Quads in The Gorge?

[chophop]

I bought a Goya Quad 78 and liked it so much I bought another, an 84.

My take is it is kind of slow and not really easy to plane up due to the drag of 4 fins. Extremely loose, highly resistant to spin out and can be ridden at greater angles off and on to the wind. Kind of a whole new experience on a wave and a positive one. I can hold it much higher on the wave before dropping and turn it sharper than a single fin. Due to its slow speed, it also stays in the wave more easily.

As far as non wave conditions, I rode it once at Third Ave. here in SF Bay, in 20-25 Mph wind and an ebb and it performed fantastic. The conditions were really good and I could do some nice swell riding.

Has anyone sailed quads in the gorge? How do you like 'em compared with a single fin?

Thanks

[tweeky]

Sorry you're not getting any replies. I don't sail a Quad Fin, but have seen & spoken with several people who do in the Gorge... simply put, the seem to really like them, so I'm sure they work well here just as they do elsewhere.

[biffmalibu]

I would think that greater hull speed would be an asset right now for the Gorge. The current is still very strong, and the "sweet spot" for surfing on the swells seems to be located a little bit lower on the swell face as a consequence. I think you need all the hull speed you can get right now!

[cgoudie1]

For what it's worth, I demoed a North Pacific 8'0" Quad 2 days ago,
in some pretty good 4.2 conditions at the Hatchery, and the board was
pretty sweet. It seems to want to be ridden with a more vertical stance,
but the thing tracks really strong in chopped out conditions, and is very
slashy on swells. It has great acceleration out of jibes. Over all, it was
a comfortable sail for me after about 15 minutes of adjustment to the
stance. I liked it a lot. I should also mention it was a glass board.

-Craig

p.s. I do not have any affiliation with North Pacific

[isobars]

As I posted here last year in detail, I agree with Craig's assessment of the North Pacific quad, and more. My only reservation was that I use about 30% more sail area than the NP shaper does, and the extra power (plus my lead back foot?) overpowers the fins when I'm really pushing it upwind; I still prefer a center fin, with or without two or four side fins, when really powered up. I suspect only the more power-hungry riders, who don't WANT to slow down and smell the roses and swell, would have this problem. VERY sweet ride? Absolutely! I have no qualms recommending NPs to anyone interested in carving the Columbia into hors devours (you don't buy quads for mowing the lawn or just for air time).

Mike \m/

[surfersteve]

I just bought the Quatro quad and I think your assessment is 100% accurate. All the things that you find great about it are also negatives when you don't have those conditions. It doesn't do nearly as well in up-and-down conditions, doesn't allow itself to be pointed while you whale on the fin with the back foot to hammer upwind. There is a great amount of volume mid-board, so that helps you stay on it while waiting for a swell or gust to push you back onto a plane, but it certainly doesn't do what the single fins can regarding quick-planing. Overall it is a good trade-off if you like to sail high-wind days without getting pushed off a swell when very powered up and does want to just mow the lawn.

[surfersteve]

Overall, if you can adjust to the riding style change and get enough 4.2 or better days, I think the tradeoffs are worth it. I do find I can ride a 1/2 meter bigger and not feel overpowered as I would with a faster single fin, so you may try a little more sail for those less-than-ideal days.
Steve

[isobars]

[surfersteve]

sorry about the lack of good proofreading; the part about the lawn mowing was correctly inferred by isobars- that is to say, if you are more of a slalom rider and enjoy making straight-ahead back-and-forth laps, the quad is not for you.
Steve

[chophop]

With a limited amount of space in the van to carry boards, would I want to take a given single fin or a quad to Hood River for 2 weeks in August?