jp australia single thruster

robby swift
jp australia single thruster

25-yr old British all-rounder Robby Swift (K-89) achieved 3^rd overall in the waves in 2009 and is respected as one of the most powerful riders in any type of conditions. With experience of developing fins for JP and Maui Ultra Fins, big wave and towing knowledge plus solid experience with both Twins and Quads, he has some interesting comments worth listening to.

Objectives:

The Single Thruster line is supposed to mix the drive and early planing, onshore sailing ability with the loose feel of multi fin boards. Almost all the best surfboards use a Thruster setup so it makes sense that it should work on a windsurfer. In 2011, our Thruster boards are just the old SingleFin board with a Thruster setup so they’re still very much geared towards onshore conditions. They plane quickly and feel fast under your feet but definitely turn better than the SingleFin from the year before. For sure they'll give more of an advantage to heavier sailors who might find Quad fins a bit tricky to get going but they’re still great for lighter guys. You can get away with using a lower volume single Thruster than a Quad so for people who like to use smaller boards, they work well

Best Conditions:

I only use the 2011 single Thruster in onshore conditions but for 2012 we have a new one that works much better down-the-line, but it’s still aimed towards onshore conditions. I want to work on them a lot this year though to see if we can make something that challenges the Quads in down-the-line conditions. The 2011 model is just an adapted Single, but next year's one is completely new and has changed a bit to take even better advantage of the TriFin setup.

Thruster or TriFin?

I think it’s good to have a big centre fin to give you drive, but when I use the boards in more down-the-line conditions, I put a smaller back fin in. Again, we’re still in the early stages of development of the Thrusters so we can play a lot with fins. I think that you’ll always need a big back fin though to give drive and acceleration in onshore conditions. For side shore conditions, I think we’ll start seeing more similar, even-sized, TriFin-style foils used.

Fin Sizes?

All the boards come with different size back fins between 19cm and 23cm from the 69 to the 99. They all come with 10cm side fins. I’ve been using the Maui Ultra Fin side fins that are a bit stiffer than the stock ones, and pretty much just using the same size back fin that comes with the board in onshore conditions, but going down by about 2cm for more side shore conditions. I almost never use them as SingleFins.

Compared to Quads and Twins

They certainly feel more like SingleFins in terms of sailing around, getting planing, etc. but they’re noticeably looser on the wave. For sure they’re not quite as loose as the Twins/Quads yet, but if you live in a place where the wind’s predominantly onshore or side onshore, like the UK south coast or European North Sea), you’ll definitely have more fun on a single Thruster than anything else - unless it is really windy and getting going might not be such a problem. I always use single Thrusters in cross onshore until I’m fully powered on a 4.5 when I’ll go back to a Quad or a Twin for control.

Jumping?

They’re great. Just like a SingleFin but with more grip to position yourself in the steepest part of the wave for take-off with no fear of sliding out.

Key Sizes

I weigh 85kg now and the 93 is plenty big enough for my needs. I actually don't even use the 99. I have one and I tried it but found that the 93 outperforms the 99 on the wave but gets going as quickly as I need it to. For my weight I use 5.8 and 5.4 on the 93, 5.0 and 4.7 on the 83 and then 75 when it’s windier than that. I don't use the 69 at all.


More info at JP-Australia.com and RobbySwift.com