Quobba Fins Review

For those of you that know me, you know how much I love fins and always tell people how much fins can change the performance of boards, so much so that I own over 20 sets of Futures for my various kite and surf boards along with a crazy amount of windsurf fins.
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After hearing from my mates on the Duotone team about the Quobbas I was stoked to get sent a set of med and large Quobba Glass Series fins to try.
So far I have used them kitesurfing in various conditions and boards, sadly we haven't had any good waves yet to test them surfing.
I am 6'2 86kgs, 7 x British Kitesurf Champ and surfing for 35 years, sponsored by Duotone and ION.
Read below for my honest thoughts-
First thing you notice when they arrive is the quality and attention to details in the packaging. Great box, fin pouches, screws and spacers, instructions plus great looking fins. Size wise the Med Quobbas are similar size to Futures AM1 and the Large Quobbas similar to AM2 but with all 3 fins same size and slightly more upright with a wider tip making the template more similar to Futures JJF but size wise in area more like the AMs.

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First test was in the Duotone Pro Whip 5'5 in small 2ft windswell, sideshore light wind using the Duotone Juice 11m.
Normally in the Whip I use Futures P6 (formally WCT) which feel great. I fitted the Large Quobba fronts and med rear.
First thing I noticed was the board felt slow. On the wave I had a lot of grip but was lacking the speed I normally have from the Whip in small conditions.
Changed back to the P6s and was instantly faster. Not sure if lack of power and weak waves mean not suited to the Quobbas?
Next day was bit windier but still small so tried again in the Whip this time with 9m Neo and Large Quobba fronts with P6 rear. Still felt draggy and slow so changed back to P6s and instantly more speed.
I think the deep channels and bottom curves in the Whip somehow effect what the fins are doing so my recommendation for the Duotone Pro Whip remains to use Futures P6 fins if you are around 85kg, P8 if bigger and P4 if smaller. 
​Next test is Pro Wam-

After the Whip I was excited to test out the Quobbas in the Pro Wam 5'11 which I normally ride with med JJF Futures. Conditions were cross on 3ft full power on 9m Neo.
Starting off with Large Quobba fronts med Quobba rear, the board felt super good with loads of grip and speed. However in the small waves I did feel it to be hard to release the tail in the top turn so changed the rear fin to the med JJF.
Now it felt super good, I could come off the bottom super tight with speed and have the release off the top.
After a while I changed to all 3 med JJF Futures and instantly the board felt worse, having less grip and less speed in the bottom turn on the choppy cross on waves.
Changed back to Large Quobba Fronts with Med JJF rear and was back feeling super good again, offering loads of grip both on the wave and for frontrolls.

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In the afternoon the wind switched to cross off and the small waves cleaned up to give small down the line conditions.
The Quobbas still felt really good in the Pro Wam, holding well with great speed.

Next test was proper down the line condtions with overhead waves and good wind. 
I tested the Pro Wam again and found the best set up to still be large Quobba fronts with med JJF Futures rear.
As the wind increased I changed to the 5'11 Pro Session with Med Quobbas and Neo 7m.
On the steeper faster waves the Quobbas felt great, allowing me to come hard off the bottom and holding but releasing well at the same time off the top.

In conclusion-
On my traditional no channel boards the Quobbas felt great but didn't seem to work on the 2020 Duotone Pro Whip.
Where I found them to excel was in choppy onshore windy conditions as well as cross off fast breaking waves where the extra grip, translates into more speed while still being able to crank a tight bottom turn to come vertical up the face.
If you kite in these type of conditions then definately try some Quobbas and experiment with changing the rear fin to find the best set up for you and your board.

Check out the fins at https://quobbafins.com/
and for the best Kites and Kitesurf boards - https://www.duotonesports.com/kiteboarding/
Wetsuits, Harnesses and Gear - https://www.ion-products.com/water/

For coaching in Waves, Foil and Big Air come and see me http://www.pastyadventures.co.uk/
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​Thanks for the pics - Jo Malyon and Ian Butt