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For the quad wave board riders out there…
How are you setting it up?
Mast base position (from tail), footstrap positions (from tail), boom height, etc.
I’ve only had 2 days on my new Goya quad, which is dramatically different than any other board I’ve sailed before. Seemed like every time I went out yesterday I had the wrong sail, grossly underpowered all day as I was re-rigging during the big blows, sailing during the shifts and re-rigging during the windy stretches. Oh well.
I had 3-4 runs late in the day with a 5.0 that I think I finally got dialed-in, or close to it. Was able to get the board to hop to a plane, it jibed nicely in the swells, but it’s been a lot of trial and (mostly) error so far. Wondering what other’s experiences have been.
GEM
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Couple years back I tested a Goya quad in Lake Erie waves 30-35mph wind for 3 sessions to decide if it was the right board for what I’m doing. Ultimately it was not the right board for what I’m doing, but I found the setup very similar to my thruster boards. Footstraps and mast base forward for early planing, or rearward for speed and tighter turning. Tall, deep, and narrow footstraps so your ankle is right up to the strap allowing you to take the whole board with your foot on frontside bottom turns without your heel coming off the board. Side fins rearward for drive, forward for more turny feel. Ride the board on its side to go upwind like a kiteboard. Most quads have more rocker than typical thrusters which makes them slower to plane but faster to turn. And they have lower volume and lower surface area tails which allow them to grip the water on very fast turns on steep waves. For slow Lake Erie waves that are not very steep, footstraps and mast base forward works well because it helps keep the board on plane during frontside turns when you are basically going up the wave into the wind and want as much glide as possible.
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Interesting. This is pretty much what I’d figured and deduced. Pretty much extension of what I’d have said from my single-fin experience. Didn’t really get to wave riding, but I expect the trade-off is “turniness / slashiness” -vs- ability to get vertical on the wave face with sufficient speed to get good off-the-lips and spraying top turns.
Though I myself am wary about getting my foot deep into a front footstrap. Having fractured 3 metatarsals and knowing the potential sports medicine consequences, I think I’d rather be less well connected to the board. Especially at 65, when the recuperation time is a lot longer. You’ll understand someday. Doesn’t help that I have size 12 feet.
Curious about the size of your fins…and that requires calibration to the size of you (and sail size)!
Another thing I (think) I find is that getting onto a plane is different than any other board I’ve ridden (presumably due to the rocker…which you point out). In VERY limited experience (after trying LOTS of other methods), I found that sitting down on the harness, maybe leaning back a little (i.e., reducing back foot pressure), which (as a deduction) results in forward front foot pressure, making the board seem to scoot out from under the rider, forward, and onto a plane. One thing I can say is that pumping, in any other form I tried, does NOT work!
Thanks for the input! And all summer I’ve been jealous about the wind on Erie. Hasn’t been great, but compared to Ithaca you have a wind tunnel at your disposal! It has absolutely SUCKED here. Worst season in my recollection (going back almost 30 years).
GEM
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Yeah, Lake Erie is a very special place. We’re very lucky to live here. I usually get less than half the total sessions it delivers, but in a typical average year it delivers 175 sessions on 5.0m sail and 95 liter board with air temps over 40 degrees.
I personally think deep foot straps are safer because my foot slides out easier than tight foot straps, in my opinion. Just a thought to consider. Everybody is different. You’re right, avoiding injury is the main factor!
Fin size on modern wave boards doesn’t change as much compared to freeride and race. I can’t remember what size I used when I tested the quad, but on my thruster boards I use 18cm center fin and 12cm side fins for sail sizes 2.7m to 5.0m. I don’t change at all. I’m 160 lbs. A person at 190 lbs might use a 20cm center fin, but not much bigger. The rail of the board is used to go upwind like a kiteboard, so that allows you to keep the fin small for snappy turns. Spinout is avoided by adopting a more upright stance with very little pressure on the fin with the back foot. More pressure on the front foot. Many modern onshore wave boards have wider tails which can cause more spinout because of the greater moment of inertia from your heel being out on the edge of the board (farther away from the fin than with narrow tails), so just make sure your back foot is directly over the centerline of the board and not out at the edge.
Yeah, I agree with your experience getting on plane with wave boards that have more rocker. Reducing back foot pressure a little helps as you begin to plane. I also kind of flick the board downwind with the front foot. I have not ridden freeride or slalom boards in many years, so I can’t really offer comparison to those.
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I can’t recall exactly right now, but the quad fins that came with the board are like 7s on the sides and 10s in the center. Way too small for a 180 lb guy. I have bigger ones now, but haven’t had the opportunity to try them.
I get the riding technique, learned that 20 years ago now in Andy Brandt freestyle clinics in Bonaire. That makes up a little for tiny fins, but I see the aerial shots of the studs in Maui, on smaller sails, and my OEM fins look a LOT smaller than theirs.
Truth is, based on 30 years of buying boards, that the manufacturers incentive is to sell a “complete” board but spend as little as possible on fins, so they’re typically the smallest fins you would ever want. I actually like Star-Board’s approach with their race boards, which is “bare board” with no fin at all (or at least that’s how my iSonic came) since they know you’re going to buy some aftermarket fin(s) and <span style=”text-decoration: underline;”>never</span> going to use what they give you.
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Oh WOW, 7cm on the sides and 10cm in the center is really small. Most stock boards from Fanatic and Starboard come with 9-10cm on the sides and 14-15cm in the center. Even the kids boards are 9cm side and 14cm center. Yeah, you need bigger fins. Personally, I’ve found that stock fins from Fanatic and Starboard are very good quality and correct size, but I don’t know much about other brands. Sounds like you’re getting things dialed in.
Another fun option with a quad or thruster is that the side fins do not have to be set in the same position on each side. On my thruster I sometimes move the port side-fin all the way rearward and the starboard side-fin all the way forward. This allows me to drive upwind as I head away from shore (port tack) and be extra turny as I ride waves toward shore (starboard tack). When driving upwind the side-fin on the leeward side of the board is not even in the water because I’m riding the board on its side, so the starboard side fin does nothing anyways. And then when wave riding toward shore I get extra looseness on the wave. You might enjoy this aspect of multi-fin boards. It makes things more adjustable for your liking.
Sounds like you’re having fun! Enjoy!
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