Length: 229 cmWidth: 58.5 cmTail Width: 37.4 cmWeight: 6.8 kgVolume: 84 litersThickness: 12 cmFins: 2 x Drake Natural Wave 11 + 2 x Drake Natural Wave 13 (Slot Box 10)Sail range: 3.5m² - 5.5m²

On Land:

The Quad 84 is the all-round wave board from Starboard. This Quad 84 positions itself in the middle of a 7-board range. For 2015, subtle changes were made to the boards. The Quad 84 has seen its bottom shape evolve, with the Vee brought forward of the fins, which should make the rail-to-rail transitions easier when waveriding.

The Starboard has standard pads and Drake Deluxe footstraps, which come with a very useful strap-size indicators. The back strap comes with 4 screws to prevent any twisting. The Quad offers three different options for the front strap and two options for the back strap. It comes with 2 x Drake Natural Wave 11 and 2 x Drake Natural Wave 13, in CNC'd G-10.

The board is suitable for all weight classes and abilities.

Performance:

The Quad 84 planes well, even when the wind is light or gusty. It's really fast for a Quad and easy to control. The wind range is huge and the feeling when riding is quite direct. Little inputs from the rider produce immediate results, which makes radical turns more accessible. Despite the great speed, the board doesn't feel as free or as eager to jump as the Starboard Kode Wave does.

For a Quad, it works amazingly well down-the-line. It feels really fast, light and easy when wave riding over the front foot, and the rails and fins give you a very connected feel to the wave, with a lot of grip. Radical cutbacks will require power, due to the wider tail. While many board manufacturers use narrow tails, the Starboard Quad features a wider tail, which is a definite advantage in terms of early planing, control and performance in smaller waves, allowing you to keep speed through tight turns. On bigger waves, some boards in this test have the ability to make tighter turns, but not as connected as the Quad feels.

Verdict: The Quad 84 Carbon is quite fast for a four-fin waveboard and provides heaps of control, even at top speeds. Its strength clearly is in down-the-line conditions, where single and thruster fins boards normally would excel. In smaller waves, there are more versatile boards but not one keeps speed and links tight turns the way the Quad 84 Carbon does. Find out everything there is to know about the Quad here!