standard quads. I also kept my head with nose rocker but cut loose with excess tail rocker complementing the design by pulling the plan into a baby swallow. The board went insane and fuck did it have some speed out of bottom turns and the only downer was that I wasn’t comin' off the bottom at Launching Pads at G Land where there is a little more elbow room.
If anything was learnt it was the trailers need to be smaller than one would expect given that the board is going rickter and after all those little fuckers are all that’s between you doing a bottom turn in a 12 ft wave on a twin fin.
Perhaps waves like Pipe or Sunset on some days the quad may out run the hot spots and a thruster may be better suited but waves like G Land ,Outside Corner or Porto to name a few would be ideal for the quad gun.
The quad gun will be offered in 7'4, 7'2, and 7'0 but can be customized to suit.
For more info on Murray Bourton's Quad Designs, click here
For more info on Murray Bourton's Quad Tow Boards, click here
EVOLUTION OF THE QUAD GUN
 After convincing myself with extremes
( 7.4 Quad Gun for Hawaii ) I realized that the real market
is the long Indo winding walls that allow one to wind up
to incredible speeds. Channel bottoms are well suited for
the same reason. The stock lengths for Indo needed to be
reduced since the size and rawness of Hawaii needed extra
length but is hardly necessary in Indo where the walls are
longer ,smoother , hollower and generally smaller.
I have designed an indo quad gun range
that starts with a 6.6 , 6.8, and ending with a 6.10. Because
they paddle so well and have such extraordinary reach I think
a 6.10 is all the length one would need for 90% of what would
be likely to come your way. I have incorporated the same
con-vee bottoms as on most of my quad designs and also have
my widest points forward of centre so I suppose
the most notable change is the narrower tail something that
I have said is not that necessary as quads hang in better
because the fins are on the rail. The diff is however whilst
the 12 inch up measurement is narrower the actual swallow
is wider because I keep the plan curve into the swallow straighter
which  normally makes a tail stiffer but with the quad design
it does not matter coz they are loose anyway (c/f with a
thruster ) The use of a swallow with the quad gun is that
with quads the board is very free off the top with a swallow
where as
with a thruster they can be a little stiff off the top due
mainly to the straightness in the last 6 inches of the plan
of the tail The purpose is to get more thrust off the top
and bottom whilst still encouraging full committed long reaching
turns that can be punctuated suddenly into a change
of direction due to the leverage of a wider pod. A little
extra tail lift at the expense of nose lift is also a change
due to the tighter curves in the  hollower smaller barrels
than what you sit in Hawaii where their shear size makes
them easier to hold a rail in. This range comes with 4 deep
channels as an option because as I said Indo waves are perfect
for channels which give a fast board even more speed.
The glass jobs are the same as my Indo guns that boast the
diagonal glassing technique. Already I have made quite a
few for guys going to indo and the testimonials coming back
are very encouraging.
"My quad went unreal in Indo, just got back on Tuesday.
We were lucky with
the swell - I think it was their biggest in ten to 15 years.
Ulus last
Friday week was 4 times overhead."
"We surfed Temples at about 4 foot and the quad went
really well. Also got
Desert Point on the quad. The take off at the peak was about
4 foot but it
would grow to 6 to 7 down the line. It went really well -
the extra paddling
speed (slightly fuller nose) was good for the take off because
we were
paddling against the current constantly. The board flew down
the line, held
in really well and kept it's speed through the turns. There
wasn't enough
time for proper turns, they were more like top to bottom
pumps of the board
to make the wave. The faster the wave got, the faster the
board went -
pretty mind bending really - had the best wave of my life!!
Basically the
board went great in any down the line, steep walled wave
which is most of
the waves we surfed. Fins used were the FCS Stretches that
came with the
board."
"Before I went away I surfed the Quad at Winki and it
even seemed to
accelerate through the turns, I've never had a board like
it - stoked!"
"I surfed my 7'0" thruster on the larger days
at Scars and the first time out
at Deserts. That went well also - plenty of speed, easy to
get in and very
turnable even on smaller waves."
"Thanks for the great boards!"
Cheers
Noyesy
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