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GEAR: THRUSTER OR QUAD?

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Surf

15 april 2026 0

What is the best fin setup for your shortboard?

In our range, several surfboards can be configured as either thruster or quad setups: the Batmob, the Devil’s Tongue, and the Alu. A great advantage to adapt your board to the conditions or your riding style. Here are a few key tips to help you better understand this option.

Surfer: Evelin, GONG team rider, in Batmob EPS.

The thruster is the fin set-up with two side fins and a central fin. Its outbreak in the early 80s under the boards of Simon Anderson is a turning point in the history of surfing. It marks the entry in modern surfing with boards that are shrinking and maneuvers that are getting more and more radical. If the thruster has quickly become the benchmark in shortboarding it is because it has allowed, combined with shorter boards, to tighten the turns and produce a more aggressive surf. Before this revolution, the surfing world was split into two groups, you were either riding a single fin or a twin fin for the more progressive surfers.

The quad is a fin set-up with two side fins, identical in size and placement to the side fins of a thruster, followed by two smaller fins, also positioned off center along the rails. The total surface of the fins is larger on a quad set-up, which provides more grip and drive. As it makes it easier to generate speed, it is often adopted on boards for sloppy conditions. That is to say, boards with a tail that is generally quite wide and buoyant. However, we also find this set-up on gunny boards in powerful and hollow conditions, especially for the grip on the face of the wave and the speed to exit the tube. We are then less focused on maneuvers than with a thruster.

Surfer: Moritz, GONG team rider, riding a quad setup Devil’s Tongue EPS.

On the Batmob, Devil’s Tongue or Alu, choosing a quad setup is recommended to gain control and acceleration in imperfect conditions.

We will opt for the thruster on beautiful days when we can more easily produce an aggressive surf, with tighter turns and powerful carves. However, depending on the styles and habits of each surfer, we can rethink this whole theory! ;)

The best way to find the perfect set-up for your board is to experiment. Take the time to experiment with your fin setup, you’ll learn a lot about your board and your feel. In short: just surf! We’re looking forward to your feedback on our social media.

Surfer: Malo, GONG team rider, riding a quad setup Batmob EPS.