REVIEW: QUATRO THRUSTER LS 82 VS QUAD LS 84 (2013)

Jacco and Peter did reviews of their Quatro Thruster LS and Quad LS a few weeks ago. We thought it would be nice to switch their boards to see what the difference and similarities are between these boards (apart from the obvious fin setup). Here’s what they had to say after a sweet session on a boiling North Sea.

On shore.

Both boards are great looking boards and we couldn’t wait to ride them. We tried to have a similar setup on both boards. The footstraps were placed in the forward position for easy planing and manoeuvrability and the (back) fins were placed in the centred position. The sail was placed around the middle of the mast track.

Jacco.

First impression

On our testing-day, I was already ripping for about 2 hours on my own gear, being well powered on 4,7 NP Atlas and the 82 Quatro Thruster LS, when we switched boards. So, waves up to logo high on the second bank and great windsurfing conditions to jump high and ride big. As I’m around 190cm and 85 kg’s the Quad LS 84 has an ideal volume for me. First feelings on the 84 Quad was ‘get-up-and-go’ and ‘lively’!

Straight line performance

Both boards are easy to sail. I found them ‘get-up-and-go’; not much time needed to get used to the boards. The Quad LS feels stable and a little wider when getting up from a beachstart. It goes onto plane quickly and feels lively under your feet. I used to sail Starboard Quads for the last three years and they feel more ‘planted’, I liked the dynamic feel of the Quatro Quad LS, which makes the ride light and responsive. The Thruster LS doesn’t feel much faster but as it tracks and locks better and feeling more in control I think it’s easier to go fast and push it harder to top-end speed as the Quad LS invites you to play around more.

Gybing

As the Quad LS is quite wide around the mast track, gybing is easy and comparable to the Thruster LS. Maybe the Thruster LS needs a little less attention to stay in the carve but it was no problem at all to gybe in the face of the wave and get out on full plane. Adjusting the arcs is easy, just put a little more pressure on the rail and the board turns on a dime.

Jumping

Both boards are great jumping machines but I guess in these conditions most other boards are too. Both boards get into plane quickly, just steer a little downwind and push on the front foot and the board quickly accelerates giving you a lot of waves to jump. Not much speed needed to get up high and I couldn’t find any differences in the air.

Wave riding

I felt the Quad LS is better in slow wave riding. As my Thruster LS wants to go full speed in the bottom turn and push the rails to carve to the top turn, the Quad is easier to ride on the back foot and turns tighter especially on low speed. I love to get on the bottom turn in good speed and going into the top turn both boards are super controlled and the fins grip real well and even when my weight was on the wrong spot and the boards slid, I never felt that the board was getting away from me.

Verdict

As I rode SB Quads for 3 years the reason to buy the Quatro Thrusters LS was just to try something new. If I had to change them to Quatro Quads that wouldn’t be any problem as both boards are easy to sail and fun to ride, maybe the Quad LS even a little easier when your focus is on wave riding and jumping. When riding in a straight line, the Thruster LS feels more controlled and at ease so maybe a better choice for guys used to single fin. Getting up in volume without loss on high end performance gives you a lot more waves, both in jumping and wave riding. On my weight the 82 and 102 Thruster are performing exceptional well. A 84 and 104 Quad LS, or even the 110 Quad would do the same trick.

Peter.

As mentioned before I’m a big guy (100kg). 84 and especially 82 are quite small for me. I love the Quad LS 84 though and can sail it as soon as I get properly powered up on my 5.3. The board works best for me when sailing either my 4.2 or my 4.7. I compared the Thruster LS and the Quad LS sailng my 4.7 Ezzy Elite.

First impression

Both boards look great. The Thruster LS is obviously a few litres smaller which makes it a little more challenging for me. The Thruster LS is also a little longer and has less width. I immediately noticed that the tail was a narrower. This will most likely makes it a bit more nervous when floating without speed.

Straight line performance

I could feel that the Thruster LS accelerates slightly faster then the Quad LS. It’s not by a huge amount but just enough to notice. The Thruster also feels faster. The board clearly has a more direct feel when sailing whereas the Quad LS feels more planted. Both boards have equal performance when going upwind.

Gybing

Wide gybes are fine and fast on both boards. I felt short gybes are a little bit more work on the Thruster LS. The Thruster LS gets less drive from the fins so it slows down slightly sooner.

Jumping

Both boards jump equally well. They both give great control in the air and make jumping great fun.

Wave riding

The Quad LS turns tighter and has slightly more drive from the fins. I’m used to trying to go has hard as I can into my turn with the Quad LS and still have control. With the Thruster I would accelerate fast and sometimes miss my turn. This made me have to slightly change my approach and try a bit more delicate sailing.

Verdict

Without a doubt both boards are great. I love sailing both and I wouldn’t mind if I owned the Thruster LS instead of the Quad LS for one bit. They’re both very accessible for riders of different skill levels. You can just get on and go. In my opinion the Thruster LS is clearly designed as an allround wave board. It will perform in all kinds of conditions. The Quad LS is aimed a little more at wave riding. It can do all the things you’d expect from a wave board, but it really comes to live when wave riding. Giving you a lot of control on the wave and enabling you tot turn on a dime.

Which board is best depends on your sailing preferences and sailing conditions. If you’re moving from a single fin board to a multi fin board and don’t have a lot of wave riding skills I would suggest the Thruster LS. If you’re already used to multi fin boards and/or want to further improve your wave riding skills I would suggest the Quad LS.

Tip: Quatro suggests to always take a slightly bigger board as their boards always feel smaller when sailing. I found this to be true. 82 and 84 litres is quite small for me. I’m lucky to have more then one board. Personally I would have to use a slightly bigger size if I only had one board (around 90 litres). I feel confident the fun I would have wouldn’t be any less though.

Next.

We have now completed the review of our small wave boards. Next we want to do a review of our XL wave boards; Thruster LS 102 vs Quad LS 110. Hopefully there will some nice conditions in the coming weeks to do so.

Special thanks to Jan Peter van Popta for providing the action pics!

Click here to read more: BoardKings