Mar 4, 2011
V: 85 L: 233.9 W: 57.5
Sitting alongside four dedicated waveboards in the Quatro line-up, their Freestylewave is the choice for those who need a board that will still perform when there is not a wave in sight. Coming from Keith Teboul, the designer of some of the most innovative wave boards in the world, Quatro’s FSW 85 still has a strong wave bias. Its outline, rail and bottom shape look every bit the part of a waveboard, but the thickness and rocker have been refined to get it planing quicker, track well in chop, and reach speeds a dedicated waveboard can only dream of.
Being one of the narrowest boards in the test, it takes a little more wind to get the Quatro planing on flat water but remains more controllable in higher winds. Once in the footstraps, it prefers to be ridden with a modern hips- in stance, and with a little trim work, easily reaches speeds that match the other FSW’s. The waveboard influence and lightweight construction makes it less direct feeling in voodoo chop. Of course, the trade-off is that, in jibes, it allows you to navigate through chop with ease and rip some impressively tight arcs.
With so much wave influence, Quatro’s FSW is truly a board that works in the waves. In fact, with the swap of a fin, we never once had the feeling we were asking it to do something it didn’t want to do. It’s not as radical as some of the latest multi-fin wave designs, but for someone who isn’t pushing the limits of wavesailing, its reliable and consistent turns give a rider plenty of confidence to push their own limit.
The Quatro perfectly bridges the gap between waveboard and FSW with the change of a fin. This makes it the perfect board for anyone needing one board for two jobs. quatrointernational.com
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