Although we enjoyed the Quatro FSW we tested in 2007, this is the first experience we have had with Quatro waveboards for a while.

On the Water:

Characterised by a markedly ‘trad’ outline with a narrow tail and very high quantities of rocker through the tail. The hull shape is single concave through the tail, leading to mild vee under the mast-track. It was immediately apparent that theWave 76 was designed for fast boardspeeds whether due to riding big, well formed waves or handling strong winds. Even in medium waveboard winds and certainly in small to medium, onshore waves it really struggled to maintain the speeds that it needed for optimum performance. Consequently, it didn’t score particularly well in areas such as early planing, easy tracking and upwind performance, even with sails of 4.7m size.When well powered it did feel extremely loose and easy to control in the turn but without good technique or a big wave behind it, it was easy to lose power and stall.

Fittings:

The MFC fin seemed fine and the deck was very comfortable and grippy underfoot. See comments under Goya CustomWave Series 75 for footstraps.

Popularity:

The Wave 76 really needs big cross / cross-offshore conditions to shine, and El Médano was at the wrong end of the wavesailing spectrum for it to really win favour with either the testers or guesters.

Overall:

To be fair to the 76, its forte would appear to be big wave conditions, and it didn’t get tested in these. However, we are pretty confident in saying that it won’t have much appeal to south or east coast UK sailors, and would remain a relatively specialist ‘big day’ board even in places that do get good Atlantic swell.