Turbo Speedialer Quad Fins
I bought myself a new set of those fancy curved Lokbox Turbo quads because my bro-in-law Trusty Dusty borrowed my original set 2 years ago and never returned them (because they are magic).
The board pictured is my 5’7″ Choice vanishing stringer “Flexdialer” that I commissioned Rich Pavel to shape out of my last Clark Foam blank (that I bought from Ian Zamora in the parking lot of the 2006 Fish Fry).
Anonymous
March 21, 2009Hey JP,
I’ve got a set of speed dialers in my quad fish right now. I’m planning a trip this summer and should probably invest in a back-up set. What are the differences (pros/cons) between the regular speed dialers and the curved turbo design? Thanks, Hamz
borntoloser
March 21, 2009Turbo fins offer a step up in drive and lift but are a bit stickier.
Are there cutaway turbos?
Anonymous
March 22, 2009gettin’ all artsy fartsy with shot #4!
Surfy Surfy!
March 22, 2009Cutaway turbos are rare. I make cutaways by modifying my fiberglass fins by cutting out the notch myself with a mini-hacksaw. You probably shouldn’t do that with the Procores.
Turbo fins eliminate any slide issues you may be experiencing with your quad. You have to push on them harder than normal fins. They hold in on hollow waves (search for Justin in Indo on his Speedialer with turbos on this blog). I think they make your board feel like a UFO hovercraft. Some people never go back to regular foiled fins after riding Turbos and others never quite grok with them.
If you want to go the other way and want your quad to be looser we just got a few sets of the Mandala AK4’s in stock in fiberglass and bamboo.
Anonymous
March 23, 2009Loosey loosey is good
Anonymous
March 23, 2009{{{Flexdialer}}}
Anonymous
March 23, 2009my friend Kevin S will not go back to his Marlin bamboos after going w/ Turbos…
Anonymous
October 28, 2009All right Guys!
Very interested in this debate. I recently got two Pavels shaped by the man him self when he was over in Ireland. He recommend the turbo’s for the 6’2 and the 6’5 dialers and the Taylor Knox quad fins for the smaller days. My local waves are beach break’s mushy and not very strong. Will the turbo’s bog in those kind of conditions?
Surfy Surfy!
October 28, 2009I ride the board pictured in this post with turbo fins in mushy waves all the time. I feel like they work to my advantage and I can get going really fast. I like the bamboo fins the best in mushy surf though.
Anonymous
October 28, 2009That’s excellent Surfy Surfy you have put my mind at ease. A friend of mine put a pair of turbo’s on his 6’5 speed dialer and he hated them. He thought they were very stiff compared to the speed dialer cutways.He has also tried the bamboo fins and reckon they fly he had to set the fins back a bit to stiffen the turns they were so fast! One last question were to you set your turbo fins in the middle back or front! My boards were only glassed last week so I am waiting for them to cure and I am trying to find out as much as I can about the fins! Great site and keep up the good work
Surfy Surfy!
October 28, 2009I put my fins in the boxes so that the tips line up with the wings. If the board feels too wiggly move the rear fins back.
Anonymous
October 28, 2009Great stuff.Thanks for your help.
Anonymous
December 29, 2009I currently ride the speed dialer cutaways and just got some Turbo speed dialers. Am I the only one who thinks the metal lokbox tabs seem to small to really fit the turbo groves? My metal tabs just fit inside the grove and it appears like the fins might pop out in heavy surf???
I went to a surf shop and they gave me four new tabs but they’re all the same size as my old ones. They are not bent either….
Thoughts
Anonymous
December 29, 2009Thanks for the comments guys! The metal tabs are designed to a certain length so that they can bend upon serious impacts to solid objects such as the reef or sandbar and eject the fins. Read about it at http://www.lokboxfins.com . Because the turbos lean out further at the base the tab is more visible. But rest assured they will not allow the fins to just come out. Make sure those screws are TIGHT! The turbos have been tested by many of us for many years all over the world in all kinds of waves. Best suited for more powerful surfing and waves. Thanks JJR
Anonymous
December 29, 2009Thanks for the reply! I did use the Turbos yesterday in head high surf and they were fantastic!!! I really could put the quad Zamora anywhere I wanted to on the wave and I was not going to slip! The fins really make you want to surf and push harder! I still don’t understand why the tabs fit the groves so much deeper on the cutaways than the turbos. They barely make it into the grove!
Anonymous
September 23, 2010Not a fan of the turbos for my quad fish kneeboard. They seem looser, and my board feels faster, but they also seem to generate a bit of lift at the tail (which for a kneeboard I don’t like), also, on hard bottom turns I feel the tips/ends of them chatter. Anyways, I get more hold but seemingly less speed and looseness from my standard quad fins. I gotta try the non-turbo speed dialers yet. Friends swear by them.
Anonymous
April 24, 2011i just went out yesterday for the first time on my new 6 1 lost uber plank with a pair of curved turbo speed dialer fins.it was a low tide hollow fast beach break on a growing south swell.ever front side ride was like an instant skate park feeling.rights holding up stronger against the swell direction.but ever back side set i was pushed out in the flats ever f@#kin time swell was pushin fast and hollow on the lefts.going to play with fin spread and try again……
Anonymous
February 24, 2014how much was that clark foam if you dont mind my asking?
JP from Surfy Surfy
February 24, 2014I don’t remember. $150?