Quadrofinia
Intro
This board saved my summer of 2012/13 I had just got back from travelling Europe I had a bit of left over cash and I bought a couple of boards for the summer. The two that I bought were no good. They didn't really go. I did a swap for another board that I had my eye on, that one didn't go either. I was a bit disgruntled that I hadn't picked a good board and it was doing my head in. This board from Superbrand had fallen out of the rack a bit there wasn't much interest in it and it was starting to yellow after sitting in the front window. I through it out to my boss 'why don't we just demo it get a few guys on it and hopefully that will get people frothing on Super's'. He loved the idea. I waxed her up threw a sticker on it and took her for a spin. (the demo sticker didn't stay on for long. I loved the thing)
How it goes
Working in a board store you learn about boards every single day. When this board first hit the shelf I hated the look of it. I thought that the rails where too low for it to be a fish. I thought it was too much of a performance board to grovel on, Oh how I was wrong. Zeb Walsh to me has been someone I look up to about board knowledge, when he has something to say about board design I listen. So when he told me that a groveller should be wider instead of thicker just for the fact that the board flat on the water is your surface area thats where the paddle is going to come from which is key in a small wave board. Its the low rail however that gives you the performance so if you do end up getting a good section you can throw down a nice turn with a sharp rail. This is exactly what the quadrofinia is. It has a lower rail but a really wide fishy out line. So it surfs like a short board but paddles like a fish! Thats why I love it. The fin set up on this board is what makes it. It has a nice wide high set quad set up on a deep swallow tail. You put it on rail and it just grabs and bites the wave and you get so much drive and speed out of your turns because of the two fins in the wave instead of just one like on a normal thruster or fish. Quick lesson for people who don't know to much about fins. If you want something that responds like a thruster that is nice and loose and pivots well you want a rear fin with a 50/50 foil. If you want something fast down the line and that if you set your rail thats the place you will be headed then your after a 80/20 foil. For small waves and turns on a quad I find that 50/50's are a lot easier to turn on because they are lively and turn well whereas for barrels and bigger waves you want 80/20's because they are fast and they track and it takes a lot more force to push them off there line. So in terms of this board with a low rail and a 50/50 foil quad set up it goes like a dream. The low rails give you a knife like edge to jam turns and the 50/50 quad rears give you the pivot that you want in the smaller waves compared to the tracking feeling you get from 80/20's. This is my eyes is a performance fish that is a perfect summer board that will surf in most conditions you throw it in. On a side note I have been riding mine lately as a twinny and it has made this board so loose but so fun. It just gives it a second dimension and its like learning to ride a whole new board. So many options it just one small fun board. You will definitely get your moneys worth.
Whose it for
Intermediate to advanced surfers could jump on this board and have a good time. It is wide enough and has enough volume in it for the intermediate surfer to jump on it straight off a minimal or fun board and it will go well for them. For the advance surfers it has the performance in the rails. If a advance surfer wants a fish but hates the feel of a fish that glides along and has no performance this is a good board for him/her. The low rail will give you the ability to slice and dice a wave to bits but the having plenty of volume in the nose gives you the paddle power of your everyday fish. In my eyes everyone needs this type of board in there quiver just to have for summer or if you only ever surf it at Lorne Point thats fine too because thats the kind of wave that you need a groveller!
Ideal fin set up: Rusty Quad Set
Rating: 8.5
Ideal wave size: 1 to 4 foot
Conditions: Onshore slop to offshore conditions
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