Quad 82 vs. Kode 80

I currently have an acid 80 and was looking at buying a new board this year. I am an expert sailor and sail primarily in the Gorge but have also been travelling more and more to the Oregon coast. I weigh 200lbs (90kgs). I was curious what the Quad is like in very high winds that the gorge typically sees and whether it would be a better choice for the Oregon Coast. I only carry a 4.8 and a 4.2 and tend to sail in the upper range of my sails. Although I do some jumping I primarily like to ride the big waves at places like the wall and arlington and of course on the coast. Would I have the same control or better in these extreme conditions with the quad vs. kode? From what I see the kode has a bit fatter profile than the acid I currently have. I really like the looseness of the acid. Any feedback on these 2 boards would be great! Thanks in advance!

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I currently have an acid 80 and was looking at buying a new board this year. I am an expert sailor and sail primarily in the Gorge but have also been travelling more and more to the Oregon coast. I weigh 200lbs (90kgs). I was curious what the Quad is like in very high winds that the gorge typically sees and whether it would be a better choice for the Oregon Coast. I only carry a 4.8 and a 4.2 and tend to sail in the upper range of my sails. Although I do some jumping I primarily like to ride the big waves at places like the wall and arlington and of course on the coast. Would I have the same control or better in these extreme conditions with the quad vs. kode? From what I see the kode has a bit fatter profile than the acid I currently have. I really like the looseness of the acid. Any feedback on these 2 boards would be great! Thanks in advance!

Hi, I have the Kode 80L from 2009 and then the Quad 2010 81L and Quad 2011 82L. My weight is 84 kg. I really like the Kode when its rough weather with chop and proper wind! Its the best single fin I have ever tried, superb control, really light under the feet and jumps well. I use it in Denmark with sails from 3,7 - 5,6 m2 (mostly with 3,7-4,7). The Quads definitely feel bigger if you compare equivalent volumes and are not as nice in hard winds and heavy chop. I do not usually use the 82L Quad with smaller sails than 4,7. In waves the drive and maneuverability of the Quads is definitely something I enjoy very much. But if you sail mostly chop and hard winds (the George) I would without hesitation take the Kode 80L. Its not bad in waves either (especially in bigger waves it bottom turns like a dream), its a very good single fin, but hasnt the same drive in the turns as quads. If you end up with the Quad anyway then with the sails size you use I would probably chose the 77L or the 74L.

Cheers, R.

[Todd Hume]

I love my '11 Quad74 on the wave but, for my sailing style, I find it a bit of a handful to control in overpowered, rough conditions. After a good dozen or more sessions on it i still find it quite unpredictable when maxed. I really get the feeling that 13cm is just not enough fin length in the water to hold it all together with any sort of finesse.

Running the 15cm twin fins did seem to improve control a bit but the twin set that came with the board are crap and the drag just did my head in so i gave up on them pretty quickly. I am planning to get either a good set of twins or a quad set with little thrusters and longer rears to try and bring me more control. I think it will be worth the experiment.

Twice now in the last few months I have switched back to my old 08 Acid74 when things have got truly mental. A single fin has got infinitely more precision and control in the roughness.

But carving the quad is without parallel, even in onshore crap. I am a total addict for the drive you get when you push a rail. For that alone i own a quad.

At the end of the day it is a style thing. I tend towards hardcore freeride and waves. It is quite likely that a freestyle sailor would find the quad's ride quite different.

So what would i choose? The gorge is unique and without sailing it its hard to say but i think that i'd probably go with the quad, rig small, learn to deal with its character when its nuking and carve it like a mofo. On the coast there is no question.

Any chance you could try one?

Todd
(67kgs)

Tod; try K4 fins. I have 14 cm rear fins and small 7 cm trusters as front fins in smaller waves and 9 cm front fins for more drive in larger waves. The front fins are US box, but very easy to grind down so the fit the slot box.... boardseeker mag has a K4 fin test on their page.

R

[Todd Hume]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Tod; try K4 fins. I have 14 cm rear fins and small 7 cm trusters as front fins in smaller waves and 9 cm front fins for more drive in larger waves. The front fins are US box, but very easy to grind down so the fit the slot box.... boardseeker mag has a K4 fin test on their page.

R

Cool. Thanks for the advice. It makes sense that flex is your friend when dealing with lots of little fins.

I like the idea of your size combo. Whatever i go for i'll follow that advice.

I'll let you know how i get on...

Cheers