It’s not really a single fin. It’s also definitely not a thruster. It’s kind of like a hydrofoil, but also not really a hydrofoil either. The creators of the Quantum Fin do have one thing right though, fin design hasn’t changed that much over the years. I mean sure, we’ve been introduced to different materials and we tinker with the base width and length and other common components from setup to setup, but you’re probably not surfing a thruster one day and ordering something with seven fins all on the toe side of your board the next.
At least I think that’s what the Quantum Fin folks meant when they said fins haven’t changed in the last 30 years. So they went and invented the most random fin set up you’ll probably ever see. In the simplest terms, they took the three fins that make up your thruster and turned them into a monster fin – a hydra, pun intended. Coincidentally enough the concept of the fin is that it’s supposed to work like a hydrofoil, creating lift under the water’s surface and propelling you ahead even faster. In theory that idea is great for surfing (if you can learn how to ride it), as evidenced by Laird’s fun with hydrofoils in massive surf over the years. This would just be a version of that modified for the common surfboard, assuming it is in fact the same idea.
Quantum Fin claims twice the vertical lift with 25% less drag as well as more hold in critical sections of the wave. To me, that sounds like a groundbreaking improvement but unfortunately there have been plenty of creative minds before this claiming to have reinvented the wheel and making the same claims. Until a WSL pro wins a contest with something other than the thruster or a quad fin systems won’t change drastically. They won’t have to, and Kickstarter campaigns like this will have to steer away from selling the high performance angle. But on the flip side, just like picking up an old retro twin fin it never hurts your surfing to try something different – even if that something different is a total novelty. Who knows, it could be a fun ride.
