John Skye (currently ranked 11 in the overall PWA wave rankings) kindly took some time out of his hectic competition schedule (currently in Sylt and about to head to Cape Verde) to answer some questions for us about RRD’s new line of Wavecult Quad waveboards: (Photos: John Carter / PWA, RRD)
John Skye (K57)
Weight: 82kg
Height: 179cm
Which RRD waveboards will you have in your quiver this season?
All of them!!! Well not quite all, but at the moment I still have my RRD Wave Twins (90, 82, 74) from last year as they are staying the same, plus all 3 RRD Wave Cult Quads (92, 83, 75) and the 2 bigger RRD Hardcore Wave Quads (84,76). I still need to test everything, but at the moment my quiver will most likely be the Wave Cults for UK conditions, plus the Hardcore 84 for proper days and I imagine I will keep hold of my 82 Wave twin as I love that board too much to let it go.
And I thought I was going over the top buying 2 waveboards this year!
You live in Gran Canaria and are pretty much a Pozo local now. Which board do you think will suit the full power, onshore conditions found there?
The 75 Wave Cult Quad I am sure will be my main board for GC. The extra control you get with a quad means you can get away with a slightly bigger board than normal. I may also use the 76 Hardcore Quad when it gets really crazy. It is a lot narrower and has more rocker so stays even more controllable.
A lot of people don’t tune their boards much, do you think it makes much difference to these new quads moving the fins and the mast base?
It certainly makes a difference. They will still work however you set them up, but there will be a sweet spot. So far I am preferring to put the front fins right at the front and the back fin somewhere in the middle, with the leading edge at 33cm. The mast foot should be around the 135 point. slightly back when its windier and slightly further forward for lighter winds.
How do you like to set yours up (fins and mast base)? Do you change them much for different conditions?
At the moment its early days and I have still not had some quality time to play around. I did briefly try changing things about. Moving the fins further together seems to loosen the board up and make it pivot more on the spot. Moving the fins apart gives it a bit more drive. I prefer them further apart as it allows me to push harder through the turns and hold more power in my riding.
When it comes to riding, how do the new Wave Cult Quads differ from the RRD Twins?
The Wave Cult Quads have a lot more control and hold in the water better. This gives more drive in the bottom turn and if you want it, more grip in the top turn for gouges.
Do you think the tail slide is going out and the gouge is coming back in?
That was what I thought what happen with the quads, but from my experience so far it seems that you can still slide the tail out when you want, but have more control to bring it back. The fins are actually smaller so it takes less to get them to slide, but if you push the tail in the water on the top turn, you get so much grip to get the best gouge ever. So far I think they really offer the best of both worlds.
Are the quad fin boards making much of a difference to your jumping over the twin fin? Do you think that the quads are as good as the old trusty single fin for jumping?
Compared with the twin they are definitely better jumpers. More grip and more control, means you can hit the wave exactly where you want to, with more speed and more drive up the face. If they are better than a single fin? Not sure to be honest, but the riding benefits far outweigh the single fin, so overall performance is without a doubt better for me.
Is there else that you think people need to know about the new boards?
I think the best possible answer to all these questions is to try the boards. RRD now has everything you could ever need in a wave board. Wave Cults are fast and early planing, available in quad or single fin. The Hardcores are radical and turn amazing. Available in quad or single. And if there is still nothing for you, there is still the Wave Twin and Thruster.
At X-Train, West Wittering, we have an RRD Wavecult Quad 75 and and RRD Wavecult Quad 83 for you to demo. If you want to have a go, call the club on 01243 513 077
